Stephen Ellis, Producer and Director of both Timesplitters and its sequel, is a staple member of the Free Radical Design team. A worthy member of the Goldeneye setup - and responsible for work on many Rare titles, Steve is a man who knows his stuff. We settled down to an interview with the genius last week and here are the results!

Xavier: What would you determine the main inspiration behind the Timesplitters series?

Steve: The TimeSplitters series was inspired by a number of B-movies, and the desire to create something broader than the usual military-focussed first person shooters.

Xavier: Who is your most admired figure in the gaming industry and why?

Steve: Personally, I don't particularly admire any gaming industry 'figure' - I admire teams. Too often, the work of a team of people is unfairly attributed to one individual. A good game is very rarely good because of one person. Teams that I admire are those that created Gran Turismo 3 (Polyphony Digital) and Burnout 2 (Criterion).

Xavier: If you could choose any Nintendo series as your favourite, which one would you name and why?

Steve: I've always enjoyed the Mario series, particularly Mario 64. In my opinion it's still yet to be beaten, 6 years after its release.

Xavier: What was your reaction to Rare leaving Nintendo for Microsoft?

Steve: It was bound to happen sooner or later. It was only a question of who the buyer would be and how much Rare could persuade them to pay. It's unfortunate for all of the Rare fans that own GameCube consoles and don't own XBoxes. I look forward to seeing the five XBox games that Rare have promised in the next 2 years.

Xavier: How do you see the gaming industry heading in the near future? Do you think that videogames can ever reach mass-popularity with a varied demographic of people?

Steve: I think that by the very nature of videogames they will always be skewed toward a young audience, but clearly the industry is always expanding and is gradually reaching new audiences.

Xavier: Timesplitters and in particular its sequel have met with much acclaim. How would you describe the magic formula behind the series and the key to its success?

Steve: The key is to have a team of people that are making a game that they would like to play, and to always be trying to be better than whatever is already out there. The variety in TimeSplitters allowed us to do things that wouldn't fit in well in more traditional FPS's, particularly in the Challenge mode.

Xavier: Timesplitters 2 in sections feels like a fantastic homage to Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo 64. What's your favourite Bond film and why?

Steve: Personally, I prefer Pierce Brosnan to any of the old Bonds. The new film, Die Another Day, is probably his best to date.

Xavier: Any secret projects in pipeline that are worthy of a mention?

Steve: I can only confirm that there *are* secret projects. Details will be announced some time next year.

Xavier: Is the Timesplitters saga set to continue, or will you keep us guessing?

Steve: We'll see ;-)

So there you have it - secret projects in the pipeline and no official confirmation of a follow-up to Timesplitters 2. I think its a pretty safe bet that there'll be a third incarnation though.

Thanks to Steve Ellis at Free Radical Design.