We sit down with Dr. Ariella Lehrer, the founder, chief executive officer and president of Legacy Interactive, to see what is in store for the casual gaming audience and her take on the PC gaming climate.

AL: Licensed properties pose some specific challenges to game developers. The most important issue, and the reason for most of the quality problems, is that with a movie license, there frequently isn't enough time to complete a good game. Legacy has only ever produced one movie game, and it wasn't the best experience. The film distributor moved up the release date by eight weeks, and at that moment, I promised myself that I would think long and hard before Legacy would tie itself to a movie release date again. As a result, we license TV shows and popular content like Sherlock Holmes, and give ourselves enough time to polish and make a good game.

There are other issues, like when Licensors impose constraints on characters, stories, and gameplay, but in our experience, those are not insurmountable. Most creative projects have constraints of some sort, and if there is time, money, and the right team in place, licensed projects can be just as high quality as any other type of game.



Game Over Online:: There has been a lot of speculation recently about the demise of PC gaming. Will the PC continue to be a viable platform for gaming or is the gaming landscape shifting towards consoles and handhelds?

AL: NPD data, which is typically what the industry uses to gauge the popularity of platforms, is notorious for missing revenue from downloadable and online PC game sales. What we have seen in our business is that PC retail sales are down dramatically, but online sales are up dramatically. We are selling more units of a PC game than ever before, but typically PC games online sell for less than they do at retail, so our PC revenues are down, although we expect that to improve. Luckily we now create games for PC as well as DS and Wii, so our overall business is fine.




Game Over Online:: As a third party publisher, does Legacy see value in a unified label such as Games For Windows or Microsoft's Live initiative?

AL: We haven't participated to date in these programs. In the PC casual games space where Legacy competes, there are many fewer technical support issues because most games aren't 3D and/or push the hardware. Also, since most games are sold as a 60-minute free trial, if a game doesn't work on a particular PC, the customer knows that before they actually buy it, eliminating lots of customer service and general unpleasantness.



Game Over Online:: At this past E3, much of the buzz has been on tapping a new gaming demographic with casual gamers. Is there a casual gaming group out there waiting to be engaged?

AL: My goodness, yes. Legacy sells its own games, and about 50 third party publishers' games, through 20 different game portals, as well as through www.legacygames.com. We've been doing this for four+ years and have developed quite an expertise and successful track record in online game distribution. The ¡§try before you buy¡¨ business is substantial, and caters to folks who don't necessarily think of themselves as gamers, but who nonetheless spend tons of time playing games.



Game Over Online:: On the same note about E3, will motion-based controllers change the way we do gaming?

AL: Yes. Nintendo was quite brilliant in understanding that, without a revolution in the way people can interact with games, the games business would never evolve into a mass market. (The other console controllers can be too complicated for typical folks!) Nintendo has reaped most of the reward from this insight, along with a few big publishers. Luckily for the smaller developer, Apple had the same understanding, and has leveled the playing field with its app store, allowing small developers to compete with big publishers.



Game Over Online:: The Wii has been an immensely successful platform for Nintendo. Some publishers seem to see it as a place to recycle or shovel existing franchises on to the platform while others have been putting original effort into it. As a third party publisher yourself, do you see commercial and creative opportunities in the Wii?

AL: The deck is stacked against small developers/publishers, at this point in the console lifecycle. (It's easier when a console is first introduced.) Because of the steep licensing and manufacturing costs on top of the development costs, combined with the extreme difficulty of getting shelf space, it is almost impossible for a small company these days to create, develop, and get to market an original DS or Wii concept.



Game Over Online:: Mobile gaming has been touted for years as the next frontier for gaming. While handheld consoles (DS, PSP) definitely have their share, most people carry a mobile phone. Will mobile gaming tap into the coveted casual gaming demographic?

AL: Absolutely. As indicated earlier, the iphone and other touch screen mobile devices have unleashed worldwide creativity in game design. In addition, now that we can assume constant connectedness and GPS functionality, it adds huge potential to the typical PC and DS game experience.



Game Over Online:: Apple's iPhone has been said to revolutionize mobile gaming with a standard device and a consolidated App Store to distribute games. Is this a necessary pre-requisite before publishers make the leap to mobile games?

AL: Yes, it evens the playing field somewhat. It is, however, not the end of the story. In a world of 40,000+ apps on the iphone, how does a potential customer find out about a game that they might enjoy playing? It is a daunting task, and hurting the sales prospects of many highly creative and imaginative apps. That is one reason why Legacy is launching this month, first on Facebook and then on the iphone, an app called Game Share & Compare. You can use it to find out what games your friends are playing, and much more. We think it will help customers find the right apps for them, and are excited about its release in July.



Game Over Online:: Speaking of distribution, what is Legacy's take on downloadable games via services like Steam? Will all games, especially PC titles, be eventually distributed via downloads? Do direct downloads represent better value for consumers and publishers alike?

AL: Yes to all of the above. There are probably 30+ portals these days, not even counting all the new ones in Europe that are rapidly earning market share. Steam is currently more focused on hardcore PC titles, so they haven't been a significant partner for Legacy yet, although we hope that will change.



Game Over Online:: The economic downturn for the past year has affected many industries. Has the gaming industry been affected and, in your view, has it changed consumer appetite for games?

AL: In general, consumers are looking for value. Downloadable game clubs and subscriptions represent a significant value over retail versions of the same game. In our experience, consumers are buying as many games, but aggressively looking for the best price.



Game Over Online:: Any parting thoughts for our readers from Legacy?

AL: Legacy has been creating games for more than ten years, and we've had both successes and failures. We've learned a lot, particularly what types of games we are really good at developing, and on the other hand, what we should leave to others. In the next few months, our customers will see Legacy focused on our "sweet spot" of TV-licensed and RealLife Games, with the best game lineup we've ever had, e.g., Emergency Room: Real Life Rescues on the DS and House on the PC and DS.