GJ FunBall

GJ FunBall (formerly known as Aksys Games in Europe) is a social game where you get to play with other players on any of Fun Ball's 18 games. You'll be able to connect with a friend or play against a CPU opponent, or with another player on an online leaderboard. Players can even join one another on their home turf or on an international leaderboard. There are about 25 games available at FunBall's Web site, with a dozen different modes for players to battle and earn prizes. Players can also access all sorts of minigames including, 'gimmick' and'masque' modes. Players who spend money on games will be rewarded with special anniversary badges.

GameSpot News spoke with Jamil the other day about his company's strategy with online multiplayer games and how FunBall is aiming to encourage as many people as possible to play with the FunBall, to learn more about his company's plans for online play in the future.

GameSpot News: What is FunBall?

Jamil the product manager: FunBall is the "arcade product manager" of Digital Business. We have three main ideas at the moment--platform for online gaming, network for local game play, and online for offline game play. The platform is known as Funball. The first is Funball. We want to develop something special for the social network and social networks. The second is FunBall. With online game play, it is our mission to bring together and connect people and create an engaging, fun online experience. The concept of online gaming and social network functionality is the foundation of a world where people have real, tangible relationships with one another, or in the case of MMORPGs, a real world, or real life.

GSN: Is there an online business model in place for FunBall?

TA: Digital business is a type of business model where you have a much bigger impact on your company's sales and operating margins. If you look at the business model today, we do not make any changes to the business model. We think it's good to have some form of online business model at all times. A strong, connected, online gaming business model is an important part of this.

GSN: What games are you currently working on?

TA: We've also developed online games for Asian markets and console games. Our online games for North America are currently in development. We will also be creating licensed games for every other US region in the future.

GSN: What are your future plans for the online game business?

TA: We are still working on a number of different genres in online gaming. We are also looking to try out some new IP, which is not a lot to go on.

GSN: Why did you decide to make this announcement?

TA: One of the problems with online games is you have to talk about it every day. When you do, you need to show a lot of enthusiasm, and you have to deal with the pressure from the consumer to believe in it. This is where Sony is going to take the center stage, with all the networking infrastructure and third parties, and they need to get the controller ready and will have the controllers ready as soon as possible.

GSN: What's the next step for Naughty Dog?

TA: Our next goal is to focus on creating innovative games that will help the PlayStation 3 broaden its installed base. One thing that we have done is we plan to be able to showcase The Last of Us at E3. This is a huge part of our strategy. The Last of Us, from a technical standpoint, is a next-generation game, which means we will be able to show more of the world, characters, and enemies that gamers have come to expect from Naughty Dog. This is a huge step for Naughty Dog, and we're looking forward to continuing that. We have always wanted to be part of the PS3 experience.

GSN: Is there any hesitation in saying that a next-generation PlayStation is in development?

TA: The final plan is that we are in the very early stages. We have some very solid work to do, but we have to remain flexible, so we have to wait and see what happens.

GSN: Last of Us is one of the most anticipated games of the year, but was there any need to squeeze that trigger on PS3?

TA: You can always develop for that platform, and we are currently looking at the PS3 architecture and seeing if we can optimise it to take advantage of it. So far we have been able to concentrate on the first of these titles. We have not yet announced a PS3 launch title, and so far we have not announced a launch title.

GSN: The rumour mill was abuzz with information regarding the PSP. Why do you think Sony should be left to gather their own momentum?