Category Archives: General

Online Gaming in China

US-China Today has an interesting article discussing online gaming in China. Seems I contributed some quotes to the piece, along with some Alice sequel artwork. While we’re making the new Alice in China, it’s not targeting at the China game market – nor is it in any way online. But hey, we’re here, we’re making games, and I guess we get to say something about Chinese gamers and their gaming habits.

From the article:

As in other East Asian nations, Dibbell explains that gaming culture has penetrated mainstream Chinese culture in a way still unseen in the U.S. “While in Shanghai, I viewed a television commercial in a taxi cab for Cola-Coca with a World of Warcraft tie-in where as this would not happen in the West,” Dibbell said. “The online gaming phenomenon is clearly more integrated in Chinese daily life.”

Hiring – Three for Art

Swimming Pond

Alice in the Swimming Pond

Spicy Horse internal headcount broke the 50 mark a few weeks back. As we approach 60 we’re looking for three very special people to fill three very special roles at the studio. These openings are at our Shanghai-based studio – so being hired means living/working in China. Read on if you’re an experienced game artist, like the idea of working in Shanghai, and want to be involved with some of our cool projects (like Alice 2).

Interested parties should drop a line: jobs (@) spicyhorse (dot) com
You can see all our current openings on the Spicy Horse website.

Here are the job descriptions:

ART DIRECTOR
Your job is to direct and manage the creation of next-gen 3d art assets for our games. You must be experienced in modeling software and game engines, but also in leading a team and documenting procedures and specifications. You will interface with outsource partners and also communicate with producers and other departments. You will work with other art directors and art leads. Overall, your goal is to increase the technical and aesthetic quality of our in-game art, while also keeping our team and workflow as efficient as possible.
– Experience working with Unreal Engine 3 or similar
– Proficient in Max, Photoshop and Zbrush. Maya expertise is a plus.
– Experience working at or with an outsource vendor
– Ability to create new techniques and optimizations, and document them for other artists and art teams
– Good attention to detail
– Experience leading a team
– Good communication skills
– Must be either fluent in Mandarin with basic English skills, or fluent in English.

ART PRODUCER
Your job is to manage both the internal art pipeline and the use of external art outsource partners. You should be an expert at keeping dozens of creative people organized, scheduled, and in communication. You must be able to improve the pipelines and adapt to problems, and have great attention to detail. You will work with producers, the Art Director and other creative leads and help make sure their visions and ideas are put into practice on schedule and at the expected quality. In particular, you will be the point of contact with multiple outsource partners, making sure their output meets our expectations.
– Must be experienced in people management and scheduling
– Experience at either a games developer or outsource studio required
– Must have initiative and a keen sense for organization
– Experience as a 3d artist is a big plus
– Must be fluent in Mandarin and have good English skills.

3D ARTIST
You are an experienced 3d artist. You are able to create high poly, low poly and texture work for both characters and props. You have a high attention to detail, but can you also work fast when required. You are interested in creating high quality work in a variety of art styles, and are able to learn new techniques.

– Proficient in Max, Photoshop and Zbrush. Maya expertise is a plus.
– Minimum 1 year experience in the games industry.
– Experience with Unreal Engine 3 or similar a big plus
– Creative and interested in new techniques and art styles
– Good team work and communication skills

An American Interview

Three Firecracking Amigos

Firecrackers!

Long-time press friend John Gaudiosi has presented a nice interview with me over on geek.com. In it we discuss Grimm, the new Alice game, and making games in China.

A bit from the article:
What’s the game talent like there and what do they bring to the table?

There’s a lot of existing talent and more being trained at the schools every year. We’re seeing the edge of the boom here in Shanghai. Studios cutting their teeth on next gen online experiences for PC, others now in their second or third generation of development on 360 and PS3. Overall, there’s a tremendous amount of passion and dedication combined with serious production skills and a wonderful work ethic.

Read the full article HERE.

The Return of Alice

Alice - Snail Fight

Alice Sequel – Snail Fight Image

Waking up in Shanghai this morning I’m greeted with a flood of emails, facebook messages, and phone calls. The world now knows what we here at Spicy Horse have known for some time: We’re making a sequel to “American McGee’s Alice” with Electronic Arts (EAP to be exact).

Not much can be said about the new project at this time. We are building it here in Shanghai. RJ Berg, who wrote the original and served as Executive Producer on the project, will reprise that role. The game will be delivered on PC, PS3, and 360. More details will come later of course. Until then, you can read the official press release. Or read EA’s official news blurb.

For me and the studio this obviously represents huge news. The original Alice was a good bit of fun – and aspects of the original are still quite compelling. The challenge for us – to build a great game, and a sequel worthy of the original – is real, but not daunting. Over the past few years we’ve assembled a really amazing team. I have full faith in their ability to create something amazing.

For me, this is a dream come true. The project will be fun, the studio can grow (and move – check out my flickr for pics of our new space), and we’ll eventually ship something unique. Lots of potential wrapped up in this news – I know I’ll be doing everything I can to make something great of it.

Check back here or in the forums for future updates. Can’t say I expect there to be much more news for a while – probably months. But if it’s allowed, I try to post some project updates, art, etc.

Also, a quick word of thanks to everyone at EA, EAP, CAA, and Weissman Wolff for everything they did to get this deal done.

And, we’re still looking for a few good people to join the team at Spicy Horse. Check out the hiring section for more info.

Grimm Graphic Novel Preview

Grimm 01_01

Grimm Graphic Novel Preview Art

Dwight MacPherson has announced on his blog that the first episode of the Grimm graphic novels is now available for pre-order:

Rejoice, children! American McGee’s Grimm #1 is now available for pre-order!

American McGee’s Grimm #1
Written by Dwight L. MacPherson
Illustrated by Grant Bond
Covers by Ben Templesmith and Grant Bond

EPISODE 1: CRISIS ON EARTH 57
After transforming the fairy tale realm into a hellish nightmare, Grimm launches a secret invasion into the world of comic books! As he enters a domain where villains are doomed to fail, will this be Grimm’s final crisis? Join us for the ultimate American McGee’s Grimm adventure and find out!

Go to his blog to read more and find out how you can pre-order. You can also check out some awesome preview images!

Enjoy!