When it was announced around the very end of March this year that there was a Bob Ross game in the works for PC, and Nintendo’s DS and Wii systems by an unknown developer, it was assumed to be an early April fools joke. After all, the gaming press and, indeed, the games industry itself is notorious for them. EGM’s Sheng Long prank of many years back not only led many readers to believe in the existence of a secret character within Street Fighter II, but many other magazines to publish it as confirmed fact. However, the confusion was quickly cleared up by AGFRAG Entertainment, the game’s developer, and by Bob Ross Inc., who manage the deceased artist’s estate - the game was very much real.

Bob Ross was the host of The Joy of Painting, which is estimated to be the most watched art show in US television history - one biography of Ross claims that at any given time in the US, Ross is finishing or starting a painting every half hour on a public TV station somewhere. Then show is still being shown regularly worldwide. Every episode, Ross would paint oil paintings in under half an hour, thanks to his (trademarked) Wet On Wet method of painting, in which the lighter colours are applied first, allowing one to paint directly over them with darker paint without waiting for them to dry. But it was his air of calmness and nurturing that drew in viewers, not his obvious mastery. “We don’t make mistakes here, we just have happy accidents. We want happy, happy paintings. If you want sad things,” he would say. “Watch the news. Everything is possible here. This is your little universe.” He believed everyone had a talent for art, and that it could be brought out through encouragement.

Ross died in 1995 of lymphoma, but his following continues. “We tell people sometimes: we’re like drug dealers. We come into town and get everybody absolutely addicted to painting. It doesn’t take much to get you addicted,” he once commented. His charisma is unmistakable.

In the past few weeks, AGFRAG has revealed that the game will be a Wii exclusive. They’ve also announced a competition, in which the six winners will have their Bob Ross style art printed on the box for the game, and they’ve started a Yahoo! group, through which fans can give feedback on various elements of the game.

Little Mathletics spoke to Joseph Hatcher, owner and director of development at AGFRAG about the game, and what it’s like being an independent developer for the Wii.

What’s the history of AGFRAG?

AGFRAG has loosely been around since 1996-ish. We went through a few names before AGFRAG became our name. I started it with some of my game designs I’ve had since childhood, and a board game I created called CAEH Chess, which was a chess and checkers variant for 2-6 players. We have gone through multiple small game and prototypes for our designs.

We have not released anything to date. Because of our structure (of our volunteers being students, professionals and/or hobbyists) it has been difficult to keep free staff. A lot of our alumni have gone on to work at major game companies or started college with a head start on getting a feel for game development. I’m very proud of them. Being a free training ground does not lead to making money so we can make games though.

So, earlier this year I set about a plan to secure an obscure or unsecured license to a major product or icon, with which to then make a game on a platform that would fit that license the best. Not only will this help get us noticed, but it is our chance to do something great for gamers, and prove to the bigger companies that you don’t have to have extravagant budgets to create product that can generate great sales.

Robert Rodriguez has repeatedly proved to Hollywood that high profit can be made on low-budget films. I want to do the same for the game industry. Help keep the faith that indies can and will continue to innovate and take risks.

Does the name stand for anything?

Yes it does, apparently someone found out and put it in an acronym dictionary. It stands for The Adaptive Gatekeeper and Fearless Rogue of Addictive Gaming. Hey, it sounded good back in my early 20s.

How did E3 go for you? Did anything major change from the expo?

We announced shortly before E3 that AGFRAG and Bob Ross Inc. had formed Bob Ross Interactive, LLC to help give everyone a central entity with which to do business with, so AGFRAG can work on developing the game. We also announced we are developing the game exclusively for the Nintendo Wii console and that we are holding an art painting contest that starts in July. Six winners from that contest will get their Bob Ross paintings that they created put into the game itself, and one of them will win the chance to have their painting put on the cover box art for the game.

How closely are you working with Bob Ross Inc. on this game?

AGFRAG Entertainment is overseeing development of the game through Bob Ross Interactive, LLC. Bob Ross Inc. is overseeing the license through Bob Ross Interactive, LLC. They know and approve or deny everything related to Bob Ross. We communicate constantly.

Why did you choose Bob Ross to base the game around?

I used to watch the show with my mom as a kid. When I saw his show again for the first time in years, it just occurred to me that Nintendo’s formats were ideal for a Bob Ross game.

Do you think independent developers like yourself and NIBRIS are gravitating toward Nintendo because they are providing a conductive environment?

Yes. They see the bigger picture (as does Microsoft somewhat with the Xbox Live Arcade) and are trying to bring in new gamers, and new types of games. Making it easier for indies [to develop] for consoles instead of most of them being stuck on PC is very refreshing.

How hard is it to develop for the Wii as an indie?

Fans are supportive. People I know at various game companies and press are very supportive. The major corporations won’t take us seriously until a prototype is in their hands. We understand this. From a creative standpoint, it’s very easy to exist as an indie developer. From a financial standpoint, it is very difficult. You have to take chances, believe in your vision, believe in your team, believe in your project.

Are you working with a Wii dev kit at the moment?

We hope to be very soon.

How far into development are you?

I think I told you we were working on designing the game currently. We won’t comment on any release date. We have a schedule, but we want the game to be solid, bug-free, and very fun and easy to enjoy.

Why did you decide to go with the Wii exclusively, instead of also developing for the DS and PC, as previously announced?

It was something we decided upon during the weeks leading up to E3. We debated whether we wanted to try and work on 2-3 platforms simultaneously or just one that we felt would represent the game the best to the users. We chose the Wii. The inputs are the reasons I saw that the game should be for those platforms originally.

Fan response has been very positive for the game so far – did you expect the level of support you’ve received?

Bob Ross is a niche market. I personally was expecting about a 50/50 response on interest about the game. It has been about 90% positive. The other 10% has been valuable as well, and you have to let some things not get to you and just roll it off your back and go on.

I personally haven’t read much negativity toward the game, but obviously you can’t let it get to you. You know you’ve got a good starting point for the game; working with a name people recognise.

Absolutely. It’s just something I’m getting used to and go on. It’s not so much the name behind the game, we want the game to inspire others, and to help them see that we each carry a creative spark within ourselves.

I like the contest idea. I think opening up the development to fans with this and the Yahoo! group is a great idea.

Thanks for liking it. We want the Bob Ross fans, gamers and new gamers to feel like this is “their” game. By doing fun things like this, we are aiming to make the game as fun and re-playable as we can. Community feedback and suggestions are a part of this.

What kind of input are you after from the people involved in the Yahoo! group? Are you seeing it as a kind of ongoing focus group?

Yes, it is kind of an ongoing focus group. We will have separate batches of ongoing focus testers throughout all of development, so we keep fresh eyes on the project. The ones in our forum will have the benefit of following the game from beginning of development to release.

How is the hunt for a publisher going?

We actually haven’t been “hunting” for publishers, but just opening communication with them so when we have our prototype ready, they’ll be ready. Publishers have been contacting us, which is weird but appreciated.

How close are you to finalising things?

I wish I could tell you, or even hint to you, but I can’t. No one will probably hear from us until a prototype or teaser trailer is shown, and of course with the painting contest.

Well, Wikipedia estimates that you’ve had “between 5 and 15” publishers interested. Any idea where this has come from, and is it accurate?

That’s a quote from me, and I don’t remember which interview I said that in.

Is it accurate though?

Yes, it is accurate.

What can people expect in terms of gameplay?

A great enjoyable time, whether played by themselves, with family and friends in their own living rooms, or with family or friends across the world.

You can find the AFRAG Entertainment site here, or the official Bob Ross site here.