Interview with the Producer of Eville

Ciao folks!

For this edition of the interview series with folks behind-the-scenes on Eville – we’ll be featuring Jericho, the Versus Evil producer lead for Eville. If you haven’t met Jericho before – check out his VE Meet the Team blog here. Jericho is an absolute joy to both work & game with. When Jericho is in business mode – he is incredibly hard working & he keeps the vibe so positive & uplifting. When it comes to gaming, he’s always making everyone laugh & making sure everyone is having a good time. However, in social deception games, Jericho will draw you in & then fool you with his wholesome & whimsical charm… 🥰🗡️ Watch out 👀

(this is Jericho’s cat Tiffany, you’re welcome)

---

How long have you been in production & the gaming industry?

In the industry, over 17 years. 2 years in QA at PlayStation, 12 years in Release Management also at PlayStation, and 3.5 years in Production, including my time at my previous company. 

How long have you worked at Versus Evil, publishers of Eville, and what is a typical day at work like for you?

Going on a full year this October. A typical workday is a total joy. I have meetings with devs in the morning, do miscellaneous tasks after, and do product setups and project updates for most of the day, with ad hoc meetings here and there. At night, I check in with our Asia team who manages our network, and when we have high priority submissions, I stay up a bit later to check with Cert teams in Europe. For the most part though, the work is very relaxed and balanced. Being a fully remote team gives me the flexibility to do this and not get burnt out.

 

Thinking back to when Eville was first pitched to Versus Evil – what were your initial thoughts & how have they developed over time?

I was not here when Eville was first pitched, but I do remember my initial impressions of the game. I thought – “This is confusing! How will people ever figure it out!? … But the graphics and the setting… Wow, I don’t mind living in a place like this!” 

Over time, I realized that a big part of the appeal was in its complexity, and win or lose, you’re bound to have fun and earn XP. The ghost gameplay should hopefully be substantial enough to keep players playing even after getting killed. In reality though, I find myself just hovering over the person who killed me and shaking my head.

How does Eville differ from other social deduction games?

Like in a real village, you can be a total citizen, simply focus on living life, completing quests, not getting killed, and win. If you’re not a conspirator, you can do your own thing. Sure you’re likely to get murdered, but people can live their lives in the game as they wish. They don’t need to hunt for conspirators to win.

At the same time, as conspirators, if you want to be a nice person, you can win by simply completing quests faster than the villagers. Who says violence is the only way? Never! Not in this game! Just make sure to buy steel boots so you don’t get killed by traps.

However, if you as a conspirator are successful in completing quests faster than villagers at the half-way mark, a thick fog envelops the level, which makes it easier to kill people during the day if you change your mind.

 

Have there been any unique production challenges with Eville?

Oh yes.