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IGN: Blizzard confirmed previously that StarCraft: Ghost would ship on all three consoles simultaneously. What is the firm release date for the game?

John Lagrave: We are anticipating releasing the game in the second half of the new year. Of course, this game, like all Blizzard games, won't be released until it has the passed our final polish phase (and getting that much wax on a game disc is a lot of work), so we can't be any more specific than that just yet.

IGN: The Ghost team has remained relatively quiet about the title during the past several months. Can we get an update on exactly where the title is in development, such as what the team working on now and what still needs to be tweaked?

John: A little of everything. We're looking at gameplay, level design, and unit AI. We're adjusting in-game cut-scenes, voice lines, and UI elements as well. As for being quiet, well, Nova's been training us in Stealth kills, so we're just trying to follow her lead.

IGN: Excellent. What differences will there be between the three console versions? Can you also let us know the tech specs?


John: For Xbox, [we have] real-time Dolby Digital; 480p, widescreen, and 720p likely (pending approval). For GameCube [we have] Dolby Surround, 480p and widescreen. And for PlayStation 2 [we have] Dolby and 480p support.

There are no significant content differences between the three consoles, though some items might appear slightly different between versions.

IGN: What would you say to skeptics who claim that StarCraft: Ghost is a Splinter Cell copycat? How will Ghost separate itself?

John: Well, Nova would be pretty upset if someone said she was just like Sam Fisher. StarCraft: Ghost is unique in a number of ways. First off, the game is set in the StarCraft universe. Nova is going up against the Zerg, other Terrans, and the Protoss. Secondly, Nova's got Psi abilities that are just so damn awesome: Cloaking, Sight, and Speed. And thirdly, she can call on an armada to help blow the crud out of enemies. Splinter Cell is a very cool game, but I don't think it has a Yamato cannon suppression attack.

IGN: How many people are on the development team and how is the team divided between the consoles?

John: If you consider everyone who's doing something on the game, then we have over 70 people working on Ghost overall. A majority of us are working on the Xbox version, which Ghost is being developed on. The game is then being adjusted to run on the GameCube and PlayStation 2, which require fewer resources.

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