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Following the great time we had at E3 with Slang and their live Lucha Libre event we recently got a chance to interview Mateo Rojas, Immersion´s Project Designer.
FBG: What inspired you to create a Lucha Libre style wrestling game with all those WWE games out there?
Mateo: Mexican Lucha Libre is quite a robust universe. Aside from the fact that it has 2, 3, 4 or more wrestlers beating each other in a ring, it has been evolving for almost a century as a trademark for the country. When you go to the “Luchas”, you feel a special energy that is quite local but filled with entertainment and possibilities for developing a video-game. The Lucha Libre has tradition, as it has luchadores whose families have been wrestling for at least 50 years or more. It has fantasy. It has passion and risk, from the outstanding aerial movements that luchadores develop. It is also filled with all the fun, jokes, color, masks and icons from Mexican culture. And let´s not forget the crowd. The loyal fans that follow the matches week after week (even 2 times per week, sometimes). The match results are found in the Sports page. So we would say that what made us interested in the project most of all is not the wrestling itself, but the universe that surrounds it, the characters, the “push it to the limit” attitude that Mexican luchadores have, the audience and the tradition… …and yes, the Masks, also.
FBG: What makes your game different from theirs?
Mateo: All those elements that I mentioned in the last question we worked as a team to implant those elements from real life Lucha Libre to the video game. Those elements make for a fun, faster game play experience, while giving it a realistic, but arcade-like touch that can separate this title from the other existing wrestling ones. We also tried to get some elements from some older wrestling titles that we enjoyed playing, so we think the game has a lot of elements that can give it a name on its own. Remember, it´s not wrestling, it’s Lucha Libre.
FBG: What engine is the game running on?
Mateo: Unreal Engine 3. We´ve worked on that engine before and we’re aware of its possibilities..
FBG: We saw a sample of the game’s roster at E3, everyone I saw were current wrestlers will any Lucha Libre legends be in the game (like ULTIMO DRAGON, MIL MASCARAS, EL SANTO and BLUE DEMON, etc)?
Mateo: Yes, one important part of the Lucha Libre is tradition, so we have a couple of iconic luchadores on the roster, and a special surprise, but don’t worry, we have also made a Luchador editor, keeping in mind that as gamers, we would want to recreate a lot of legends in Lucha Libre’s history.
FBG: Follow up to question 4 if the legends are not in the game to start will they be coming later as DLC?
Mateo: We have plans to add some other luchadores through DLC though we haven’t cemented any confirmed DLC at this time. Remember if your favorite Lucha Libre character isn´t there, there´s also the possibility of the editor, as well.
FBG: Will you be adding more arenas and match playlist later on as DLC?
Mateo: We have plans for that, yes. But, it is not confirmed at this time.
FBG: Have you thought of the idea of allowing gamers to use Kinect with your game?
Mateo: We have to do the homework and give the system a real long play through because it could work, but for now, we have been immersed in developing a strong control-based gameplay which we think people will like and enjoy. We are always open and hungry for new gameplay features and ideas.
FBG: Who do you think your main United States audience is?
Mateo: Well, anybody who is up for a unique, fun pick-up and play experience (anyone who thinks Lucha Libre is awesome).
FBG: I know this is a bit early but is there a Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring 2 in the works?
Mateo: We are full of ideas that can either refine the actual game, or some that can add new features that unfortunately we couldn’t get into the actual title this time, so it could be said that yes, we are right now working in a next Lucha Libre project. However, ultimately it depends on how the people enjoy this game, so first things first, and for that, we have great expectations and hope gamers will enjoy the game as much as we enjoyed getting it done.
