DGC Ep 393: Beyond Good and Evil Bonus Interview with Michel Ancel

DGC Ep 393: Beyond Good and Evil Bonus Interview with Michel Ancel

Author: Brett Douville and Tim Longo June 12, 2024 Duration: 1:14:23

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we add to our series on Beyond Good and Evil with Michel Ancel. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary.

Podcast breakdown:
00:49 Interview
1:05:23 Interlude 
1:05:56 Outro 

Issues covered: a one-main game, making a game by himself, being fascinated by computer graphics, not being able to save the first work, a tool for creation, ecological development, UbiSoft's magazine for recruitment, meeting with the big boss, working as an external developer, making a first playable of Rayman, developing an internal team, a big early team, going all in around Rayman, developing internal tools, a female lead, a story-based adventure game trying to be holistic, a difficult and ambitious project, figuring out what to cut and what to keep, defining moments, creating a whole world, not knowing where the boundaries are, wanting to surprise people, cutting the open world/multiple cities, doing everything in the tools they made with a very small team, huge capabilities of the tool, the 100% complete mini-game, coming up with characters and story, telling the story while you play, having a strong vision for the game, integration of levels with cinematic storytelling and camera placement, coming up with the formula, reusing the techniques, the origin of the title, Jade's unexplained traumatic history, enemies doing what they have to to survive, consequences for those close to you, a commitment to internal tech, laying out the development pillars.

Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Rayman, Rabbids, King Kong, Ubisoft, The Intruder, Shigeru Miyamoto, Atari, Brain Blasters/The Teller, Pixar, TRON, Yves Guillemot, Jaguar, PlayStation, Michel Guillemot, 3DStudio MAX, Legend of Zelda, Elite, Starflight, Argonaut, Starfox, Jacques Exertier, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid 2, Unreal, Valiant Hearts, Sega Saturn, Nintendo Wii, Fred Markus, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia

Next time:
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Twitch: timlongojr, Twitter/Threads/Insta: @devgameclub
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DevGameClub@gmail.com


Dev Game Club is a conversation between two working game developers who have been there. Each week, hosts Brett Douville and Tim Longo pick a classic video game from the past-often a title that shaped design thinking or introduced a new technical standard-and break it down from their professional perspective. Their discussions go beyond nostalgia, examining how these older titles functioned, why certain creative decisions were made, and what lasting impact they left on the industry. You’ll hear specific analysis of game mechanics, narrative structure, and technical achievements, all filtered through decades of hands-on development experience. The goal isn’t just to reminisce but to extract tangible lessons that are still relevant for creators and deeply interesting for passionate players today. They invite you to play the game in question alongside them, then settle in for a detailed, insider’s post-mortem. This podcast offers a unique blend of critical appreciation and practical insight, treating video game history as a living textbook. It’s for anyone who loves games and wants to understand the craft behind them on a deeper level. New episodes release regularly, diving into a different influential game from the archives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dev Game Club
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