Later his year wrestling fans will be treated to a brand new type of adventure game that blends the world of sports entertainment with the popular RPG style of gaming.
That adventure is WrestleQuest, the upcoming release from Skybound Games and Mega Cat Studios, where you as the player will “powerbomb and piledrive your way through a massive pixel art universe,” one that will feature some of the greatest legends in the history of the business.
Ahead of its release, I got a chance to speak with Author, Professor, and voiceover talent Patrick Hickey Jr., who voiced over 90 different characters in WrestleQuest and tells us that this game is really going to surprise both wrestling fans and RPG lovers. Check out our conversation below.
*Where did your inspiration come from to come up with the characters you voiced?
A lot was indeed from watching hundreds of hours of wrestling promos for over 35 years. The rest was just trying to make a character come alive and provide something that felt like it had a soul- that was 3D. You want people to connect with the voices, so you gotta really try and do things that make them all unique to one another. That was a huge challenge for me, having voiced so many of the characters. I literally had to try and pull every rabbit out of every hat I possibly could. It was one of the most difficult voice-acting jobs of my career so far.
*What in your mind makes WrestleQuest stand-out from other wrestling games? Do you think the RPG element will attract both wrestling fans and gamers?
It’s not a wrestling game at all. It’s a wrestle-fied RPG. It’s a love letter to both. So much tender love and care under the hood. It’s going to surprise so many people.
*Are you a big gamer? What would you say your favorite video game is?
I’ve written seven games on video game history, which are currently in over 2,000 libraries worldwide. I own about 4,000 games on over 30 consoles. Favorite game ever? Impossible- but let’s go- NHL 94, Pokemon Red, Fallout 3 and Final Fantasy VIII as my Mount Rushmore.
How about your favorite wrestling video game?
Easy. WCW/nWo Revenge.
*What was the process like for you to record VO for WrestleQuest? Did you find the collaboration process easy or tedious?
The team at WrestleQuest is amazing. I’ve worked with Mitch and Zack on a few other projects for Mega Cat so this was another great experience. Zack provides a ton of background on each character so it’s a lot easier to bring them to life than just simply improvising. I’ve been in situations before where developers, mainly indie, don’t know what they want for vocals, but they know what they don’t want. Trying to find that sweet spot is often tough. Not here. Zack and Mitch were with me every step of the way and I feel the end result was a special one.
Joey G. has further interviews with the creators of WrestleQuest coming up so follow Wrestling Headlines for all the latest news and coverage. Check out the official WrestleQuest website for the latest updates on the game’s release.