PS3 Fanboy interview: Eye of Judgment's Yusuke Watanabe

How did you originally come up with the idea for The Eye of Judgment? Was it always planned as a PS3 game?
The trigger was a demo of the CyberCode's image recognition technology, originally developed for use on PC. We transplanted CyberCode to PlayStation format so I could share my surprise with as many users as possible. We worked with CyberCode based on the technical information of PlayStation 3 that, at the time, had just started becoming open, and based on the findings, we found that PS3 was the best console to maximize the potential and appeal of The Eye of Judgment in terms of the specifications.
Has Sony thought about releasing a higher quality gameboard? The fabric one is nice but is lacking for people who play on the ground or uneven surfaces.
Through a trial and error process using many kinds of materials, the fabric material was the only mat that cleared our standards for endurance, storability, design, and cost. However, we are very interested in creating a high quality luxury mat or board to encourage heated matches.
When people found out that it was possible to copy EoJ cards, there was a bit of an uproar. Have you seen any actual problems in regards to card 'piracy' with the online community?
Yes, initially there was an uproar, but from what we've seen and read on our forums, the player community is supportive on using real cards – and in the end, it's the players skill in deck building and playing we watch, not the cards.

We first confirm the concept of a new set, and then design the abilities on top of that. We then create decks with all cards and spend a long time just playing out the game, which helps us to balance each ability and compatibility with other cards. During this stage, we have been fortunate to gain input and insight from our partners, Hasbro Games and Wizards of the Coast, and we believe that it added another dimension and depth to the framework we already had.
How will the software side of the expansion be handled? Is it a download via PSN? Free "patch" style update? Retail disc? Also, if the software update is not free, do you have an estimate for about how much it will cost?
The Set 2 data will be a purchased download on the PSN and players will have to buy cards separately at select retail outlets. Regarding the download, each region will have different pricing based on their market – a US announcement should be made soon. There will be a patch for people who don't buy Set 2 so they can still play against Set 2 owners. Unfortunately, there are no retail disc plans for Set 2, yet.
Any plans for official Sony-sanctioned tournaments of some kind? Tournament play is a huge part of many CCGs, and would definitely be welcomed by the EoJ fanset.
We're working to get more community oriented efforts in place, both on the internet and in-game. You should hear more announcements in the near future.

Unfortunately, a "campaign" mode will not be added to SET2. Although as a development team, we really would like to implement the campaign mode based on the vast world of The Eye of Judgment that we've created, but our priority is to create a TCG game that will become recognized and approved by our players.
Will there ever be cards based on other Sony-owned and/or third party video game franchises? Nothing would make us happier than Nariko cutting into some Twin Goblins.
Unfortunately, we don't have any plans for this, but as CyberCode is a very versatile technology, we'd definitely be interested in developing something that incorporate other characters.
Will you be working on any other titles that utilize the PS Eye in a special way?
Our team is only developing The Eye of Judgment at the moment, though other teams within the Worldwide Studios continues to study and develop new possibilities for the PS Eye.









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nate @ Mar 7th 2008 5:39PM
I want to ask if they're planning on adding more player interactivity to future sets, along the lines of instants in magic (cards you can cast on your opponent's turn). That's one of the things I don't like about EoJ, once your turn is done, you might as well go get a sandwich, because there's nothing you can do until your opponent finishes.
Popfrogs @ Mar 8th 2008 10:56AM
I agree, when it's your opponents turn there's nothing to do but wait, and believe me, it really makes the match drag on forever. I hate it when I get paired up with someone that takes every second of their 3 minute turn every single time.
ajiezer @ Mar 8th 2008 2:17PM
Cool game but I already spent a fortune on the cards and still don't have 24 of them, now with the new set I don¿t want to $pend more.
And I totally agree with the comments above, that's the feature that made me kinda disappointed for my previous experience in tc games
chimaera9 @ Mar 8th 2008 7:45PM
I understand the complaint about having to wait between turns, but I don't mind it--it has certainly helped me a few times when I needed extra minutes. I rarely play online, since I have several friends that like to stop by and play in person (and they've purchased tons of cards despite not even owning a PS3). The wait in between turns allows for more social interaction, so I imagine that would be a possibilty online if the voice chat is enabled.
I am a little disappointed there won't be a campaign mode yet, because I love playing against the computer. Having a story behind it would definitely add to the overall experience, plus, I'd probably play more by myself if there was a campaign. I'm not one for online interaction (too many children online), so I'm glad I have friends to play with in person, or I wouldn't be playing this game as often as I have been. This is definitely one of my favorites for PS3!
alienclays @ Mar 10th 2008 8:53AM
what i want to know is will they ramp up production on the new set two to make it more available in stores, unless you want to buy the $100+ box sets, set one is almost always on backorder online and high near impossible to find in the stores. this is my first ccg and even though she likes to play my wife would kill me if i ever picked up a card box at $100
(maybe a $60 20pack box is better?)
sony/WotC should release a premium play board that can also let you play without the ps3 and get retailers to sell the thing (as well as the boosters ) next to the pokemon/ yu-gi-oh and sports cards next to the checkouts. i'm tired of my EYE knocking over on my glass table.