Person:

Age: old enough

Nationality: German
Residence: Bochum
Profession: Project Director / Lead Game Designer
Education: none
Motto: Never out of pity and never on principle

History:

2001: Gothic
2002: Gothic 2
2003: Gothic 2 - Night Of The Rave
2005: Gothic 3 (work in progess)

Milestones of the Mike Hoge:

Gothic: The roleplaying game delight with a gripping story, an authenoc, gorgeous game world and the band In Extremo as guest stars.

Gothic 2: Once again, the nameless hero has to fight orc armies, demons and even dragons. Gothic veterans are pleased with meeting again known characters.

Gothic 2: Die Nacht des Raben: The developers are skillfully integrating the add-on into the main program. Due to the elevated degree of difficulty, it even challenge pros.

14 questions about Enterprise and children:

1. Your first PC game? Ultima 6, I had an Amiga before
2. Three games for a lonely island? None, I already spending enough time in front of the computer
3. Your favorite multiplayer game? Alien vs. Predator Coop (only possible with a mod)
4. Which game are you waiting for? None at the moment, the last game I waited for was Deus Ex 2
5. Your favorite band? There is no real (anymore)
6. Your favorite meal? Doner kebab from Holzwickede
7. Your favorite book? Ismael from Daniel Quinn
8. Your favorite website? www.zombo.com
9. Your favorite movie? Matrix (and I don't care at all how bad the two successors are)
10. Your favorite TV series? At the moment Enterprise
11. Your best decision in life? Get children
12. The most beautiful day of your life? When I become father
13. Do you have an non-computer hobby? Play games with friends and family
14. Your non-computer dreamjob? Toy-designer

"I don't know where the trend is going to. I only know where our niche is. "
Mike Hoge about changes in Gothic 3, target groups and the non-existent German game industry:

Gamestar:

How did you get into the game industry?

Mike:

By a kick in the pants by Michael Rüve (Marketing Director of Piranha Bytes). All I did by then was watching all episodes of "Star Trek - The Next Generation" in a row.

Gamestar:

Gothic 3 has been officially annoucened. Are you able to disclose a few information to the numerous fans? What will be the biggest difference to the predecessors?

Mike:

A freer world, more clear goals and altogether more options for the character. Bascially, many things are staying the same, but we making tried and tested ideas better and more versatile. Of course, there are already some definite changes but I will not disclose them not yet.

Gamestar:

One problem of the Gothic series was that the controls take getting used to. Will Gothic 3 have new controls?

Mike:

Indeed, the controls war not good enough for some people. And the inventory was simply crap. In Gothic 3 it will be possible to click on items using the mouse. And if someone wants to, he will even be able to click monster to death a la Diablo. But who prefer to play with the keyboard will be able to do that, too. The interface will be extremly configurable.

Gamestar:

Will we meet known character like Diego or Lee in Gothic 3?

Mike:

Absolutely!

Gamestar:

In your opinion, what is the target group of your games? Hardcore-roleplayers or people who only play from time to time?

Mike:

Till now more hardcore but we are not far from the other group - Gothic 3 will (hopefully) show that. To all hardcore fans who are getting scared now: Everything will be good!

Gamestar:

Would you like to create a real, fast ego-shoote for a changer?

Mike:

If, then in the Gothic-style: The world is huge – kill who you want to.

Gamestar:

What do you think is the biggest problem of the German game industry?

Mike:

If I am honest now, will everyone hate me? There is no German "game industry". I mean, there are bascially just branch offices of foreign publishers and a loose delveloper scene. And something that isn't there cannot have a problem. In my opinion, this "problem of the game industry"-thing has gone out of control: Someone said it and everyone else is parroting it.

Gamestar:

Will the trend to fusion genres (e.g. roleplaying games and strategy in Spellforce) be able to satisfy the rising demands of the players? Or is that just the hope to reach a target group that is as broad as possible?

Mike:

I think that hope is coming more from the graphic design and less from the game design. I don't know where the trend is going to. I only know where our niche is: The lively world is our most important game element. We will extend that consequently. This will inevitably lead to a point where action-, strategy-, tactics-, trading- and other games will become part of Piranha-Bytes-games. An example: If you want that NPCs are reacting in an authentic way, the player should have the impression that they are fighting in an coordinated way. This will make the combat a bigger challenge which of course directly impacts the gameplay. The player now wants a better party AI or better ways to influence other party members. And already we are halfway to group fights including tactical elements (for example like in Freedom Fighters). Attention, this example is just an illustration and does not reflect in any way the content of Gothic 2. (grins)

Gamestar:

What are your plans for the future of Piranha Bytes?

Mike:

Grow slowly! Continue to improve oneself while staying faithful to oneself (and the fans)!