Long time fans of id Software's Quake recognise Threeware Software as the name behind the original Capture the Flag mod for Quake that later appeared as an official mod for Quake II and Quake III Arena. However many people may not know that the Vancouver based Threewave team have developed multiplayer maps for games like Soldier of Fortune 2, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and even the extra single player missions for the Xbox and PS2 versions of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Recently Threewave acquired a new CEO in Dan Irish, best know for his work at Relic, and he recently chatted with FiringSquad about their plans for the future.

FiringSquad: First, Threewave Software has been in business for a while but somewhat under the radar. What made you want to join the company as its CEO?

Dan Irish: Threewave Software, Inc. was founded in April 2002. The company has been around for many years and its founders are very experienced in the FPS genre. In the beginning, their focus was specifically on Activision and working with their top brands. However, they soon realized that they needed to branch out into the industry and make their own mark. The question was, “How to do this?” It was not an easy question for them to answer alone since the original founders were part of a close-knit mod community without game industry experience. I wrote a book last year called “The Game Producer’s Handbook” published by Thomson Course Technology. The founders liked what they read. They were introduced to me at an industry event sponsored by New Media BC (A digital media trade organization in British Columbia). They were looking for the right person, one who was interested in helping them get to the next level. After a few meetings, it became clear that they needed an industry veteran to help them grow beyond the mod community and into the mainstream. They asked me to join the company as CEO since they believed that I had the vision and understanding of the market. But most importantly, they knew that I could help them further develop the core values of Threewave Software, Inc. and make it a great place to be.

FiringSquad: What were your main goals to improving and expanding Threewave since coming on board?

Dan Irish: My main goals were to establish the same “best practices” that other successful game developers employ. Some of these successful practices are detailed in my book, such as: Daily Delta reporting process, budgeting and scheduling for each project (run each project as if it was its own business), documenting features as they are completed, and some elements of the SCRUM team management. We’ve seen how the new structure of the company, including an improvement to our methods; best practices and procedures have increased the efficiency and quality of our work. I’m sure the gamers will see that soon too. We also increased our proficiency with the available toolsets in that we’ve used each of Valve’s Source Engine, Id’s Quake Technology and Epic’s Unreal in the past 12 months. Not too many other studios can say that they have a demonstrated level of proficiency across such a wide range of technologies.

FiringSquad: Threewave is best known for its multiplayer first person shooter content. Is this something that the company plans to continue to do?

Dan Irish: The First Person Shooter is our bread and butter. That’s where we are experts at multiplayer content development. We plan to continue to support the top FPS brands in the world with our content, expertise and passion. We’re always considering how we can take the FPS experience to the next level and keep the fans coming back for more content from Threewave Software. Threewave Software’s mission is to be the best FPS multiplayer content developer in the world. We won’t stop short of that goal.

FiringSquad: Recently you have mentioned in other interviews that Threewave have been working on plans to release in-game ad supported games. Can you give us any more info about those plans?

Dan Irish: Unfortunately, I can’t provide any specifics since they are not ready to be announced yet. However, I can say that this is a very interesting opportunity for us since it allows us to do our best work, while still generating revenue and supporting the community and the top brands. Does this mean that every product from Threewave Software has ad-supported content included? Not necessarily. But it is a foundation that we’re building now. Our expertise is going to allow us to capitalize on this trend in a way that is unique. We understand the gamer, our hardcore community and how they frown on obtrusive advertising. To avoid the common disconnects between the ad agencies, brand managers and the gaming community, it takes some practice and expertise in that area. We’re here to bridge that gap. Consider how movies are integrating brand placements to make the movie seem more realistic. We’re taking a similar, but more refined approach when considering brand integration for interactive content.

FiringSquad: How hard is it to create a game that supports in-game ads that are both effective for the ad companies while also not becoming an annoyance visually for the player?

Dan Irish: One of the concepts we’re working on is brand integration. I’d like to say more on this, but it’ll have to wait until I can demonstrate it to you. Look for an announcement on some of our upcoming projects. There’ll definitely be a good story to tell.

FiringSquad: You also mentioned that you are using Valve's Source engine for a project. Can you give us more info about that game?

Dan Irish: I can confirm that we’re using Valve’s Source engine on a new project. We’re also integrating a new technology into that engine. That’s about all I can say at this time. The full details are coming soon.

FiringSquad: There was also mentions of an Xbox 360 project. Can you give us more info about those plans?

Dan Irish: We’re working on an Xbox Live Arcade title. We’re fortunate enough to have planed ahead and be able to take advantage of this option for independent developers. By avoiding the retail market, there are a lot of hassles we can avoid. Our XBLA title will be announced in the coming months. Until then, I can only confirm that we’re working on one.

FiringSquad: Where do you see the gaming industry evolving in the next few years in general?

Dan Irish: The game industry is definitely evolving. The industry is learning from past mistakes and focusing on what makes a great game and how to deliver that content to consumers. If you look at companies like Valve that are leading the way, with their digital distribution method (Steam) and their episodic delivery of content (Half-Life 2: Episode I) that’s a very interesting trail to blaze. Pioneers like Valve are inspiring to studios like ours as they open up access to the hardcore gamer for our content. The industry is adopting more avenues of delivering content to the consumer, either through digital distribution like Xbox Live Arcade or Steam. While not replacing retail, they do provide an additional opportunity that is easier for the industry to service. Retail will be around for a long time considering that only a small part of the planet has access to high speed internet connections. However, as the digital distribution infrastructure evolves, so will retail opportunities. For us, it means that we can deliver our content to the community faster, easier and more efficiently.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Threewave Software and its plans for the future?

Dan Irish: Threewave Software are the multiplayer FPS experts. If you’re a publisher wanting a great multiplayer experience for your next big title, we’d love to help. If you’re a brand manager wanting to reach out to that audience, come talk to us. If you’re an ad agency who wants to make a content play, there are a lot of options to consider. Come talk to the multiplayer experts and we can show you the vision of multiplayer gaming for the future.

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