Three Questions With Jurassic Park Designer Joe Pinney
TelltaleGames
Former Telltale Staff
We're ramping up to re-opening of Isla Nublar and we've already brought you the first Jurassic Park installment of the "Three Questions" series (read Three Questions with Mark Darin). We recently had an opportunity to ask co-designer of the game that's been "65 Million Years in the Making", Joe Pinney a few questions. Here's what he had to say.
Q: What has been your favorite part of working in the world of Jurassic Park?
Joe Pinney: I loved the first film so much. Spending time on Isla Nublar, building it out and following the story threads I was super curious about after watching (and re-watching) the movie has been really cool. It’s also fun to work on such an emotionally and physically intense story. It’s a new kind of story for Telltale. Last but not least, crafting the action sequences has been a blast. The whole team gets into it, working out the pacing, aiming for those Spielberg moments.
Q: Are there elements of Jurassic Park (the theme park) based on anything we've seen or read about in existing Jurassic Park fiction?
Joe Pinney: We’ll have both old and new locations. We’re basing the game off the films, and we’re developing some of the features hinted at in the first movie. Hammond talks about unfinished rides and attractions that will come online later. So what are these partially-constructed rides? How does the larger park infrastructure work? We’re going to dig into that stuff. You can be sure that the rides-under-construction will provide opportunities for peril.
Q: What, to you, are key elements of a story told in the Jurassic Park universe? Why?
Joe Pinney: Jurassic Park is about real people in extraordinary circumstances, people discovering themselves as they encounter something new, wonderful, awesome, and deadly. And it’s about dinosaurs – not just as huge, incredibly powerful beasts, which they are, but also as natural creatures with natural drives, just like the human characters. When it all comes together you have absolutely thrilling action grounded in a world that feels real. You feel the suspense and fear for the characters because you believe in them.
You can get your questions answered more directly in our Jurassic Park Insider Forums, exclusively for folks that pre-order the game! If you've already pre-ordered, just head over to our forums and find them directly below the Jurassic Park Discussion Forum.