Spector Explains Epic Mickey, Why it is on Wii

In an interview with Game Informer (via VG247), Junction Point Studios' Warren Spector has finally explained in some detail what his mysterious Epic Mickey project is all about -- and how it reflects his thoughts on game design in recent years.

"The central game play mechanic of Disney Epic Mickey is paint and thinner," Spector says. "It's basically drawing and erasing; it's making the world whole, or making it go away." He went on to explain that the design concept was based on his belief that environments in video games don't have enough going on behind the surface.

"[If] you peek behind the walls you see that they're flats held up with 2x4s," Spector said. "And so I wanted to create -- of all the games I was pitching since I left Ion Storm, were about creating a world that was more than a movie set, where you could scratch beneath the surface and there was more going on there. And so this whole paint and thinner mechanic really plays into that because you can dynamically change the world to suit your needs. So dynamically changing the environment to solve problems is kind of what it's about."

Spector also explained why you'll only be playing it on the Wii. "Well, think about it. Would you really want to tackle convincing Halo or Grand Theft Auto players that they want to be Mickey Mouse?" Spector asks rhetorically. "Would you really want to do that? In terms of finding a congenial audience, let's go for a platform that?s known for Mario and Link and now Sonic."

But apparently what didn't factor too much into the decision was the Wii's tremendous sales success. "Honestly, with the unit sales on the hardware, it was kind of a lucky happenstance. We made the call to go to the Wii long before it was clear that the Wii was going to be, at least for now, the best-selling platform," Spector explained.