Taxonomy
One more thing...a big one
Appreciated the chance to do this, but wanted to bring in a point that didn't make it through the editing of the full interview.
Airport Mania exists due in large part to the amazing talents of South Winds Games who partnered with Reflexive in making the game. Having previously done Dylo's Adventure, I was sure they could provide the perfect look and solid programming for the game. In taking a design through the entire game process, there are a lot of cogs that make the wheel turn and in this case there were really 3, those other 2 Juan and Gustavo (programmer + artist) are a very big reason that Airport Mania turned out as well as it did :).
Boarding pass: How Airport Mania made a safe landing
Some game companies use pretty pedestrian means to pick their projects; maybe doing some market research and testing what ideas have been popular in the marketplace, or by licensing an IP and going from there, or just making a sequel.
For Reflexive's Russell Carroll, the producer of Airport Mania, the process is much less regimented.