Todd Coleman (creative director of Shadowbane, Wizard101 and Pirate101) and Gordon Walton (executive producer of Ultima Online, Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Wars: the Old Republic) have formed a new indie studio called ArtCraft Entertainment to create new MMOs.
Founded by two of the most experienced executives in the history of online gaming, ArtCraft is dedicated to pushing the design of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games in bold new directions.
“In the last decade, Gordon and I have had the opportunity to work with almost every game artist, designer and engineer in Austin,” said CEO and creative director Todd. “We drew on those contacts to recruit a team of all-stars – and we’re building something completely different, completely unique. We believe the MMO industry has grown stale. It’s time to create something new.”
Coleman was one of the founders of Wolfpack Studios where he co-created Shadowbane. The studio was acquired by Ubisoft in 2004 and he went on to join KingsIsle Entertainment as vice president and creative director in 2005.
“Todd’s creative vision is what makes this partnership work and my job is to ensure his vision gets realised,” said ArtCraft president and executive producer Gordon Walton. “Our mission is to create must-play experiences that redefine existing genres. We must delight and challenge players in equal measure.”
Walton’s games development career stretches way back to 1977 and includes managing Ultima Online, The Sims Online and five years at Bioware Austin on Star Wars: The Old Republic and was most recently the VP and executive producer at Disney Playdom. Walton has personally developed more than 35 games and overseen the development of more than 200 games.