Meeting the Ancients: Jon Van Caneghem

On the official blog dedicated to the development of Might & Magic X Legacy, there is also an interview with the creator of Might & Magic, Jon Van Canegem.

Meeting the Ancients: Jon Van Canegem

"Jon Van Caneghem Production." For many of us, these words were like a spell that opened the well-known gates to another world. When they appeared on the screen, we knew that we were about to leave our boring, everyday lives behind and exchange them for epic quests, mystery, and adventure.
Co-founder of New World Computing along with Mark Caldwell, "JVC" is the father of Might & Magic and Heroes. He currently heads Victory Games, a division of Electronic Arts, and is working on a promising new game in the Command & Conquer series.
Despite his busy schedule, he kindly found time to answer a few questions for the blog :)

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your career?

I started designing and programming at UCLA (University of California), but before that, I played a lot of board games and tabletop RPGs.
You can find a brief summary of a very long period of time (:P) on the Wikipedia page.
Ironically, one of the undeniable forces that made me create the first Might & Magic was the desire to play RPGs more often. It has always been difficult to get together on Saturdays and so on, but if I could create an amazing PC game, then I would be able to play every day without interruption :)
After a few years, I think I mastered almost every discipline in the gaming business: programming, design, graphics, sound, scripting, sales, marketing, finance, legal issues... and so on. We had to do it all when we were young, but it gave me unique perspectives in the industry, which have served me well over the years.

When you think about your work on Might & Magic, what is the first association that comes to mind?

I know that I enjoyed playing the games as much or even more than creating them!

Can you tell us about the genesis of the Might & Magic games?

I wanted to make an RPG with a team of characters that would be very strategic, have an open world to explore, and contain a lot of fun and puzzles.
Wizardry I, Ultima I, and Dungeon and Dragons had the biggest influence, but I wanted to go further and express my style of gameplay in the design. Learning how to program and figuring out all the technical barriers was just a means to an end; creating the best game possible was my driving force.

What does Might & Magic mean to you now?

It's always a wonderful feeling to know that millions of people enjoy this series, and the fact that new games are still being created makes me happy.
That’s great.

As a fan of the series, there is something I have always wanted to ask you :) What were your plans for the plot?
Could we uncover the secrets of the Ancients and Cragans? Can you share anything with us?

Initially, the story of Might & Magic ended on World of Xeen.
But with the popularity of Heroes and the demand for new M&M games, we started everything again and took many directions.
And yes, we planned to complete the story with the Cragans and a visit to the world of the Ancients... :P

Overall, when you develop a game, what are you aiming for?

At first, something that I would love to play and enjoy.
Then expanding its appeal to the largest possible audience without compromising the original game.

What are you playing right now, and do you like it?

Okay, it's Command & Conquer :)
Also GTA V like everyone else, World of Tanks, Guild Wars 2, Puzzles and Dragons...
All very enjoyable!

If you could be anyone, human, elf, dwarf or orc, who would you be and why?

An elf, they live longer!

Aside from games, what excites you?

I enjoy racing as a hobby, and science, mythology, and global financial markets fascinate me.

What do you think about Might & Magic X so far?

Very cool!

Your message to fans of Might & Magic?

Thank you! And yes, I would like to make another one :)
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Thanks for everything, Jon :)