True Games launches Austin studio

True Games Interactive announced today the formation of a new development studio in Austin, Texas. The new studio will be dedicated to continuing True Games Interactive’s commitment to publishing online free-to-play content via micro-transactions. The studio’s first project is currently in development and is a newly created True Games intellectual property.

The new studio in Austin, Texas will be working on True Games’ third micro-transaction online game which is a new IP and will be built around key talent including art, programming and design team leads. True Games is currently recruiting and building the team. More information about
positions available can be found at truegames.com/.
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The new studio is headed up by industry veteran Frank Lucero. Lucero will be in charge of the overall operations of the studio and will manage the team and the product that is currently in development. Lucero brings more than 15 years of experience in the video game industry, including experience in project management, design and programming in the console, PC and MMO space. Prior to joining the new True Games studio, Lucero spent 7 years at Wolfpack
Studios/Stray Bullet Games working on MMO and Nintendo Wii games, as well as the Shadowbane series. Prior to that, Lucero held positions at
Midway Amusement Games, Point of View development studio, Origin Systems and Sega Interactive.

Richard Garriott Files Lawsuit Against NCsoft

If you’d been reading the news and the official messages coming out of NCsoft and Richard Garriott’s camps at the end of his employment there, then you would believed that when Richard Garriott left the company the parting was sweet, sweet sorrow with hugs and kisses all around. But just under the surface there were a number of problems if you believe Richard Garriott’s recollection - now part of a multi-million dollar lawsuit. That recollection of the events leading up to and shortly after he left the company to “peruse other interest” are now in the public record courtesy of a lawsuit filed by the creator of ultima, Ultima Online and Tabula Rasa that alleges fraud and misrepresentation on the part of NCsoft.

The lawsuit alleges that NCsoft deliberately represented that Richard Garriott had left the company, when he had in fact be fired. This is the crux of his lawsuit because if he were to leave of his own free will it would give him a 90 day window to sell the NCsoft holdings he obtained when the company bought his game studio in . If he had been “let go” officially Garriott would have had a ten year window in which to sell those shares. Instead he was forced to sell his holdings in what he alleges was the worst time in history to sell.” The result was a tax liability incurred and a reduced return for his shares. Garriott is seeking some $27, 000,000 in damages from NCsoft. Garriott’s lawsuit alleges that NCsoft engaged in a breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation.

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Channeling Microprose: Wild Bill and Thriller New Media

“Wild” Bill Stealey, co-founder of Microprose (a company he helped build alongside legendary Sid Meier), wants you to know that he’s still going strong and has some lofty plans with a brand new company called Thriller New Media. The company, a division of Thriller Publishing (which was announced at GDC last year), will operate in the spirit of Microprose - before the Hunt Valley, Maryland company’s brand and identity as one of the best simulation and strategy game developers in the world was co-opted by the 1993 Spectrum Holobyte buy-out.

 The idea for the company came about while laying the groundwork for Thriller Publishing over the last year - a company that wants to bring espionage themed action games to various platforms including PC, Mac, mobile devices and consoles; Stealey and friends found that a significant opportunity existed in the online multiplayer and MMOG space that it could capitalize on in a very short space of time – hence the need for a second company.

The Austin Texas-based company’s focus is exclusively on online, first-person, military themed espionage action games based on science fiction and military stories from best-selling authors (who those authors are we do not know, but we expect to hear more about them later in the year). The other important part of the equation is a social networking platform to tie all of Thriller New Media’s content together and to provide users with a place to talk, keep score, and share stories.

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NCsoft Job Cuts Hit NC West Division

It’s been just five months since City of Heroes publisher/developer NCsoft decided to merge its UK and US operations into a singular entity, dubbed NC West. Now comes word that NC West is about to get a whole lot smaller. The company announced today that, due to restructuring efforts at the studio, it would be forced to cut anywhere from 70 to 90 positions from the NC West collective. The UK offices will lose about 50 jobs from creative, IT, community management, quality assurance (QA), and localization. NC West’s UK office will shift its focus away from development duties, instead focusing on marketing and customer support.

Meanwhile, here in the States, it’s been reported that the remainder of the job cuts will be hitting NCsoft’s Austin studio, which has been hit hard after the commercial failure of its Tabula Rasa MMO. The restructuring plan calls for many jobs to be trimmed and relocated to NC West’s Seattle headquarters, with QA teams to be imbedded in studios to work directly with the development teams during the production of games.

It was back in September when NCsoft first announced that it would be combining its Seattle and Austin studios in the US with its Brighton-based UK studio into a singular entity, separate from NCsoft’s main operations in Korea. The idea being that, by operating as a separate subsidiary, NC West would be able to focus more on Western audiences and pull in a higher profit margin from that market. Based on the restructuring news, it looks like the company has had a hard time getting that ball rolling. We wish the best of luck to those affected by the cuts.

Austin or Bust For The Maw Developers

The folks behind the promising indie game The Maw will be on the move soon. Indiana-based Twisted Pixel Games are heading south to Austin, Texas, to take advantage of the state government’s cash incentives and developer friendly atmosphere. In joining the Austin development community, the company expects to create 12 to 15 new jobs within the first three months, with plans for expansion to 25 jobs within their first three years. Austin was one of several locations in the running, including Seattle, WA and Raleigh, NC. The company anticipates the move to take place within the next two to three months.

“We look forward to contributing to the growth of the creative media industry in Austin with a very talented team, a shining new studio and highly engaging games,” said Michael Wilford, CEO Twisted Pixel Games, LLC. “Austin’s reputation as a digital media powerhouse and magnet for skilled game developers had the greatest influence on our decision to join the Austin gaming community. The incredible quality of life, cost of living and supportive community in Austin certainly doesn’t hurt either.”

I look forward to playing their game no matter what state they continue to create it from.