Executive Producer

That’s when things became muddier.  The publishers didn’t have faith in certain development partners Gearbox had been eyeing for Heat.  “It was really frustrating for me,” says Pitchford, “Because there are some developers around who have a lot of talent.

And as developer himself, Pitchford feels qualified to spot others who can make great games.  “I didn’t start as a CEO kind of guy,” he says.  “I started as a guy who programmed code.”  Pitchford started by designing levels, and was in the trenches.  “I learned business.  But my craft is in the game making.”

moscallout“I think the folks that made the film believe that the game should happen."/moscallout“I’m able to recognize talent on the game making side in some of the studios that don’t necessarily have that same level of talent in business decisions and positioning of their company.”  He describes developers who have been typecast, or had to do certain jobs to pay the bills.  “A lot of publishing partners aren’t able to see the talent, the potential that exists there.”

That’s something Pitchford hoped that his credibility could change.  And it certainly did.  “I had some folks that were ready to go,” Pitchford reveals.  At least two publishers believed in the project, the developer was in, and starting on the project.  Gearbox was sorting out the talent, and things were looking great for Heat getting made as a videogame.  But the business cycle got in the way.

The independent developer’s margins were too tight, and unable to hold on, they had to sell themselves.  “What I’ve got now is this desire to do this Heat game,” says Pitchford of the present day.

“I think the folks that made the film believe that the game should happen,” he says, confident that his vision will lend value to the Heat franchise.  “I want to add to the canon, not take away from it,” is the Gearbox philosophy.

The challenge now is to find a development partner that would be really excited to do this, that can have enough credibility with Gearbox’s publishing partners to make it happen.

Crime and Obsession

“But I’ll tell you what,” says Pitchford.  “There is absolutely room in this business for a hardcore heist game.”

Any developer could make a heist game.  “But when we think of a heist story, there’s a couple of things that we tend to gravitate towards, that Heat saves us from,” explains Pitchford.

Developers are influenced by movies they’ve seen – which often focus on “a good plan” and sneaking in and sneaking out, instead of action.  Sneaking in and out doesn’t lend itself to a good action oriented videogame.

“Heat, on the other hand,” says Pitchford, “is hardcore heist.  Hockey mask, AK-47, duffel bag full of cash.  Part of the strategy expects collateral damage.  We can totally imagine that as a videogame.”  

He goes on to discuss the fact that criminals are criminals, and killers are sociopaths.  There have been anti-hero stories, and writers have been able to make us root for even the criminals, but they’re all very binary stories.  “Heat was phenomenal in that it actually looked at the situation from both sides of the law.”

Pitchford describes the McCauley character who leads a well-organized, well-disciplined crime gang.  “He’s a sociopath, but he’s also got these philosophies about life.  The whole idea that, when the heat is on, you’ve got to be able to drop everything you’ve got and walk away—and if you can’t do that, the heat’s going to get you.”

So will Pitchford himself be able to drop the project, and walk away from it?  He responds with a laugh.  “I don’t think so.  I’m still holding onto it.  In a normal rational line of thinking, I should consider it dead.  But I refuse to.”