Interviews// Darksiders' Creative Director, Joe Madureira

SPOnG: Are you thinking of Darksiders as a series or maybe a franchise?

Joe Madureira: I would love it to be a franchise. It’s been talked about and, again, it’s been one of those things where if people demand it, it will happen. We are ready with a sequel (grins).

SPOnG: Any chance we’ll see it in other media? Comics would be the obvious one...

Joe Madureira: It’s all been discussed. It’s in the hands of THQ.


SPOnG: How do you find the games work, as opposed to the comics work - apart from, I imagine, more lucrative?

Joe Madureira: There are just so many aspects to it. I never do the same thing on any given day. It’s just completely insane how many things you have to juggle when you’re working in games. Especially since we started very small – we had, like, eight guys and now we have over a hundred, so just seeing it grow, and being involved in so many different things that I never even knew about, like voice recording and meeting actors like Mark Hamill – it’s very fun!

SPOnG: Any other big names you’ve got in for the voice acting?

Joe Madureira: Moon Bloodgood does the voice of Ariel – she was in the recent Terminator film.

SPOnG: That’s an awesome name.

Joe Madureira: That’s a very cool name. She sounds like a World of Warcraft character. She has a very sexy voice as well...

I’m totally blanking out!

Vernon Wells did the voice of Samael. He was in Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2). He’s Australian and has such a cool voice.

We definitely picked our actors just based on their tone, and acting quality and things. Not necessarily name only. I think we got a lot of really good people.

SPOnG: Any worries about the Watcher sounding a bit like the Joker (who Mark Hamill) also plays) so soon after Batman: Arkham Asylum?

Joe Madureira: No, I love it! Mark Hamill’s just such an awesome voice actor. He made me laugh so much when I heard some of the Watcher stuff for the first time. I think he totally nailed it.


SPOnG: I’ve got to ask this: Darksiders has been compared to games like God of War and Devil May Cry. What’s your response to that?

Joe Madureira: You know, last I checked Kratos never rode around on a horse and threw cars at people, or fired angelic weaponry, guns...

But, honestly, aside from that you have free camera control. That immediately makes it feel completely different. The world is explorable, you’re not on a linear path. And just that open adventure I mentioned at the beginning of the interview. The world doesn’t close off as you progress the story. It’s more about exploration. It’s really a surface comparison.

SPOnG: Thanks a lot for your time!