So, it's a good thing I redid it. Yeah. Yeah. No doubt it. Yeah, it was it Yeah. Yeah. No doubt it. Yeah, it was it was a little rough. I I I just remember again I felt pretty new to the process. Um and and I was a little concerned. I I had done a few pieces to test for Marvel cuz I'm like, you know, I don't know. I you know, if I'm going to be able to pull this off and fortunately Tanya was always like very supportive, uh and and uh he made me feel like I could do things and and that worked out. And uh so we had actually had quite a bit done before it paused and some of that was approved. However, I jumped on this little game called Iron Maiden. I tried to teach uh the new guy Keith Elwin how to design a game. You done good. You done good. And uh and I'm like, why don't we just And uh and I'm like, why don't we just take this other one? I said, listen, dude. This Archer thing, I said, listen, dude. This Archer thing, it's got to go. I said, I don't know that it's got legs. I said, I don't know that it's got legs. Um and uh and so so I I came back after uh Iron Maiden and and in in both cases both of these games were just like the schedules were not uh to my benefit um in that regard to anyone's benefit um in that regard to anyone's benefit but to Chuck's team probably I don't but to Chuck's team probably I don't know but no um uh but but I just remember when we came back to it a few things had changed in the world and uh one of the things was that backlass colossus was originally not on there it was originally zombie Abraham Lincoln. Uh, of course, naturally of course, naturally that art that art exists. So, so we got that art that art exists. So, so we got Brian Posain to do some writing on the game. And when when he was doing his run on Deadpool, one of the things he did is he had the Dead President's run and we were we were grabbing some of that. Uh, you know, that's where that came from. that's where that came from. Yeah. That's where that came from. Yeah. That's where that came from. It did not come from Revenge for Mars. It did not come from Revenge for Mars. It did not audience. It did not audience. It didn't It didn't we we did a focus group and kids freaking love Lincoln. They were like, "Oh my god, is this got Lincoln in it? Is he driving a Lincoln? Anything Lincoln?" So, so by the time we come back to the So, so by the time we come back to the game, it's the tail end of 2016 and I can't remember something happened in the news and whatever and they're like, "Hey, no presidents." And so, uh, we then we then pivoted and that's when you came in was sort of I think it was right around the holiday season there and it was like fasttrack time and, uh, and we started making a lot of changes. Um, and um, all I remember is is I obviously Deadpool's one of those characters when I was uh, reading back in the day uh, when he was fresh and new, I always thought was a little too uh, crass even for my taste, which I'm I know, right? what I'm like. Anyway, um but over time, Brian Posain is actually the one who sort of turned him into something that was much more relatable to me and and I thought much funnier. And so I kind of went with all that energy moving forward and and just, you know, working out. I I I have to say I have to give you full credit though, George, on one thing you did, you forced me to do on this playfield that um I think maybe makes it one of the better ones I've ever done. And that was the Katana ramps. You said, "Hey, I picture giant Deadpool reaching back for his blades. We put the the, you know, the inserts on the hilt, whatever." And when you forced me into that corner, uh, everything else sort of came from there, will No, no, no. I just mean I I don't mean No, no, no. I just mean I I don't mean You shoved me against the wall and said, You shoved me against the wall and said, "Do this." No, no, no. When I say that, I mean like No, no, no. When I say that, I mean like it was sort of like um, you know, usually it's kind of left. They go, "Hey, go do whatever." And, and then I, you know, come back with something. And in that case, you specifically had something in mind. We hadn't really worked out exactly everything, but we're like something like this. And that just sent me down a different path. And I think overall, um, uh, the decisions made because of that that I reacted to made for a better game. I mean, visually, you know, the the box that you get put you know, the the box that you get put in is the thing that yields the creativity. The the the open world thing. You can have anything. You can have all the money in the world, whatever. decision paralysis at that point. If there's works against what I really like is a project that has a lot of money and a lot of people in the creative process. I love it when there's like 30 people I love it when there's like 30 people all with ideas. I agree. I agree. Yeah. I like I like that design by Yeah. I like I like that design by committee. There's nothing better. Talk about Talk about Chuck. talk about your your trick to Chuck. talk about your your trick to animate a 2D high-res fourth wall Deadpool cuz that's you know fourth wall Deadpool cuz that's you know don't give away any secrets but so so the the problem is is Deadpool has so so the the problem is is Deadpool has like some 400 fourth wall lines. Sure. And if you have to store full Sure. And if you have to store full screen animations of for each of those for each of that, it becomes like with our with our um with our with our with our with our um with our with our amigga with our amigga operating system and our with our amigga operating system and our super amigga super amigga our super amigga operating system. So we our super amigga operating system. So we Omega 2000, Omega 2000, right? So we ended up animating just a right? So we ended up animating just a single frame. His face is just one single frame and it's just a distorted sort of like puppet warp. sort of like puppet warp. We puppet warped one mesh and that was We puppet warped one mesh and that was all stored in there. And then we have every possible. First time first time you showed it to First time first time you showed it to me, I was like, "Did you bone this thing?" And and you know, like Yeah, it was. Yeah. Very much like you Yeah, it was. Yeah. Very much like you It's you It's like 3D but 2D, you know? It's like 3D only 2D, It's like 3D only 2D, right? Yeah. Exactly. And then we had um right? Yeah. Exactly. And then we had um we had a couple like Alex Boret uh this artist that we bring in every once in a while just to make his life terrible. Uh he he actually had to lip-sync all of 400 of those things, man. and and and in in animating. So we had and those all those lines are So we had and those all those lines are in the game like a lot of us wrote, right? Brian wrote a lot of it, but you wrote some, I wrote some, Wayne wrote some, right? Gary Stern wrote, Gary Stern wrote, all the narrow. Yeah, we had Cheryl. Cheryl wrote some Yeah, we had Cheryl. Cheryl wrote some stuff. Mike Kizat wrote on it. Um Yeah, we had Mike Kizat wrote on it. Um Yeah, we had a It was a huge script and Yeah. The day we recorded Deadpool, we had like like one hour to do it and it took us like one hour to do it and it took us two Yes. But it was one of those things Yes. But it was one of those things where you you guys come to us, you go, "Here's 400 lines." I'm like, "This is never going to see the light of day." And then you can't let the artists know And then you can't let the artists know that they have this like, you know, you just kind of go, "Keep you know, you just kind of go, "Keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going." And then every week Just keep going." And then every week you feed them a couple more and eventually they have no idea they did 400. But if you just drop 400 on them, they tap out. tap out. A game like this, like every idea feeds A game like this, like every idea feeds feeds another idea, right? So it's like the hell house, that hell house scene. It was like, "Hey, let's put some old Stern games "Hey, let's put some old Stern games in." Yeah. Yeah. Right. So like it's just fun stuff like Right. So like it's just fun stuff like that. People just eat that up and and it just kind of falls just goes together. just goes together. Well, I like the pinball community is Well, I like the pinball community is like that's a that's a it's a berserk in the background that it's a berserk in the background that Colossus is playing or uh I forget what Flight 2000. There's a Flight 2000 in there. Um, when There's a Flight 2000 in there. Um, when I was a little kid in the 60s, you know, we all had lots of weapons, right? It was like it was okay to plastic guns. plastic guns. It was okay. There was a toy that I I It was okay. There was a toy that I I always wanted, never got. If you get a chance, go on YouTube and look up the Johnny 7. The Johnny 7. The Johnny 7. Amazing. Always wanted a Johnny 7. Amazing. Always wanted a Johnny 7. I hear the I hear the Johnny one man army. Right. So, yes. I Johnny one man army. Right. So, yes. I mean, Deadpool has got like nothing but weapons, right? So, uh, especially as you're collecting them, especially as you're collecting them, like the the imagery of because it's a part of the game is collecting weapons and you'll just see this like backpack full of everything on his back. everything on his back. It was just one of those games, right, It was just one of those games, right, where every idea just yielded another idea and we just got a chance to throw everything in. So, have you gone on eBay and bought a So, have you gone on eBay and bought a Johnny 7? No, but I have I I found the commercials because this was all in my memory and and I I wrote the line without having, you know, with my childhood memory. I didn't write the line having seen it. And then it occurred to me, oh, uh, you know, I live in an era when you can probably Google this. Right. Exactly. I also have adult money to go Exactly. I also have adult money to go buy this if I want. So there's a four hours later. So there's a four hours later. Yeah. Right. You're in the office just Yeah. Right. You're in the office just like shooting at the wall. I've seen I've seen it was like Johnny 7 I've seen I've seen it was like Johnny 7 oneman army. Look at this commercial. This is Oh my god. This is what I would, you know, like I want that. Heck yeah. Heck yeah. Had a sweet bayonet on the end of it, Had a sweet bayonet on the end of it, right? And like had everything. had everything. Grenade launcher. Grenade launcher. Well, have there been any like fun Well, have there been any like fun anecdotes like now that this game's been out in the world? Like what's the reception been like? Uh do you have any like fun stories about like things that have happened? You know, I think um what's what's You know, I think um what's what's interesting is how much the community has embraced the game, right? The enthusiasm for the launch right? The enthusiasm for the launch parties took me completely by surprise. Like you know Shane out in LA said to me goes I'm going to give away katanas. Oh yeah ace Oh yeah ace you know send you know send me AC goji you know send you know send me AC goji you know like send me katanas sign can you sign a katana for me actual swords. actual swords. So right so it's like just it had it So right so it's like just it had it took on a life of its own right. the the launch parties. Uh you know, I've got some of the coasters that um Logan printed, right? You know, the these are so awesome, right? Like Oh, whoa. Oh, whoa. Yeah. Did you see these? So, these were Yeah. Did you see these? So, these were from the Logan launch party. Did they get permission to make these, Did they get permission to make these, Jeremy? No. Okay, cool. So, but you know, it's just it just took on but you know, it's just it just took on a life of its own. People were sending me t-shirts, like Deadpool launch party t-shirts and and all kinds of stuff. Um, I have probably signed more Deadpool stuff than any pinball machine I've ever designed. Wild. Wild. I'm I'm serious. I'm I'm serious. I I It's It For a while there, I I It's It For a while there, it was like three, four things a week it was like three, four things a week would come in from the outside with return postage. Seriously? Seriously? You know. Yeah. You know. Yeah. Wow. Wow. Yeah. I've signed more Deadpool stuff Yeah. I've signed more Deadpool stuff than, you know, Yeah. I Everyone tells me it's the art, Yeah. I Everyone tells me it's the art, but I, you know, hey, I don't know. Yeah, they might like other stuff, too. Um, one thing I was going to say is one Um, one thing I was going to say is one thing, uh, uh, Marvel liked this well enough that there's a a Hasbro Nerf gun out there. Right. That's right. That's right. Did you also know that the katana um, we Did you also know that the katana um, we had a a spare katana, you know, from prototype and it's it works as a bottle opener. Yes. In fact, I think I have it in my Yes. In fact, I think I have it in my office. Yeah. After you showed me that. Speaking of katanas, speaking of katanas, I think the first year during the first year, um motivated by by Shane's I'm going to give away a katana. Yeah. Yeah. Um I you know, we we actually put katana Um I you know, we we actually put katana finds in games. Oh wow. Oh wow. Right. So I ordered a bunch of katanas. Right. So I ordered a bunch of katanas. We signed them. Right. There's a picture um of all the signed katanas and we and um of all the signed katanas and we and gave them to the assembly line and they randomly went into games with a letter, you know, that that that I signed saying, "Hey, congrats. You you got a katana." Yeah. I I saw somebody that got one. I Yeah. I I saw somebody that got one. I didn't know how many you did, though. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm trying to remember. I I don't Yeah. I'm trying to remember. I I don't remember. You get a weapon. You get a weapon. You get a weapon. I don't know. Like I'm like, "This one has a grenade, you know, like Oh, yeah. throwing random weapons. Oh, yeah. throwing random weapons. I heard there there's a few in the I heard there there's a few in the evidence locker downtown. Uh a box of rat poison. No way. There's a box of rat poison. No way. There's always the guy in the legal department says that says, "What if somebody kills someone with this?" Please don't show your signatures on Please don't show your signatures on your fingerprints are all over it. That's why I didn't sign him. I refused. That's why I didn't sign him. I refused. I said, "Listen." Okay. So, speaking of legal department, Okay. So, speaking of legal department, do you remember the the nonsense we had to go through for Little Deadpool's po pony? So, you know, Deadpool rides. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because because it Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because because it looks like uh cuz it's pink. cuz it's pink. Yeah. Yeah. And they're like, things that are pink And they're like, things that are pink in ponies are off limits. And I'm like, what? And I'm like, what? And they're like, we don't want anybody And they're like, we don't want anybody to mistake this game for being My Little Pony. And I'm like, "Yeah, "Yeah, there is what do you have to brain there is what do you have to brain damage? What you need to go and look at this and go, is that My Little Pony this whole game?" is that My Little Pony this whole game?" Yeah. Yeah. But but you know, like listen, you don't But but you know, like listen, you don't want to get them My Little Pony mafia after you. I think the unicorn horn is what sold it I think the unicorn horn is what sold it cuz that was that was very Deadpool, cuz that was that was very Deadpool, right? The fact that it's eyes pointing right? The fact that it's eyes pointing two different directions and that it threw up green goo. That was Yeah, that helped. Yeah, that helped. [Music]