How did the idea for an online comic book to introduce the game's fictional world come about?

Comics are very much character-based, character-driven media. This was something that was important to us from the beginning – that we put a face to this universe.

From reading the comic it seems like there's lots of conspiracy theory-type of themes in the fictional universe. How hard was it to make all those kinds of themes gel into a cohesive whole.

You're right, it's been a tremendous effort. Our goal was not to invent everything, but to take what already exists and weave a thread through this world, where we introduce interesting characters that are caught up in something much bigger than they realize. Researching this stuff has been pretty mind-blowing sometimes, – it really makes you see this world in a whole different way, and makes you wonder.

There are also mini-games that are discovered while reading the online comic. How do these browser mini-games link to the main game you want to create?

The mini-games are part of the universe, and provide a way for readers to become participants in the story. The console gameplay is an entirely different beast, but being able to interact with it in multiple ways is still an important goal for us.

Overall has the experience of creating this world and these online ways to present to people been as you expected?

It's a very different media, so there are all kinds of different challenges that we're facing. This is part of why we wanted to get this launched at an early stage, because how these things evolve will be an important part of how we can involve you in the game.

What hints can you give us about the major game that Smoking Gun is making based on this universe?

It's a cross-platform console IP, set in the near-current day, but that's about as much as we're talking about for now. The story is big, so we wanted to first start the release of that story and build that story as we develop the IP.

What is the status of the game's progress and what date do you expect it to be released?

We haven't made any announcements about this yet.

Finally is there anything else you wish to say?

A new golden age of interactive entertainment is about to begin. We think there will be (or already is) a fundamental change happening in the mindset in how people interact with universes or products. We are already seeing this through even the controls themselves. Things like the Wii, Eyetoy, and the iPhone are changing the way people play games, and what interactions they do to drive the game world. Natal is going to create some very big changes in the way we interact with products, and it's going to be an exciting time to watch how creative developers take these new systems and run with them. But beyond just the controls, it's really going to be about where, and when players can interact, and how those interactions on these different devices, can all drive a compelling experience for the players. And finally, how communities can be involved together in those experiences. You see that already in MMO's, but I think that's just the tip of the iceberg really, those experiences are still contained to the game-worlds themselves. I want to experience my products, when and where I want, and on the devices that I like to use. I think we're going there, and that will be an exciting time.