GameCity 9: Mike Bithell

Gisborne.

The festival itself was a smorgasbord of talks and public events featuring appearances from prolific video game writers such as Kieron Gillen, Leigh Alexander and Chris Avellone, and a number of prominent video game designers such as Zoe Quinn (Depression Quest), Rami Ismail and of course GameCity veteran Mike Bithell.

We interviewed Mike last month ahead of his GameCity appearance. Bithell made waves with his first game Thomas Was Alone. His second game Volume, is a cyberpunk adaptation of the Robin Hood Legend encompassing stealth mechanics and Tron-esque virtual reality environments. Whilst Bithell had previously announced that YouTuber Charlie McDonnell would be providing the voice of Robert Locksley and Danny Wallace would be returning to voice AI Alan (a spin on Alan-a-dale), he announced that Andy Serkis would be playing antagonist role of Gisborne at a swanky party event towards the end of the festival.

First of all, how was your experience at GameCity this year?
I always have a great time at GameCity - it's a highlight of my year. It is a fun chance to recharge and enjoy the awesome culture that surrounds my favourite hobby, and of course my work. They're great people.

Any particular highlights from the festival?
I think I did the bulk of my giggling at the live text adventure event. A group of some of gaming's best writers wrote text adventures, live, for an audience. It was creative, silly and a great insight into the writing processes of the folks involved. A fantastic event.

Tell us about your involvement with the Gisborne launch party.
We ran an evening of drinks and canapés to celebrate the launch of the fictional corporation at the centre of our game, Gisborne Industries. In the decades to come, they will rise to take over the entirety of England, and it was fun to do a slightly foreshadowing and creepy party in their honour. Also a nice excuse for the dev team to wear nice suits.

The big news that you unveiled at the festival, is that Andy Serkis will be providing the voice of Gisborne, CEO of Gisborne industries and the main antagonist of Volume. What exactly does this mean to you?
First and foremost, it means I have another fantastic performance in my game. Andy is one of his generation's finest actors, and moreover, probably the most prominent VO and performance capture artist working today. He has done a fantastic job on the game, and it's been great working with him.

Obviously Andy Serkis has an amazing reputation for donning the motion capture suits and has lots more lined up, including the new Star Wars. Was he your main choice for Gisborne?
Andy was the top of my 'amazing people I don't stand a chance of getting' list. I finally decided to try to get someone from the list, and of course began at the top. I sent him a letter, explaining why I wanted him for the role, and obviously a stack of material explaining what the game was, central of which was his script. Fortunately for me he had a gap in his ridiculously busy schedule, and liked the part.

It must have been quite nerve racking to have to direct him?
I was very nervous, but he's a professional, and did a great deal to put me at ease. It was an honour and a privilege to be in the same room as him, let alone direct him. His performance is miles ahead of what I could have even imagined.

If you go down to the Robin Hood section of the Galleries of Justice museum you'll see a roster providing a who's who in the Robin Hood legend. Guy Gisborne is there at the side, the rogue mercenary and hunter of Robin Hood. I guess the main adversary people tend to think of in conjunction with Robin Hood is the Sheriff of Nottingham. What led you to choose Guy Gisborne as Volume's antagonist? 
Gisborne is one of the earliest antagonists in the ballads, and a character that's been underused. His personality varies, but he is a sword for hire, a businessman. That felt like an interesting angle on the story. If our world has a Sheriff, they have yet to appear, Gisborne is doing the groundwork.

What is your Gisborne like as a character?
He is a man who has won. The game takes place a decade after a successful coup. He owns England, and has crushed all competitors. When one young man decides to stand up to him, we get to see him lose his grip on power, and on his temper. It's a fun transformation.

Volume draws some inspiration from the VR missions in the Metal Gear Solid series. Does this mean David Hayter (voice of Solid Snake) will be cast at some stage to play returning hero King Richard?
(Laughs) I'd love to cast David Hayter in a game. We're all full for now, but maybe if we do a sequel, we can chat!

GameCity 9 took place within Nottingham between Saturday 25 October and Saturday 1 November 2014.

GameCity website