Knockout Kings 2000

All change. In early August 1998, we moved from Manchester to Los Angeles with six suitcases, ready to start over. I was taking on the Lead Programmer role at BlackOps Entertainment. Los Angeles was bright and exciting - beaches, malls, and canyon roads. Such a huge culture change, but we had made the move and were ready to make the most of it.

Building the Team

Development started with hiring the programming team. I was the first programmer, and with my FIFA 99 experience, I set to work creating the environment so development could begin. We had under one year to build the team, engine, and game. We didn't initially hire a project manager, so my responsibilities expanded beyond coding. This was recognized when the project finished with a Development Director credit.

Smooth Development

I look back at Knockout Kings as one of the highlights of my career. The team was small, but we worked together really well. The development was smooth with almost no overtime. The game was completed on time and sailed through Quality Assurance (QA) and production.

Agile Before Agile

The game design formed while it was in development. Monthly builds would be sent to Electronic Arts (EA) with feedback being addressed within days, then a new build was sent. It was truly agile before agile was a process. There was no process - I spoke directly to executive producers at EA and made game design decisions on the fly. Makes such a difference when authority is clear and every ounce of effort goes into the game rather than process and meetings. I've come to learn that some people's jobs in modern development is to slow down development and crush the creative joy of building software. Probably a future blog post.

Arcade Spirit

We designed it to be more arcade than simulation, which made it more fun to play. As a big boxing and movie fan, I remember adding influences from Rocky and Raging Bull. Watching the Nintendo 64 (N64) videos on YouTube now, I really feel we did something special. The spirit that the game was made with still shines through. What a great overall experience.

Unexpected Success

Even though the development was so unstructured, the game was completed on time, well received, sold more than expected, and won the Interactive Academy sports game of the year. Really doesn't get any better. I suspect this development approach is favored by modern day indie teams. No wonder they can make games at a fraction of the cost of the big publishers but can still build very successful games.