Feature: 'Tour of Chicago Pt. 5: Midway Chicago'

In today's Gamasutra feature, we present the last of our tour of Chicago area game studios series, in which we speak to Midway Chicago's Scot Bayless about the studio's unique team structure, past adventures, its approach to the DS and Wii, and, of course, Ed Boon. For a studio best known for its M-rated titles, Bayless says the legacy doesn't rule out the prospect of Midway Chicago expanding its horizons: “We’re going after everything. And that’s not unconsidered.” Bayless says, describing the big idea: “Let’s put things where it matters, let’s put things where it makes sense. Let’s try to get in all the spaces it does make sense.” “But to be honest, I would be skeptical about putting an M-rated, unlicensed football game on certain platforms. That platform is aimed at an audience that isn’t interested – or if they are interested, their Moms and Dads won’t let them play it.” “The same is true of Mortal Kombat. I’m not going to be a big fan of putting it on Nintendo DS. It would be hard for me to believe that’s a good idea. It might even be able to make some money, but it’s not a great use of our time. “Our goal is to create great IP,” Bayless concludes. “And to project that IP wherever it makes sense. So are we excited about Wii? Yeah, actually, we are. You should see the proposals that are showing up in my inbox. It’s awesome.” You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject, with more on Midway Chicago's plans for the Wii, as well as its controversial strategies for building a standardized 'virtual backlot' art asset database (no registration required, please feel free to link to this column from external websites).