What made you decide to create a new Aliens Vs Predator game?

It was a very simple choice for us. We made the original AVP game on PC in 1999 so we were delighted to get a chance to work on a new AVP game. The Aliens and Predator franchises have a huge following so there’s a lot of pressure in creating a game which will please all the fans, and we’re really enjoying the challenge.

Are you a fan of the previous Aliens Vs Predator games and films?

Of course, we’re all massive fans of everything Aliens and Predator, from the movies to the comic books to the video games. We actually made the first Aliens vs. Predator game for PC in 1999 so we’ve got a lot of history with the franchise and it’s a privilege to come back and work on a new AVP game a whole 10 years after our first game.

Regarding Campaign mode, will this be a totally new storyline? Or rather a follow-on from the previous games/films?

Our game has a brand new story to the Aliens and Predator universes. We worked closely with Fox on the story and they’ve allowed us to even add in some brand new weapons and enemies that you’ve never seen before in any movie or comic book for Aliens or Predator.

In the game, you can play as the Marine, Predator and Alien, and each species has its own separate story driven campaign and right from booting up the game for the first time, the player can choose to play any of the three campaigns. Each campaign’s story interweaves with the stories of the other two species’ campaigns so there will be crossover in the narrative between the three.

A Predator, From Aliens Vs Predator Back In 1999

Having played the game myself at the Eurogamer Expo I must say the design for each character type is fantastic. How did you go about creating them? Did you have to analyse each film closely to get them just right?

There’s been a huge amount of research done in creating the game and making all of the character types exactly right. We’ve immersed ourselves in everything Aliens and Predator, including the movies, and have also gone back to our original 1999 game to remind ourselves about what elements are key to the AVP experience.

Which of the three character types was the most challenging to create?

Definitely the Alien was the most challenging. The Alien as a playable character is genuinely unique, with its ability to cling to any part of the environment, even tracking its prey as it crawls along the ceiling… We’re working hard to ensure that the Alien character will retain this powerful (and fun!) advantage with a control system that allows gamers of all abilities to scurry over every surface in the game without any difficulty.

With the Alien being able to climb walls and pretty much scale any surface, did you have to take a different approach when it came to designing levels for multi-player?

Yes, it’s true to say we did as each of the three species has different means of traversing the environment. As a Marine you’re pretty much rooted to the ground, as the Predator you can leap onto rooftops or into the trees, and as an Alien you can crawl anywhere – up walls and trees, along the ceiling! So for example, as the Marine you could be walking through a jungle, while a Predator could be tracking you from a tree top and Alien could be scuttling up the tree to attack the Predator. It makes for a pretty unique multiplayer offering, that’s for sure!

Which is your favourite character to play as, out of the three types?

I’d have to say the Predator – he’s got some pretty awesome gadgets and his ability to cloak and hunt his prey from above feels very empowering.

And finally when is the game due out?

Aliens vs. Predator will be out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in February 2010 so not too long to wait now!

Plus XP would like to thank Tim for taking some time out to answer questions for the site, and I can safely say I am looking forward to this title come February. Now if you will excuse me I am off to watch the first Aliens Vs Predator movie.

Garv