In an IGN exclusive interview, High Voltage Software CEO and founder Kerry Ganofsky revealed Gladiator A.D., a fast paced, brutally violent action title designed exclusively for the Wii.

Kerry J. Ganofsky: Gladiator A.D. is our next step in filling the holes in the Wii’s library. Players choose a Gladiator, each with unique attacks, behaviors, moves, and weapons. They then battle through a series of competitions, some one-on-one and some much more complex.

Gladiator will use the same  Quantam3 engine that powers the Conduit, which has been said to have pushed the Wii’s graphical output to the limit. “Think of Gladiator A.D. as the distillation of everything that made Conduit what it was. With fewer characters in smaller environments we are able to get more detail.” said Chief Creative Officer Eric Nosfinger,  “In addition, we are utilizing our impostor system to get the crowd reacting to the player’s action. Watch them throw objects at the ill-favored gladiator, as well as stand and cheer with large hits, or boo and jeer when the player uses cheap tactics.”

Gladiator will feature an over-the-shoulder perspective as the player fights through arena battles to advance the storyline. “Gladiator A.D. is not a traditional 3D fighting game.”  Ganofsky told IGN, “It’s more of a hybrid between 3D Fighting games like Bushido Blade and Boxing games like Fight Night. The action is intense, but the combat is strategic. You need to learn your opponent’s weaknesses and think through your attack patterns to succeed. There is no button-mashing here.”

When asked about Wii-Motion plus integration, Eric Nosfiger confirmed that Gladiator A.D. would use the peripheral, but suggested that it might be optional, used only in unique game modes or something that would give the player an edge, but may not be necessary.

High Voltage Software is aiming for a Q1 2010 release.