The GameCube LAN tunnelers are moving on to more fertile grounds. We spoke with the Project Manager to get a cleaner angle on all the crazy rumors.
Chad Paulson, Project Manager at Warp Pipe Technologies, has been stirring up quite a lot of controversy this week. His posts at the Warp Pipe forums, along with some comments by Dean Bergmann of N-Sider, have ignited a blizzard of rumors and speculation in the online community. Bergmann worked forum posters into a frenzy with this cryptic teaser:
“You're lost in the woods of a city, and you know there are others there.
But how do you know they're there if you're lost? I know the answer. You'll see
mid october.”
At the center of the storm of rumors is a series of images hosted at Warp Pipe’s website. The pictures, shown below, will have to speak for themselves, because Warp Pipe is not ready to comment on their specific meanings.
Note that the “Find(s)me.” image is based on the card “Marionette” from Ragnarok Online:
We spoke with Paulson to obtain some kind of clarity on what is going on with his company and with all the crazy rumors. He refused to go into details about specifics of his project, but he did have the following to say:
PGC: Can you comment on the rumors revolving around Warp Pipe right now?
Paulson: I can confirm to you that Warp Pipe Technologies is working on a service that will launch globally. North America and Japan Q4 of 2004. And the rest of the world Q1 - Q2 of 2005.
PGC: Is your involvement in the current swirl of DS rumors related to your project?
Paulson: The DS rumors... There are so many. The majority of which are simply ridiculous, but I guess that's what you get with the Internet.
PGC: Let me be more specific. Did you create the picture of the guy with no eyes holding a DS?
Paulson: Yes. The child in the woods, the "findsme", and the "no eyes" are all clues from us.
PGC: Is this a project Warp Pipe is releasing independently?
Paulson: I can’t comment on that. I can confirm that there are a handful of publishers / developers are in the loop and their involvement will prove beneficial to both parties. …I can confirm what this isn't. It is not tunneling.
PGC: Is Warp Pipe a licensed Nintendo DS developer?
Paulson: I cannot comment on that.
PGC: Is this project primarily or wholly intended for Nintendo platforms?
Paulson: I cannot comment on that.
PGC: Is there anything else you can say about the project at this time?
Paulson: Although this service will greatly surprise gamers, it is not what they would traditionally expect. We (Warp Pipe Technologies) feel that online communities have been commoditized, with publishers and developers focusing on the technology instead of the social and personal aspects that truly make a multiplayer experience unique. In launching this service, we will be addressing these issues.
Planet GameCube is following this story closely, though hard facts are unlikely to surface before Nintendo lifts the rest of its DS information embargo in October. Around that time, Warp Pipe will be fully announcing their new project, and we’ll be sure to catch up with them for a detailed follow-up.
Michael Cole contributed to this story.