erich-schaefer
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The Game Archaeologist: How Hellgate survived being Flagshipped
It seems that it really wasn't too long ago that I was filling in the time between night classes by boning up on video game news. I was drinking up all of the hot up-and-comers, such as Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, when I caught word that the maker of Diablo was trying to do the same thing again, only more online, in 3-D, and with a cool modern-day/futuristic/horror vibe. There's no better way to put it than to say that from the start, Hellgate: London looked all kinds of cool. Oh sure, you can scoff now with your perfect 20/20 hindsight, but I'm betting that more than a few of you thought the same with me around that time. Diablo but with guns and an online persistence -- how could we not be intrigued? One of my most vivid memories was being torn between the idea of buying a lifetime subscription deal for $150 (again, this was before the free-to-play era, but also before the era of us spending the same money on alpha access. I'm just saying that you can't judge me.). I didn't buy the lifetime sub, if you were wondering, but I did play. I even enjoyed Hellgate: London for a month or so, although something about it never quite clicked with me. It was only after I bailed that I watched with horror that one of the most infamous chapters of video game disasters took place. It's kind of like when you look at pictures of an earthquake and say to anyone near, "I was just standing there a week ago..." From its giddy heights of pre-launch hype to the crash simply known as being "Flagshipped" to its subsequent resurrections (yes, plural), Hellgate is a fascinating tale of a good idea, a terrible launch, corporate scapegoating, and improbable survival.
Runic co-founders leave Torchlight dev to form Double Damage Games
Runic Games co-founders Travis Baldree and Erich Schaefer are leaving the Torchlight studio to start Double Damage Games. "I should say from the outset that this is an amicable departure, that I consider the amazing team at Runic my friends and family, and that it is a privilege that they've let me get away with running the place for this long," wrote Baldree, who served as the studio president and lead engineer, in his goodbye post on the company forum. The new studio will focus on smaller-scale development. Baldree says, "Working within the boundaries of limited means and resources is the best fun I've ever had, and that sort of work satisfies me in a fundamental way - I can't wait to be working that way again." Runic CEO Max Schaefer (brother of Erich) reiterated the parting was amicable and that the studio will continue working on its "completely secret project."
Founders leave Torchlight developer Runic
Runic Games co-founders Travis Baldtree and Erich Schaefer have departed the studio responsible for Torchlight and its sequel. Baldtree announced the decision on the Runic forums, and wrote that he's "super-stoked" to return to indie development and the ability to wear many hats at once. "I should say from the outset that this is an amicable departure, that I consider the amazing team at Runic my friends and family, and that it is a privilege that they've let me get away with running the place for this long," he explained. VG247 reports that Erich Schaefer's brother Max, a fellow Blizzard North alum, is staying on as Runic's CEO.
