Irrational's Ken Levine on why he's not a Fruit Ninja guy

"I respect what those guys do," says Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine about Fruit Ninja studio Halfbrick.

"And obviously they're able to tap into a kind of zeitgeist that is outside what I do, but it's just not me."

That's Levine's assessment of the smartphone market: an industry that deserves respect, but unlike the scores of other console developers currently making a move on mobile, not one he wants to have a hand in.

Indeed, yesterday, two developers from Irrational's Australian studio announced they had left to set up a mobile-focused developer.

However, he's not down on all portable devices, pointing to PS Vita as the device that will bridge the gap between console and smartphone.

According to his experiences to-date, Sony's new handheld could be the key for developers such as Irrational reaching the kind of consumers currently being mopped up by smartphones without having to serve up casual releases.

"I've always had to sacrifice that core gaming experience when I lie in bed playing games," he told IGN.

"We're now getting to a place with Vita and what Nintendo's doing where that's not necessarily going to be the case, where you can play full-on hardcore games in bed with the lights out while your wife's asleep. That means a lot to me."

We wonder what Mrs Levine thinks...

It means Irrational won't have to change approach in the development of its first Vita release – an as yet unnamed entry in the BioShock series announced during E3.

"It is a core game," said Levine.

"I'm not a huge Fruit Ninja guy, it just doesn't interest me. I respect what those guys do, and obviously they're able to tap into a kind of zeitgeist that is outside what I do, but it's just not me. I'm a core gamer.

"If you're looking at me to make a game like that, you're probably hiring the wrong dude."

[source: IGN]