Interviews// Godfather Blackhand Producer: Joel Wade

SPOnG: Francis Ford Coppola slammed the game shortly before the original release quite memorably. How difficult was it to translate such a classic film to a video game and do you think you did the franchise justice?

Joel Wade: We have a huge respect for both the original story by Mario Puzo and Coppola’s films- we’re all huge fans. Translating anything that is so beloved from one medium to another is always going to be a difficult process, and I’m sure whatever direction we took would have generated some detractors who wished we would have handled it differently. Ultimately our goal was to take the world that Puzo created for us and give it its own unique space in the interactive world- different from its book and film predecessors.

Focusing on making the gameplay as rich and diverse as possible led us away from simply retelling the original linear story, and instead telling the player’s own story as they join the Corleones and rise through the family. This way we could create new interesting gameplay experiences, and still intersect with the Puzo fiction during moments we all know and love like the Don being shot, or the horse’s head in the Woltz’s bed.

SPOnG: Getting the rights to many of the different aspects of The Godfather must have been an exhaustive process. How were you able to work around design features or assets you weren’t given access to replicate?

Joel Wade: We really didn’t feel restricted by rights issues during the making of the game. Paramount was also a fantastic partner, providing us access to all their production archives. We did end up licensing the music and over 20 original actors likenesses including Brando, James Caan, Robert Duval, and Abe Vigoda to name a few. Having the original characters back for you to talk to and interact with in the game was a fantastic coup, and we felt it added a tremendous amount of authenticity and emotional power to the experience.

SPOnG: Which is your favourite film or novel in the Godfather saga and why?

Joel Wade: They all have fantastic moments, but it would be hard to not give the first film the nod here. It represents such a compelling family saga- the young man who first rejects then returns to his family only to lead it through adversity is an amazing story.

Marlon Brando and James Caan gave would could be argued as the performances of their careers, and of course it was shot gorgeously. The “noble mobster” of Don Corleone is an alluring fantasy that still resonates today in almost all cultures… we hope players get a taste of that experience during the game as they join the family and rise through the ranks of the Corleones.

SPOnG: Thanks for your time, Joel.