GDC '08: Thriller opens in Austin
Former MicroProse vets Bill Stealey, Fred Schmidt, and Jim Bull form development and publishing house with focus on military and espionage-themed action games.
SAN FRANCISCO--To most people, the term Thriller is inexorably associated with the King of Pop and arguably the greatest music video of all time. However, that hasn't stopped MicroProse Software vets J.W. "Bill" Stealey, Fred Schmidt, and Jim Bull from choosing the loaded name for their new Austin, Texas-based development and publishing house Thriller Publishing. The studio was announced this week as part of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The Thriller team boasts a significant tenure within the industry. In addition to MicroProse, which Stealey cofounded alongside legendary game designer Sid Meier in 1982, Thriller's management team has held senior-level positions at Electronic Arts, NCsoft, Activision, and Mattel Electronics.
"We have over 100 years of game publishing expertise among our senior management alone, always working with first-rate development talent," said newly installed Thriller president and CEO Fred Schmidt.
While no projects have yet been announced by the nascent studio, Thriller plans to focus its efforts on military and espionage-themed games. To help it do so, the studio has tapped New York Times best-selling authors who are "widely recognized and well regarded in their genres to create and develop popular new characters and storylines with the potential for game sequels and sustainable series." The studio did not reveal which writers it had signed, saying only that the first authors would be revealed soon.
Thriller plans to create products for retail and online distribution and hopes to hit all major gaming platforms, including the PC, consoles, and mobile, as well as create games in the massively multiplayer online space. Fitting in well with its professed military theme, the studio plans to focus on the first-person shooter, action, adventure, and simulation genres, as well as "maybe a serious game or two also. We'll see."
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
GameSpot's Best of 2009 - Dubious Honors Winners
Find out our Dubious Honors Winners in the Best of 2009 Awards! Full Story
- Posted Dec 22, 2009 11:56 am PT
-
GameSpot's Best of 2009 - Special Achievement Winners
Find out our special achievement winners in the Best of 2009 Awards! Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 11:59 am PT
Featured Stories
-
Xbox Avatars to 'encourage exercise'?
Microsoft patent details technology to make 360's avatars have same physical appearance as their real-world counterparts--and thereby promote physical fitness. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 12:13 pm PT
- 719 Comments
-
'Ghost Recon Future Soldier' trademarked
Ubisoft USPTO filing reveals likely name of next installment in its tactical Tom Clancy shooter series, due out after Q1 2010. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 1:06 pm PT
- 140 Comments
-
Take-Two sells distribution arm, cuts Q1 forecast by $120 million
Publisher cuts annual outlook to $910 million after Jack of All Games subsidiary is scooped up by IT systems distributor Synnex. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 2:53 pm PT
- 26 Comments
-
Shippin' Out December 20-26: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Square Enix's Crystal Bearers for the Wii leads a light release slate including the retail launch of Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 10:55 am PT
- 47 Comments
-
Final Fantasy XIII day-one sales hit 1 million in Japan
Square Enix's hotly anticipated JRPG busts platinum sales marker in 24 hours on PS3, franchise sales surpass 92 million. Full Story
- Posted Dec 18, 2009 10:53 am PT
- 731 Comments
Submit News
Recent News
-
Game releases hold steady in 2009
EEDAR analysis finds slightly more titles fighting over fewer customer dollars, increasingly scarce shelf space; 2010 to see fewer new retail games.
6 Comments
Sign in / Sign up