Ernest Zamara: Yeah, I think there were successful elements of horror that were inspirations for the first F.E.A.R. game, and that resonated with players and so you build on that horror legacy going forward.
With F.E.A.R. 3 what we’ve done is amped up the horror even more - we’ve brought in Steve Niles and John Carpenter. Steve Niles is an acclaimed comic book and horror writer, he’s worked on films like 30 Days of Night and some DC stuff, so he was instrumental in helping Day 1 craft the story of F.E.A.R. 3.
John Carpenter was consulted on our bigger horror moments in our cinematics, and so again it was all about building on that initial success of horror. But now, with those guys, they’re bringing a wealth of horror experience and we’re using the films they’ve worked on as inspiration. A lot of that rolled into F.E.A.R. 3.
SPOnG: Do you think that horror element and the F.E.A.R. squad elements in the game are a unique selling point for the series? FPS games are ten a penny in the industry right now, so do you think that was a key reason for its success?
Ernest Zamara: Absolutely. I think it’s the unique mix of paranormal action horror. There’s survival horror on the one hand, where in some perspective it’s “Oh, well I’m going to make you weaker, and therefore you’re going to get more scared because you’ve only got one bullet.”
F.E.A.R. 3 always has the ample action, frenetic fast-paced action, close quarters combat, but it had the horror elements there as well. It basically is the best of both worlds in that regard, and so that’s what we’re continuing to do with F.E.A.R. 3.
Ernest Zamara: It’s so cool! Both Steve Niles and John Carpenter are actually gamers, and the great thing is as you talk to them, they would mention tidbits about certain games and they really got what we were striving to do with the co-op gameplay. Given the story is all about the brothers, it was a great opportunity for them to suggest where to amp up the horror and what the brothers should do in certain situations.
SPOnG: Do you think there is scope for maybe spinoff comics, films, that sort of thing? Being a Warner Brothers franchise, you’ve got the ability to reach into other mediums from the games.
Ernest Zamara: I think so. I’d love to see that. I’d love to see a film based on the F.E.A.R. franchise. I think we’ve got a great story that would work well.
SPOnG: Maybe John Carpenter can get involved.
Ernest Zamara: Maybe!
SPOnG: I just wanted to get your thoughts on the FPS genre in general. We talked about what made F.E.A.R. stand out from the crowd, but it seems like the industry is dominated with the Killzones, Halos and Call of Duties of the world. What’s your take on what the industry is looking like at the moment in terms of original concepts, gameplay and genres?
Ernest Zamara: In general, I think we could use more original ideas. That’s why I said from the start we really focused on making our co-op mode in F.E.A.R. 3 very unique in making it divergent in nature, with each player having their own set of abilities. It’s also why we set out to make our multiplayer modes very unique.
I think that’s the only way you can truly capture players and get their attention, because why would you want to do the same thing over and over with just different names and different settings, right?
Ernest Zamara: Yeah, I think it’s a good thing. I don’t necessarily think that’s where the industry is headed. I think there’s room for both. That adds a lot, with the right game and the right franchise such as F.E.A.R., but I also think there’s room for wholly original ideas like Scribblenauts. I can’t imagine where you would get Hollywood talent involved in Scribblenauts!
SPOnG: Thank you for your time!
Ernest Zamara: Thanks!