If you’ve played motorcycle games in the past decade, you could surely experience first-hand the quality of Milestonean Italian studio that demonstrates with each new production its commitment to quality and pleasure, which translate into true masterpieces of the automotive genre, especially two-wheelers.
From Xbox Generation we had the pleasure of chatting with Michele Caletti, executive producer of the studio with whom we reviewed part of Milestone’s history and learned many aspects of the development of its latest and greatest production: Hot Wheels Unleashed.
From the days of Graffiti to the making of Milestone, the studio has released many games since 1994 for many platforms. Do you have any favorite games you developed?
I am tempted to answer you like Enzo Ferrari: “the next one”. We always put so much energy and willpower into it that we really believe in it. But at the same time, I have a really big connection with the games I worked on, for example, MotoGP 17 achieved something incredible, which reached 60 frames per second in the latest generation of consoles, something we considered impossible to do until we decided to try.
If you had to choose one adjective to describe the studio, what would it be?
Evolutionary. The studio started small, grew to over 260 employees, worked with arcade games, simulators, licensing, own IPs, you never know what’s coming, in a good way.
What would be the essential Milestone games that best describe the studio?
I’d pick two: Ride 4, the game that’s the epitome of a love statement for motorcycles and has gone viral for its realism, which is something huge, so intricate and true, and Hot Wheels Unleashed , which defies the laws of physics, is absolutely unreal, funny and at the same time so technical and fun. Realism and arcade, precision and fun, that’s what we are.
Whenever I think of Milestone, motorcycles, trucks, rally and racing simulators in general come to mind. Would you like to work on a more arcade game in the future, something like an improved version of Super Hang-On or Road Rash, for example?
Well I think Hot Wheels Unleashed showed that we can do arcade stuff, and I think we’ll see more of that in the future, now’s not the time for short and simple arcade games anymore , in the future, I see games that can be long and engaging and complex like a simulation, but are arcade at heart.
Did you have many changes in the way you worked as a team at the height of the Covid situation given the impact the virus had in Italy?
We have adapted very well to this, for many reasons. We are not an independent studio, we had a lot of infrastructure, workflows, so all the basics were there. But there was a change on a human level, so we had to accommodate ourselves and we still do, because a lot of new developers don’t know each other in person, a lot of customs have changed or been lost, and we have to accept the cash.
During this time you were immersed in the development of Hot Wheels Unleashed, did you expect the game to be so successful selling 1,000,000 copies?
We expected something like that, obviously we didn’t have precise figures, but we knew that the brand is huge and that the game was doing very, very well. So it wasn’t that optimistic, but this success that came so quickly was a very good surprise.
Could you tell us more about the development process of Hot Wheels Unleashed? Did you have to work closely with Mattel to recreate the models with the incredible level of detail you achieved? Was it very different to work with real motorcycle and car builders?
Yes, we had a lot of freedom when it came to the creative aspects of racing, but at the same time we had to stick to the essence of Hot Wheels: the cars, the brand, and the styling. We’re already used to it from the countless experiences we’ve had with MotoGP, MXGP and Supercross games, and our DNA of depicting reality as faithfully as possible is what built MotoGP’s photorealistic approach and unique car styling. ‘Unleashed. So I would say to you that, curiously, it wasn’t too different from working on other, more realistic titles.
Are there any Hot Wheels collectors on the team? As I am, I was really blown away by the level of detail in things like the wrapping of the cars and the damage the vehicles sustain.
Yes, many of us, including me who owns over 120 cars, it’s a “small” collection but I focus on sports, racing cars and a few films. My daughter has more than me and she loves monster trucks, oddities and the weirdest quirky vehicles, so therein lies the lesson: there’s something for everyone, and there’s something to think about for everyone. fans.
Would you say Hot Wheels Unleashed is more for adult gamers/collectors or kids?
It’s an example of a game that captures the widest possible audience: there are arcade enthusiasts, nostalgics who may not collect Hot Wheels in real life, but in-game they can, and it is a very positive and colorful community. .
What was the most difficult aspect of the production?
The track editor, not only used by the players, but is the same one we use to create the tracks in the game. It was a huge challenge because it is very robust, but it had to be easy to use for the user. Normally the dev tools are pretty crude and you have to know before you touch anything, but it couldn’t be like that for the game. I think we passed the test with as many original tracks as the players were able to create.
Many of its games have been and are part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog, what is your opinion on this service sometimes questioned by certain developers?
It’s a good showcase and a good way to operate when there is the possibility, but for the moment it can’t be the only one. At the same time, too, highlight the difference between multi-million dollar productions and small indies: with the price tag you can see the difference, if it’s all free, it’s hard to understand.
How do you manage the localization of your games and how much importance do you place on planning your next game?
We rely on specialized companies, we have a very meticulous planning and it is very important to succeed in reaching many players, so we have expanded the languages with which we work. In some games it’s even more relevant, for example in the case of MotoGP, we have the real TV commentators, we bring them to the recording studios so that their voice is in the game, it’s very complex, but in the end it makes a big difference.
What future for Milestone and Hot Wheels Unleashed?
Hot Wheels Unleashed still has months ahead of it full of surprises, announcements and expansions so that neither players nor developers have time to get bored. As for Milestone, I wish I could tell you, we have a lot of crazy ideas, Hot Wheels Unleashed helped us get the world’s attention, let’s put it to use!
