Give us a little background on yourself, the Strategic Studios Group (SSG) and the beginnings of Infinite Interactive.

Steve Fawkner: Infinite Interactive was created back in 1989 when we wrote the first Warlords game and published it through SSG. After that we joined forces with SSG for over a decade and worked on over a dozen different games together. In 2003 however, we decided to part ways so that we could both concentrate on the genres that interested us the most.

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix will be releasing very soon for PC and Nintendo DS, and later on for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. What inspired you to take on a galactic scenario?

SF: We’ve done so many games with Dragons, Knights, Wizards and Swords, that we really wanted to try something new. I just think that spaceships are cool, so I talked the team into doing a sci-fi game. I’ve wanted to make a sci-fi game for the past 5 years and it’s been amazingly refreshing to do so.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords began with the player choosing a different classes - Druid, Knight, Warrior and Wizard. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix seems to take things a bit differently; give us an example of how players will begin the game.

SF: We wanted to change things around with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and make sure it didn’t just feel like Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords in space. We also wanted to make sure that we didn’t force the player to make a really important decision about how they play the game within the first 5 minutes of playing.

When you create a Galactrix character all you actually choose is your gender. You don’t start specializing until you gain your first level, and then you specialize more over time, as you gain more levels. It’s a much more organic way of playing, and lets the player choose how they play interactively as they learn more about the game.

What would you say is your favorite new feature of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, the one you think will really surprise people?

SF:I love the open-endedness of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. Even in the middle of the story, you can just take off and do a bit of mining/trading to make some cash, or you can turn to piracy and try to make a dishonest living while avoiding annoying too many of the alien races.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was known for having a bizarre set of side stories. From robot Minotaurs to Ogres demanding food. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix looks to take a more serious tone, but does it branch off into the weird on occasion? Any nods to other Sci-Fi universes?

SF:We have to be very careful not to tread on any toes and use trademarked material, so making too many nods to other sci-fi universes is fraught with danger. However, two of my favorite series are Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica and I’ve been told that you can definitely see a little bit of influence there.

You surprised us some six months after the release of the Revenge of the Plague Lord expansion. Do you plan on expanding Puzzle Quest: Galactrix in the future, possibly in several expansions?

SF:Exactly like the first game, we’ve built Puzzle Quest: Galactrix with expansions in mind, so it’s a real possibility. I certainly know the team would love to work on an expansion. We’ll just need to see what the future holds I guess.

You recently released the original Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords on the PlayStation Network. Was the transition to the console easy? Have the sales been favorable?

SF:The PSN port of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was handled by the very talented team out at Kalloc Studios, and as with all the versions of Puzzle Quest, we’ve been humbled by how many people have purchased it and enjoyed it. We’ve been concentrating on PC, Xbox 360 and DS over the past year. The transitions to those consoles has certainly been a challenge, but it’s been one that we’ve all enjoyed.

There was a recent interview on Gamasutra with Jason Kapalka (CCO of PopCap Games) where the topic of Hex grids came up. It was discussed how their Bookworm game originally used a hex grid, but people were turned off by it because "they give off a vibe of science, of dirty stuff, of war games, and hex paper, something about them just turns people off." They got around it by somewhat "faking" a hex grid using squares.

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix has gone from the original Puzzle Quest's rectangular grid to using a hex grid. It opens up many strategies to destroy your enemies, but do you think that using hex grids may put off some players? What are your thoughts on this topic?

SF:Jason is the undisputed master of casual games, so I won’t entirely disagree with him. However I think that the hexes in Puzzle Quest Galactrix just feel right to me. In truth, our audience is probably just a little more hardcore than Popcaps, so the hexes seem to be very well-received.

Outside of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, Infinite Interactive have recently released Neopets Puzzle Adventure through Capcom and are working on Puzzle Kingdoms for Zoo Interactive. Both of these games have been planned for Wii, DS and PC. Are there any plans to release these further on for XBLA or PSN?

SF:We haven’t announced any plans for those platforms yet, but just like with the Puzzle Quest series, the appetite for these types of games seems to be huge, so anything is possible.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was a big hit and has since been ported to nearly everything, with the iPhone's episodic version being the latest. Could we expect Puzzle Quest: Galactrix for the Wii, PSP or iPhone further down the line?

SF:It would be fantastic if Puzzle Quest: Galactrix were as successful as Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, and I think it’s definitely good enough to manage that or perhaps even exceed it. I can think of nothing better than seeing our games on every available platform, but we don’t have anything to announce at this time.

You announced Deathbringer on your website an awful long time ago, since then there has been no real news about it. Could you enlighten us on anything about the game?

SF:The Deathbringer prototype was funded by Film Victoria and the Digital Media Fund about a year ago. It’s currently still in production., and it’s shaping up to be something pretty special. Stay tuned for more news on it later this year.

What's next for Infinite Interactive? Will you continue to explore the puzzle-RPG genre, perhaps return to the original Warlords series, or perhaps something completely new? Do you plan to continue focusing on handheld and digital download games?

SF:All the time we’re having fun playing puzzle-RPG games, we’ll keep exploring the genre. I think it’s important for us to explore other genres too though. I’d love to go back and make another strategy game, either real time or turn-based. I’d also like to try mixing some new genres together… maybe a racing game that uses the guitar controller…

When should we expect Puzzle Quest: Galactrix to drop onto Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network?

SF:It’s really difficult to give an exact date for PSN and XBLA, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. The best answer I can give is “Real Soon Now”.