Wild Bill Stealey
Thriller Publishing of Austin, Texas has announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that it... exists. Headed up by (among others) John 'Wild Bill' Stealey, who co-founded MicroProse in 1982 with Sid Meier, the new publishing house and developer sounds like it means business.
The publisher states that it is already working with “multiple” New York Times best-selling authors to produce brand new intellectual properties (IPs) to be developed and published by Thriller. In an unprovoked bout of PR cock waving, the publisher tells us right off the bat that in most cases it will own the rights to the franchises (yup, it's dealing in franchises, not games).
Further showing off its bullishness, the company tells it “intends to establish itself a premier brand for military and espionage-themed AAA storyline games across all retail and online game platforms including PC, new-gen consoles, mobile and massively multiplayer.”
Joining Wild Bill at the helm of the company are Fred Schmidt and Jim Bull, both of whom worked with Stealey at MicroProse. We're told the management has over 100 years of games industry experience between them, having worked at the likes of ORIGIN Systems, Electronic Arts, NCsoft, Activision and Mattel Electronics
“There is always opportunity for another compelling brand of quality games to emerge in this constantly growing industry”, said Stealey,Thriller's chairman. “Just as new development teams spin out of established studios or are formed among talented individuals, so, too, there is periodic need for new publishing partners to arise as well. Small, focused, experienced publishers with excellent branding track records and a solid rollodex of distribution contacts can prove invaluable to new and independent studios who are looking to make their mark in the industry too.”
“That’s what Thriller is all about”, chipped in the company's president and CEO, Fred Schmidt. “We have over 100 years of game publishing expertise among our senior management alone, always working with first-rate development talent. At Thriller, these studios and their products will be handled directly by us, top management. They get the full benefit of all that experience to maximize the likelihood for mutual success, assuming that product quality and differentiation holds up on its end.”
If you fancy slinging a bit of cash in Thriller’s direction, the option is open. The company is scouting around for investment as you read this.
Wild Bill, a retired USAF pilot, is best known for his role at MicroProse, where he served as a marketeer, financier and games tester. He went on to found Interactive Magic in 1995, which he left in '99 then returned to in its new incarnation – iEntertainment – as CEO in February last year. SPOnG, for one, is glad to see him keeping busy.
The publisher states that it is already working with “multiple” New York Times best-selling authors to produce brand new intellectual properties (IPs) to be developed and published by Thriller. In an unprovoked bout of PR cock waving, the publisher tells us right off the bat that in most cases it will own the rights to the franchises (yup, it's dealing in franchises, not games).
Further showing off its bullishness, the company tells it “intends to establish itself a premier brand for military and espionage-themed AAA storyline games across all retail and online game platforms including PC, new-gen consoles, mobile and massively multiplayer.”
Joining Wild Bill at the helm of the company are Fred Schmidt and Jim Bull, both of whom worked with Stealey at MicroProse. We're told the management has over 100 years of games industry experience between them, having worked at the likes of ORIGIN Systems, Electronic Arts, NCsoft, Activision and Mattel Electronics
“There is always opportunity for another compelling brand of quality games to emerge in this constantly growing industry”, said Stealey,Thriller's chairman. “Just as new development teams spin out of established studios or are formed among talented individuals, so, too, there is periodic need for new publishing partners to arise as well. Small, focused, experienced publishers with excellent branding track records and a solid rollodex of distribution contacts can prove invaluable to new and independent studios who are looking to make their mark in the industry too.”
“That’s what Thriller is all about”, chipped in the company's president and CEO, Fred Schmidt. “We have over 100 years of game publishing expertise among our senior management alone, always working with first-rate development talent. At Thriller, these studios and their products will be handled directly by us, top management. They get the full benefit of all that experience to maximize the likelihood for mutual success, assuming that product quality and differentiation holds up on its end.”
If you fancy slinging a bit of cash in Thriller’s direction, the option is open. The company is scouting around for investment as you read this.
Wild Bill, a retired USAF pilot, is best known for his role at MicroProse, where he served as a marketeer, financier and games tester. He went on to found Interactive Magic in 1995, which he left in '99 then returned to in its new incarnation – iEntertainment – as CEO in February last year. SPOnG, for one, is glad to see him keeping busy.
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