Smackdown! vs. RAW Interview 6/25 from IGN

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June 25, 2004 - It's a crowded year for wrestling titles on the PlayStation 2 and it's going to take a whole lot of bells and whistles to prove which product is best. Historically, the winner of that honor has been Yuke's and THQ's SmackDown franchise, but with such financially secure heavyweights as Konami and Electronic Arts throwing their hats into a market already populated by Acclaim, Eidos, and Bandai, the pair definitely has their work cut out for them. After all, the effort with last year's Here Comes the Pain was easily the best in the franchise so far; leaving plenty of expectations and standards that THQ will have to meet and surpass.


To find out how THQ is handling this challenge, we sat down with THQ's Smackdown! vs. RAW Product Manager Devin Knudsen. Devin has been around the SmackDown franchise forever too, and is a self-professed "ultra-fan" of professional wrestling. If there's anybody out there who can give us the answers we want, it's this guy. Here's how the conversation went down:

IGN: Thanks for the taking the time to answer our questions. We suppose our first question right out of the gate would be, What was it about last year's SmackDown title that you thought could be improved upon most this year?

Devin Knudsen: There are two main areas that we are striving to improve this year with SmackDown! vs. Raw. An overall improvement of presentation to the player was the first area we choose to tackle. A fan should feel as they are watching actual WWE programming and all aspects of the game should focus on accomplishing this goal. The graphics of the game, the audio elements and the all of the Superstars mannerisms and personalities should provide the player with a suspension of disbelief.

The second element is user interaction. A fan should feel as though they have control over all aspects of the game. There shouldn't be moments where the player feels helpless and is just watching an animation play out; we want the player to feel like he's part of the action unfolding on the screen.



Cena poses all tough-like


IGN: With that said, what kind of changes have you made with Smackdown! vs. RAW that addresses those issues?

Devin: We've added several new features that will greatly enhance the user's experience and interaction with the game, as well as improving on last year's features. One obvious improvement that players will notice when they get a look at the game is the graphical upgrade. Yuke's did a fantastic job with this year's Superstar models. They've increased the poly counts significantly, especially in the Create-A-Superstar area.

IGN: How much of an impact has fan and editorial feedback had when sitting down to prepare for a new installment of the Smackdown franchise?

Devin: As the Rock would say…"This is the people's champ" The SmackDown! Series is not the only wrestling series out there, but it is the most popular. The only way to keep the fans excited is by keeping a close ear to the ground and delivering on what the fans want to see. Being a fan of the WWE, I'm very passionate when it comes to my product line. Our dev team is constantly scanning the message boards, looking at competitive product and putting together focus groups to get a pulse on what the "real" WWE fans are looking for in our videogames. When putting together a feature set for a new title, the team lays out franchise objectives, which are heavily influenced by the feedback we gather from all of the fans.

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IGN: So what are some examples of how you took that feedback and incorporated it into this year's game?


Devin: I can't really get into the new features at this time, but there have been changes to almost every aspect of the game. For example, we made several tweaks here and there to improve things like submissions, grapples, weapons and audio.

IGN: Cool. So how about the new features this year, what are some of the new goodies that fans can expect?

Devin: We can't spill the beans yet, but just like last year we will deliver a game that significantly improves upon the last iteration. There is a big surprise down the pipe that is sure not to disappoint.

IGN: THQ is more secretive than ever this year? Why all the cloak and dagger stuff?

Devin: It's all part of the master plan! Seriously, we've got some real big things planned with this year's offering and we're looking forward to letting all you guys in on all the fun leading up to launch. You guys are our biggest supporters and we're glad to reward your readers by making IGN the WWE HQ.

IGN: Okay then throw us something new. Tell us at least two things we don't already know about Smackdown! vs. RAW?

Devin: We will see the return of a feature from wrestling's past and the introduction of a feature that no one thought they would see in a WWE title.

IGN: How about the roster, what changes are there this year? Who's out of the lineup altogether and who are a couple of the new guys? More importantly, do we have La Resistance in there or what?

Devin: WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw will have the top Superstars from RAW and SmackDown as well as divas and some really exciting Legends to unlock. There are some good surprises here. Unfortunately, that is all I can say about the roster, but IGN will be the first to know, as we will roll out the roster with IGN through their ongoing Superstar profile.

IGN: Some of our readers were a bit disappointed in last year's career mode. It had a lot of great ideas but some complained that it was too repetitive and too short. Will career be improved on this year, and will it be similar to say, Day of Reckoning?

Devin: The season mode has seen a great progression over the years and this year is no exception. We know that the season mode is an integral part of the game and we have gone to great lengths this year to make sure we deliver a season mode that will satisfy the fans. We work closely with the WWE and their writers to find out what directions they are taking with their Superstars and their storylines.

This definitely serves as the underline foundation for what we do. The emphasis has been put on creating storylines that are completely original. This unique blend of storylines will satisfy WWE fans while delivering a compelling and rewarding experience. Don't worry; fans will be blown away with what we've got in store for this year's career mode.

IGN: How about create-a-wrestler, do you have plans to expand on that feature?

Devin: As I mentioned earlier, there will be a dramatic visual upgrade over last year's offering. The quality of the textures and models are significantly improved. We also took steps to simplify the user interface. I can't get into any of the new items in the Create mode at this time.

IGN: And now the big question: there are a lot of rumors pointing to this being online, will it be?

Devin: Unfortunately, we can't comment on this.

IGN: Ah ha, very interesting. Well anyway man, thanks a lot, we'll be bugging you again real soon.

Devin: Unfortunately, we can't comment on this.

IGN would like to thank Devin Knudsen, Kyle Walker, THQ, and all those involved with making this interview possible (and a special thanks to our readers for their quick question submissions). We'd also like to let the fans know that they should keep an eye out for PSM Magazine's September issue (on sale in early August) for more on Smackdown! vs. RAW. In it, former IGNPS2 and IGN Xbox editor Kaiser Hwang reveals a great number of details complete with new media for the print crowd. Of course, we'll be back with some more info ourselves in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
-- Interview by Jeremy Dunham