Kamaal Anwar on ArcaniA: Gothic 4

Feature

Gothic 4 is the first title in the Gothic series not being developed by Piranha Bytes, and as such, represents a rebirth of sorts for the franchise. Producer Kamaal Anwar was kind enough to answer our questions on how Gothic has evolved from its third installment to Gothic 4.

May 15th, 2010 by Davneet Minhas

Gothic 4 is the first title in the Gothic series not being developed by Piranha Bytes, and as such, represents a rebirth of sorts for the franchise. Producer Kamaal Anwar was kind enough to answer our questions on how Gothic has evolved from its third installment to Gothic 4.

HookedGamers: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Can you introduce yourself and your role on ArcaniA: Gothic 4?

Kamaal Anwar: My name is Kamaal Anwar and I�m the Producer for ArcaniA: Gothic 4 on the Internal Publishing side.

HookedGamers: The fourth installment in the Gothic series has undergone quite a few name changes over the years � Gothic 4: Genesis, Gothic 4: ArcaniA, ArcaniA: A Gothic Tale, and now ArcaniA: Gothic 4. Can you discuss some of the motivations behind these?

Kamaal Anwar: It would certainly seem like that, but the truth is we never finalized its name. It was what we referred to it internally, and as a result ended up being what we called it publicly. Quite early in the project, because some people saw this as a rebirth of the Gothic franchise it was associated with the word Genesis. Since then a larger focus on the magic influenced the story and designs of Gothic 4, and so Gothic 4 (consciously similar to Arcane) was used. ArcaniA: Gothic 4 however is the game�s title that we have decided on.

HookedGamers: How do North American and European gamers differ in their RPG preferences, and how are these differences reflected in Gothic 4?

Kamaal Anwar: We could go on for quite a while on this topic, but when we break it down everyone has their own preferences. It�s pretty transparent that cultures as a whole tend to have more common preferences. North American gamers (and not specifically RPG gamers) would tend to look for the short term reward to spark engagement. European gamers are more methodical in how they appreciate a new experience. At the end of the day though, everyone wants a quality game. Regardless of where they�re from, their personal preferences can be influenced if a game can establish its own unique and compelling experience.

HookedGamers: Gothic 4 is the first Gothic title not developed by Piranha Bytes. What does the new developer Spellbound bring to the table?

Kamaal Anwar: Spellbound is composed of a lot of talented people from different cultures all over the world. Like Piranha Bytes, they are passionate about what they do and want to deliver the very best for their customers. I think that�s evident in how much they�ve wanted to be involved in the existing community with short stories and regular Q&A sessions.