Steady As Sidhe Goes
New Zealand’s Sidhe Interactive released their anticipated multi-platform Rugby League title over Christmas, setting a few records. The game broke the worldwide single store preorder for Electronic Boutique with over 1060 units at Eastgarden in Sydney, debuted at No.1 in Australasia, and held the slot for the five week Christmas period. Sidhe have been around for a long time, but Rugby League represents their first major title, and is a watershed success for the Wellington company. The game continues to sell well, and a sequel is currently being discussed. I managed to hunt down Sidhe’s busy CEO Mario Wynands for a quick Q&A.
Any word on sales figures of Rugby League to date?
The game has been selling very strongly. We debuted at number 1, and held the number 1 slot for the five week period over Christmas. We have been very pleased with the results.
Are you planning a sequel?
Given the sales to date, it is looking increasingly likely. We are discussing the possibility with (publisher) HES, and are very excited about taking the game to the next level.
What would a sequel entail - new features, teams etc.?
There are a number of areas we want to focus on, but the primary functionality we want to add is online play and a franchise mode - both of which will add massively to the player experience. In addition, we’ll be looking to secure new licenses for more teams, add more depth and tweak the ingame gameplay, improve the AI, and lift the quality of the graphics, along with a host of other things. We have a great foundation to work from, so a sequel incorporating the above will be a whole new experience for the gamer. This will require substantial work though, so its unlikely a sequel would be released during 2004.
What will franchise mode involve?
Franchise mode is where you take on the management of the team and play for several consecutive seasons. You’ll get to build up the makeup of the team over time, trade players, deal with ongoing injuries etc.
How has the game’s success affected Sidhe? Have any new opportunities resulted?
The game has certainly brought the company into a new evolutionary phase. With a successful and solid, multi SKU console title behind us we are a much less risky proposition for publishers. This new level of credibility, in combination with our increased profile, this has enabled us to talk very openly with different publishers about a range of opportunities. We are therefore in a position where we can be much more strategic in our selection of projects.
Do you have any other games on the boil?
For the last few months we have been working on various technology and internal projects. We are especially excited in our work around PSP, and will hopefully have some news in that area later this year.
Are you guys planning on displaying at E3 this year?
Developers don’t typically have their own stands on the show floor, but we’ll definitely be showing new material behind closed doors.
Does this mean you are going to become the Australasian EA sports game king :)
I’d like to think with Rugby League we have debuted as a strong contender for that crown. There is still a lot of scope for improvement though and we’ll be looking to keep pushing the franchise as far and as hard as we can so that the Rugby League series can keep going from strength to strength.
posted by monty · at 9:39 am · filed under News
Arrr matey! More Modding Capabilities for fiddlers like me?