Diablo creator heading Marvel Universe MMOG house

Like Jean Grey rising as the Phoenix, the Marvel Universe massively multiplayer online role-playing game was given a second life earlier this year. After Microsoft and Cryptic Studios officially called it quits on their Marvel-themed MMOG in early 2008, Gazillion Entertainment announced this March that it had reached a multiyear deal with the comics purveyor to bring a host of superhero-themed online games to market for different age groups.

Gargantuan is handling the flagship product of this effort, Marvel Universe Online, which is in development for the PC and consoles. Today, Gazillion said that it had bolstered its internally owned studio by hiring industry veteran David Brevik to lead development at Gargantuan as the outfit's new studio director. Brevik will be based out of Gargantuan's development studio, which shares its offices with Gazillion's headquarters in San Mateo, California.

Brevik is perhaps best known for cofounding a development company called Condor in 1993. After being commissioned by Blizzard Entertainment to create the Diablo franchise in 1995, the World of Warcraft purveyor bought the studio outright in 1996, renaming it Blizzard North. Having been credited as project lead, design lead, and lead programmer on both Diablo and Diablo II, Brevik also helped launch Blizzard's online portal, Battle.net.

Most recently, Brevik, along with other one-time Blizzard North executives, cofounded Flagship Studios. Formed in 2005, Flagship Studios launched its first and only effort, Hellgate: London, in 2007. Though it received fairly positive reviews, the game was commercially unviable, and the online game was officially shuttered earlier this year.

A separate Gazillion-owned stuido, Amazing Society, is at work on a second Marvel-themed MMOG, which deals with the kid-friendly Super Hero Squad brand. Gazillion has yet to attach a release date to either MMOG.