Adventure-Treff.de: „Hi Dave, thank you for giving us another interview. Since we've talked the last time in 2009, a lot of things happened at Wadjet Eye Games. Not only did you release Blackwell Convergence, you also started working as publisher for other developers. If you look back, did you achieve all you goals?“



Dave Gilbert: „If I have any goals, it's to keep doing what I'm doing! Times are tough for everyone right now, and sometimes I think the fact that I'm still in business at all is an accomplishment in itself! Although seriously, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished since we last talked. Both Blackwell Convergence and Puzzle Bots have taught me a ton. I've learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and I really feel like I know what types of games Wadjet Eye should focus on making. So did I accomplish everything I wanted to? It's hard to say. Either way, I feel a *lot* more confident about what I'm doing and the directions I want our games to take.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „Another important step for Wadjet Eye: Recently you released Joshua Nuernberger's Gemini Rue. Beside older games that you re-released and after Erin Robinson's Puzzle Bots, this is the second game that Wadjet Eye publishes for other developers. Please talk about this game from your perspective.“



Dave Gilbert: „I am super biased of course, but I think the game is great. It's got everything I love in it - gritty noir atmosphere, a thoughtful sci-fi story, and some terrific characters. But most importantly, it's got something that a lot of adventure games lack - suspense! When my wife and I played the game for the first time, we were on the edge of our seat and had to keep playing to find out what happened next. A lot of adventure games just have you going through the motions and solving puzzles because they are there, but here was a game where we never questioned our need to keep going. It's exciting to be publishing it, really.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „The game is developed for a long time now. It was also awarded at the Indie Games Festival in 2010. How did this cooperation between you and Joshua start. Did he contact you and ask you if you want to publish his game or did you keep track of the progress and contact him by yourself?“



Dave Gilbert: „Josh contacted me twice, actually. He first reached out to me in late 2009, but at the time I was busy with Puzzle Bots and another (now cancelled) game for PlayFirst, so I had to turn him down. He approached me a second time just before Puzzle Bots had launched. Since I had less on my plate, it seemed like a good time to check the game out. And we absolutely fell in love with it.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „Why was the game renamed from Boryokudan Rue to Gemini Rue? Was it because nobody can remember how to spell it (I for myself always have to look how it is written)?“



Dave Gilbert: „That was pretty much it! After my wife and I finished playing through the game, we couldn't stop talking about it but neither of us could remember how to spell or pronounce the name (turned out that both of us were wrong)! I didn't want to be the type of publisher who clogs through someone's work and forces changes, but I couldn't deny that the complicated name would be an obstacle. Fortunately, Josh was more than agreeable to changing it. Since the game takes place in the Gemini galaxy, and the game deals with issues of duality and identity, it seemed appropriate to call it "Gemini" something. And since the "Rue" was the main part of the original title that everyone remembered, we ended up calling it "Gemini Rue."“



Adventure-Treff.de: „Another interesting news is the upcoming release of Deception, the fourth installment in the Blackwell Universe. Can you give us some kind of overview? Are there any interesting details to be discovered about Rosa or Joey, that players don't know yet?“



Dave Gilbert: „Sure! If I can say anything about Deception, is that I think it's the Blackwell game that everyone has been wanting to play. It's the longest Blackwell game yet - easily twice as long as Convergence was - with five individual (and interconnected!) cases to solve as well as a meaty endgame. It's a more stand-alone story than the others have been, so the ending will be more satisfying (and less frustrating!) to a lot of players. And yes - we definitely do learn some details about Rosa and Joey. One of the first characters we meet is someone Rosa knew before Joey came along, and some big details about Joey's life are finally revealed. There's a bit of romance for one of the characters, too!“



Adventure-Treff.de: „In 2009 you made Emerald City Confidential for Playfirst. If I look at the website of australian developer Brawsome Games, there is an entry in the customer's section that they are working with Wadjet Eye on another Playfirst title. What can you tell us about the game? Will it be a sequel to Emerald City or something completely new? When do you expect it to be released?“



Dave Gilbert: „We were working on another game with PlayFIrst, but it got cancelled in April 2010.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „A few months ago AGD Interactive announced the release of their third King's Quest remake in February. They also mentioned that this will be their last freeware project and that they want to focus on commercial games in the future. Since you are publishing their first commercial game 'Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine', rumors are heard that you could also publish their upcoming games. Are you in contact with them and do you know what they are working on?“



Dave Gilbert: „If I am publishing any of their games, it's the first I've heard of it! :) Al Emmo is on my site as an affiliate product - meaning you can buy the game through my site and I get a cut of the sale - but that's as far as it goes.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „But if they came to you and offer their commercial games to be published over Wadjet Eye, would you like to do it?“



Dave Gilbert: „AGDI or anybody, I'd love to publish other indie adventure games! But as with anything, it depends on the game and whether or not I have the time/resources to do it justice. Puzzle Bots and Gemini Rue have taught me that publishing somebody else's game takes up just as much time and energy as my own internal projects, so my internal projects (like the next Blackwell game, for example) get delayed pretty significantly.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „What about Erin Robinson? In December she mentioned on her website thatshe is working on another, not yet announced project. Are you involved again?“



Dave Gilbert: „I am just as intrigued as you are! I'm not involved with it, whatever it might be.“



Adventure-Treff.de: „Dave, thanks for taking time and good luck with Deception.“