Alien Hominid is a fast-paced, 2D side scroller where players must run, jump and shoot their way across the globe in pursuit of the alien's coveted UFO. The artwork is completely hand-drawn and hand-animated. The game has recently successfully been released in the US.

On the 19th of January it was announced that Zoo Digital signed the European publishing rights for Alien Hominid. However, the press release announcing the publishing deal stated that the game from developer The Behemoth will be released in May 2005 for the PS2 and Xbox only throughout Europe.

 

This announcement left us with some questions. Didn't the Behemoth release a GameCube version in the US, which actually sold more than the PS2 version there? Why isn't Europe getting a GameCube version? The answer to the first question is yes, they did. The second and most important question we tried to answer by giving our friends at the Behemoth a ring. Read on for the Q&A we conducted with John Baez, one of the co-founders of the Behemoth.

C-E: Could you please explain why we GameCube fans are not going to get any?
JB: As developers we don't control what a particular publisher will decide to license from us. We know we have many, many loyal GameCube fans in Europe and we are doing our best to ensure that they will be able to enjoy Alien Hominid on their favorite GameCube.

C-E: So there might still be a GameCube version released in Europe after all?
JB: Of course! We'd love to have the Alien blasting away on as many consoles as possible. But it will only see the light of day if it is financially viable for all parties involved, from Nintendo all the way down to us.

C-E: How did the game perform figure-wise for the PS2 and GameCube in the US? Who is the winner?
JB: From the outset we specifically designed our engine to take advantage of each piece of hardware, so in a sense there is no real "winner". It's our job to make sure that the game is enjoyable on whatever machine it is played on. I personally like the native four player support of the GameCube and form factor of the machine itself.

C-E: So why do you think that publishers aren't interested in releasing a successful title for the same platform in Europe?
JB: It is a complex equation that we as the lowly developer don't really have much say in. We can develop a multi SKU title and put it on the table and see who is interested in each platform. From a business equation, I imagine that it is a combination of installed base, tie ratio and retailer support (i.e. how many GameCube owners there are, their buying habits and how much shelf space they can get.)

C-E: We are thankful the Behemoth is still trying to get a GameCube version to Europe. Is there anything else you would like to share with the European gamers out there?
JB: Just that the global GameCube owner support for our title has been phenomenal. We've had many, many fans write in to tell us how much they support us and many of those fans were GameCube owners. There is nothing better than fan mail to keep an indie company going!

So there you have it folks! The Behemoth is still trying to set a foot on the ground with the GameCube version of Alien Hominid in Europe. Unfortunately, it is going to depend on the willingness of the publisher. Therefore we would like to call upon all you European publishers to investigate the awesomness of this game. This game must get a European GameCube release.

A special thanks goes out to John Baez for taking the time to answer the questions. And be sure to check Cube-Europe regularly for updates on everything GameCube and Nintendo DS related.