Steve Ince

Best known for his work on the Broken Sword series, Steve Ince is a man of many talents who has worked on several other titles since leaving Revolution in 2004, from the So Blonde adventure series (including Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle, now eligible for voting on Steam Greenlight) to the casual Special Enquiry Detail games to the hit RPG The Witcher. He’s also authored a book on writing for games, designed his own web comics and games, and most recently lent a hand to the current Broken Sword 5. Somewhere in between, we caught up with Steve to ask about his various projects past and present, along with his plans for the future.

Ingmar Böke: Hi Steve, thanks a lot for taking some time for us. I’m sure most of our readers know who you are, but in case anyone has been living under a rock for the past decade, please introduce yourself.

Steve Ince: I’m Steve Ince, a freelance writer and game designer. I’ve worked in the games industry for 19 years, most of which has been spent on adventures in one form or another. As well as working as a writer and designer, I’ve also worked on art and animation and was Producer for part of my time at Revolution Software. Among the titles I’ve worked on are Beneath a Steel Sky, Broken Sword, In Cold Blood, So Blonde and Captain Morgane.

Ingmar: Let’s look back at those earliest days. How did you get involved with Revolution back in the day, and what had you done before that?

Steve: I was doing a fill-in job on a comic strip for my local paper and looking for a career that involved something more creative. Someone I knew told me that Revolution was looking for an artist and I got an interview. After a second meeting, this time with Dave Gibbons, I was given the job. Before then I’d worked in bingo hall management and had a job in a metal refinery, both of which were pretty mind-numbing at times, so being given a chance by Revolution was fantastic.

Ingmar: Your first game at Revolution proved to be an enduring sci-fi classic, Beneath a Steel Sky. What memories come to mind about that game, and what was your actual role in developing it?