If you own a Wii and are tired of the rehashes, the Bit.Trip series might just be the unique game you’re looking for! With the recent release of Bit.Trip Fate, Gaijin Games has wasted no time announcing the final title in the series, Bit.Trip Flux. After many niche hits we had the privilege to interview the CEO of Gaijin Games, and creator of Commander Video Alex Neuse.
Jacob Clark | Justpushstart | Asks: Commander Video has become an indie superstar did you ever think he would become so popular?
Alex Neuse |CEO of Gaijin Games | Answers: I don’t think one can ever know for sure how one’s creations are going to be received. I think that the best characters are the ones that the creators themselves love. Those that have been manufactured to become sensations usually feel empty. We had no idea what would become of CommanderVideo. We just knew that he was a star in our eyes. We’re thrilled that he resonates with others.
JPS: In Bit.Trip Fate Super Meat Boy makes a guest appearance and so does Commander Video in Super Meat Boy was that Gaijin Games idea?
Alex Neuse: Team Meat and Gaijin are very close. We work in the same city and we see a lot of each other. We’ve been toying around the idea of a collaboration of some sort for years now, and when Team Meat asked if CommanderVideo could be an unlockable character in Super Meat Boy, we felt it was only appropriate to include Meat Boy in a couple of our games. So, Meat Boy makes his first appearance as a friend of CommanderVideo’s in RUNNER, and then helps him out in FATE.
JPS: Why should we get excited for Bit.Trip Flux?
Alex Neuse: BIT.TRIP FLUX brings the series full circle. It addresses notions of what life becomes after death. CommanderVideo has an epic homecoming as he explores a world of sight and sound unlike any other he’s experienced so far. So while the gameplay is similar to BIT.TRIP BEAT, the overall themes are fresh. It’s a perfect combination of newness and familiarity. And it completely closes out this BIT.TRIP story arc.
JPS: Dying happens very often with Commander Video, is that because death is more of a little lesson we learn each time?
Alex Neuse: That is exactly why.
JPS: Has Gaijin Games considered moving to other consoles such as Playstation,3 or Xbox 360?
Alex Neuse: We’ve considered it, but since we’re such a small studio, we’ll only move in that direction if it makes business sense. So far, we’ve done a lot of dreaming (and even some planning), but nothing is officially set in stone for a transition to the other consoles. We’ll see what the future brings though…
JPS: Is this the end of Commander Video since fate is in the title?
Alex Neuse: Let’s just say that it’s AN end of CommanderVideo, but what is truly THE end? That will be answered in BIT.TRIP FLUX.
JPS: PAX East is coming to Boston this march! Can we hope to see Gaijin Games at the show?
Alex Neuse: That would be awesome. We’ll see.
