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Judd stares pensively into the distance.
Fifty percent of the way through Capcom's one-two punch
Bionic Commando renaissance --
Bionic Commando Rearmed is out; the next-generation relaunch of the series is due in Q1 2009 -- Producer Ben Judd seems to be the same old Ben Judd we knew back when he was still localizing games like
Resident Evil: Outbreak,
God Hand and
Onimusha 3.
Drawn in by his penchant for sarcasm, his ever-expanding patch of facial hair and his self-deprecating demeanor, we cornered the elusive Mr. Judd in the Capcom suite at Tokyo Game Show 2008 and wouldn't allow him to use the bathroom until he satisfactorily answered each one of CG's questions.
Crispy Gamer: Bionic Commando Rearmed is done, it's out, it's being consumed by the public. And it's doing well. Are you surprised at all by how well it's doing?
Ben Judd: [Laughs] Uh, yes, actually. You know, we do a podcast.
[Whispers] Just don't tell the Japanese.
Crispy Gamer: Let me guess: in which you don't always say flattering things about the company you work for?
Judd: That could be. Producers have a tendency to do this producer double-speak when they talk about what they do. But I'm a country boy from Ohio. And I figure the way I treat people is the way I want to be treated. Gamers are not stupid, so I say just give it to them straight and honest.
Break out the syrup, because it's selling like hot cakes.
Gamers may have been stupid 30 or so years ago. Back then, you could feed them all kinds of shit.
Judd: True. Many of them did buy the Atari 2600 version of
E.T. ...
Crispy Gamer: So what exactly happens on this "underground" podcast?
Judd: We have a bunch of translators there, so we can do interviews with [Jun] Takeuchi and all the creators who are the bread and butter of Capcom. But again, that's only until the Japanese hear about it. Then they'll probably kill me.
Crispy Gamer: So what you're saying is that the Japanese attitude is a bit different from the American attitude when it comes to how things are presented?
Judd: [This is] the biggest problem that I face right now: I'm supported by the Japanese side. But in order to get the game sold, I need to market it ... to U.S. gamers. Right now, the thing that U.S. gamers seem to respond to is a community approach. They like to connect, to be a part of the process. It's 180 degrees different from the Japanese approach, where they censor information; they lock it down, and keep it away from the public. So I often find myself in a place where I let too much information get out. And I find myself getting in trouble for it.