Lets say a group of five hardcore gamers with talent get together, and created a development house. What if the company was to develop a unique first person game using their own engine? Would the game stand up to the other titles presently in development? In the case of Southend Interactive’s Blitz - Disc Arena, it sure looks like it is going to hold its own very well!

Not too long ago, John Mancine was a full-time student. Today he is in the midst of this unique game title, as he recently joined the ranks of Southend Interactive working as a programmer on their first title; Blitz - Disc Arena. John was kind enough to spend some time chatting about his job, the technology behind the game and what we can expect to see in Blitz - Disc Arena. After hearing about this title and seeing screenshots of the game, your first question will probably be the same as mine… ‘Why the heck hasn’t a publisher scooped them up already?”

SharkyExtreme: Can you tell us a bit about Southend Interactive, and how you came to work there?

John Mancine: SouthEnd Interactive was established by 5 hardcore gamers about a year ago, and is located in Malmo, Sweden (southern Sweden). Blitz Disc Arena is going to be SouthEnd's debut commercial title.

I was originally in Sweden on an exchange from my home university in Michigan to finish my Computer Science degree. While studying here in Sweden, I heard about the Blitz Disc Arena project. After meeting everyone and seeing what was being done with the BDA engine, I just had to come onboard. To make a long story short, here I am in southern Sweden ... getting ridiculed for knowing less Swedish than a toddler. =]