~ March 2009 ~
Jay Mann is a long-time fan who wanted an interview to help get his new website off the ground which focuses on just that. Here we discuss the implications of the last few games of my career:

So, there were 2 other concepts for your final game - a Truman Show-type game and a simulation of the computer gaming industry. Did you even start development on those games, or did you just scrap them and replace them with The You Testament?
They were only ever ideas. They sounded exciting, but when it came down to it I could never make them work as games. For me, a game has to be pretty vast and engrossing. That's why the religious setting was a better option. It gave me a story to hang the ideas on to. One clever idea became a huge RPG...

Your final game, The You Testament, which I alluded to in the last question, was very controversial in which Jesus and the Bible was interpreted. Well, at least it was by some people. I personally loved the random generator mode, where I seemed to always get a female Jesus. Anyways, do you think people will see this game in a different light in a few years, say 10, or do you think they will see it in the same light?
Well, it deals with some adult themes that a teenager might think differently about in later life. I think people will be surprised by how close to the truth it turns out to be. People think that religion is "dead" and "irrelevant", but I predict it will become bigger than it has ever been in the 21st century. Science isn't "killing" religion - it's PRUNING it like a plant. Certain beliefs and assumptions are being cut away, but the plant itself will adapt and grow back stronger. What survives will be of enormous value. The materialistic way of life is crumbling all around us, and sooner or later people will embrace the spiritual principles of modest living. They won't have a choice. Science and religion are united when they talk about the "interconnectedness" of all things. The fact that there's more to life than meets the eye, and that you can become a better person by acknowledging that fact. That was the philosophy behind The You Testament and I feel it will make more sense as time goes by...

You said in another interview, at a website which I won't mention, that Reach was what made you decide to retire from the business. But if that game was really what made you decide to retire, why didn't you just end it at Reach? Fan outcry? MPire Mall pressure?
I felt the writing was on the wall at that point, but it was always going to be a gradual death rather than an overnight suicide attempt! I gave myself 18 months to end things the way I wanted to end them. It's what I call the "Bucket List" in my book - the last handful of games that I wanted to make before it was too late. I was always very good at mapping things out in my head, and I'm quite proud of the way I wrapped things up perfectly in time for Christmas 2008. It allowed me to head into 2009 as a new man...

I know that you don't watch American Idol (since you're from Britain), but do you watch Pop Idol? Are the singers on that show as terrible as ours? Are they better?
I just saw a bit of American Idol this morning as it happens! We originally had Pop Idol here and then X-Factor, which is the same but with acts of any kind. I actually found myself enjoying X-Factor last year, but there's no point in taking it seriously. They're all karaoke singers that have no control over their own destiny. If they had any real talent they wouldn't be there. They'd already be making headway with material of their own. I'm a big believer in doing things properly and making sure it means something...

Alright, I am getting a bit short of time, so this will be the last question. I don't think people shrugged their shoulders at Wrestling MPire 2008. At least, I certainly did not. But why do you think people did?
Well, it's the least downloaded of all the wrestling games I released so there's a definite lack of popularity there. In addition to being tired of my games, I think people are also tired of wrestling itself. It often goes through these downward trends, and it has been in one for quite some time now. WWE was called the WWF the last time I watched it with any degree of passion! Wrestling MPire 2008 is clearly the best game I could ever hope to make. I just think it was in the wrong place at the wrong time...