OtherSide Entertainment to Open Austin Office, Warren Spector Will Lead System Shock 3
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We already reported on Warren Spector's decision to get back in game development, but we now have more details on his new position and OtherSide Entertainment's plans for the future. Thanks to a tweet from the man himself, we learn that the company will open new offices in Austin, and that Spector will work from there, ensuring that he won't have to move away from his current location. There's an interesting industry talent pool in that area, and that's something that OtherSide is obviously planning to leverage:
To clarify System Shock 3will be developed by an OtherSide office in Austin, TX. I'm not going anywhere. Austin devs get your resumes ready.
Spector will work as a studio director. He will first keep helping on Underworld Ascendant and then move on from that role to lead the team that will develop System Shock 3, as stated quite plainly on the company's official Facebook page. Interestingly, development on the title will start "later this year":
(I'm delighted to have Warren stepping up into a director role at OtherSide and helping lead the charge with our innovative approach to gaming,) says Paul. (I can think of no one better suited to take on this creative challenge. Warren has changed the industry before and will do so again.)
(I've loved working with students as Director of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy in the University of Texas' Moody College of Communication,) says Warren. (But when the opportunity to have a bigger role in bringing Underworld Ascendant to life, as well as playing in the System Shock universe once again, helping to bring these games to a 21st century audience, I just couldn't say no. Working on System Shock was one of the most fulfilling things I've done in my career and it's hard to describe how much I'm looking forward to sharing with players what SHODAN has been up to since the last game was released.)
Efforts on System Shock 3 will accelerate this year under Warren's direction, while OtherSide continues working on Underworld Ascendant, the successor to the Ultima Underworld series.
Everyone at OtherSide is excited to add Warren to the team and System Shock 3 as the second title in the company's growing stable of games.
I do wonder if OtherSide Entertainment found the help of an angel investor or some other kind of funding source. The Kickstarter campaign for Underworld Ascendant didn't set the world on fire, so I'm surprised to see them opening a second office. Surprised, yes, but certainly not disappointed, as I can't wait to see in which direction System Shock 3 will go.
