Mike Wilson and Alex Seropian

Hail to the Chimp and Gamecock provide ample chatter...

Intrigued by news of this rather far-out new publisher - Game Cock Media - and their biggest name title so far (Alex Seropian's Wideload-developed Hail to the Chimp), we sat Duncan in a room with Alexander Seropian and Mike Wilson with strict instructions that he wasn't to be fed any more cheese-pineapple skewers until we knew more.

So, you all at Gamecock Media are plainly quite noodles. How's that working out for you?

Quite nicely. We appreciate that. Noodles is a great way to describe us. Thanks. So far, everything's been just dandy. We wanted to create a developer-friendly publisher that could take chances on new games, and we are doing just that, and to date everyone has been really receptive. Now, y'all just need to buy the games we put out.

One of your upcoming titles, Hail to the Chimp, is a multiplayer jungle politics smack-down. Care to put the core game play in a peanut shell?

One large, jumbo-size shell - sure - Party and pummel. Alex and the Wideload crew just want to make really fun games, and who are we to question them. They've done amazing stuff in the past and we are happy as a clam to be working with them on Hail to the Chimp.

What characters are there going to be available?

Well, the entire animal kingdom wants their crack at the crown, but the final ballot is still in the works. I can give you a couple of the front runners though and they include the monkey, hippo, and octopus! All slick entrants that are in it to win it.

Which platform/console is this going to be landing on?

We can't say yet, however I can tell you it will be fun and you will be able to play 4 players at once.

It's described on your website as a party game - why is it going to be good to play with others?

Who doesn't love a good episode of 'When Animals Attack'? Chaos playing out in the jungle with monkey beat-downs and clams flying everywhere, how can you not have a good time? Wideload is making sure there will be plenty of comedy and off-the-wall antics that should give everyone a really good laugh.

The game takes a comic look at politics - will the international gamer need to know his Al Gore from his Ross Perot, or are the references non-specific?

We'll go with the latter. Whether you live in a democracy or a fascist dictatorship where your every waking thought is dictated by the state, you'll love Hail to the Chimp. Wideload has assured us they aren't trying to make any political statements or show favoritism to a particular (political) party; they are just having some fun with the age-old quandary of who would rule the jungle once the lion falls from grace.

Is the concept actually based on a show referred to once in The Simpsons?

It's actually based on the real-life experiences of Alexander Seropian, who was once accidentally locked in a zoo overnight and got to observe animal political machinations first-hand.

Tell us more of the Team Up mechanic of the game, allowing players to pair the natural agility of the hippo with the innate grace of the armadillo.

In any political campaign, there are moments when two candidates agree about a certain issue. Hail to the Chimp takes those moments to their logical extreme.

Are there any other particularly noteworthy titles that the fever-dream, absinthe addled imagination of Gamecock Media is soon to release?

If only you knew. And did I do this whole interview without a gamecock reference?! What's the matter with me? We do have the idea kicking around about this fighting rooster and his friend, a Sherman tank voiced by...Wait, I've said too much. You'll see when it's ready.

Thanks for your time, and best of luck with the game making and publishing.

By Duncan Lawson