Posts Tagged ‘Peter Cesario’

True Games snags yet another Top EA exec, moves to Lone Star State

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

(Formerly) Irvine, CA based True Games has recently announced that they’ve appointed former EA, Turbine, and SOE veteran Mick Giles as their new Chief Technology Officer. Giles brings 13 years of industry experience to the table, having most recently served as Senior Director of Online Operation for North America and Asia and Senior Director of Technology for Worldwide Studios at Electronic Arts. Pardon me…what? That actually bears repeating – EA’s chief of Online Ops and director of global Tech – just joined a relative startup, with a business model based on free-to-play titles supported by microtransactions. To say this is big might be selling the concept short.

If Giles’ most recent position didn’t warrant enough street cred, he also served as Execvutive Director of Technology at Turbine, where he oversaw core development projects, operations, IT, and Biz Dev efforts for Asheron’s Call, DDO, and LotRO. And rounding out the ‘Wow, this guy’s been a major player in a lot of stuff’ category, from 2003-2006, Giles filled the role of Director of Platform Technology at Sony Online Entertainment, meaning he was deeply involved in development and technology efforts in titles including EverQuest, EverQuest2, Star Wars Galaxies, The Matrix Online, and Planetside.

“Mick brings to the team an extensive background in technology, operations, platform management and more, and we look forward to adding his expertise to our management team,” said Jeff Lujan, Founder and CEO of True Games Interactive. “With one live game in Warrior Epic and one game about to go into beta in Mytheon, as well as multiple games in development, his expertise and experience is a welcome addition to the team.”

This announcement follows True Games’ rather recent appointment of 15 year industry vet Frank Lucero. And lest we forget, K2, Namco, and Vivendi vet Peter Cesario is now with True Games, as well as former NCSoft and EA exec Peter Jarvis. It looks as through True Games has truly managed to attract some very powerful people all under one roof.

And it looks like that roof in the Golden State isn’t going to be big enough.

Bundled with the announcement of Giles joining the True Games team, they’ve also announced that they’re officially moving their HQ from Irvine, CA to Austin, TX. Not exactly a surprise move, as only this past October, the company announced that they’ve opened a development studio in Austin. Slated for an official closure in March 2010, many of True Games employees will soon be relocating to Texas. The company cites continued growth, stronger internal communication, and a heavier focus on game development, as well as the excellent talent pool in Austin as primary motivators to move.

“Once we were doing our planning for the next several years, it just made more sense for us to combine offices in Austin, as opposed to moving everybody here to Irvine,” Cesario said.

It’s also fair to say that economic conditions are a factor in True Games’ decision. Cesario relates, “Last week, a company official was in town looking at potential office locations. An agent quoted the monthly rent on one of the spaces.”

Confused, the company rep. replied, “No, not square footage, what’s the rent?”

“That’s the best quote I’ve heard,” said Ceario. “It kind of sums it all up.”

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New details and screens from Petroglyph/True Games’ Mytheon

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Free-to-play games have been hitting the market at record pace lately, and while a number of them offer entertainment at a wide range of levels, there’s one in particular that’s got a ton of potential and promise; Mytheon. In the works for quite a while now, it looks like the Petroglyph folks are getting might close to a closed beta date.

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Mytheon will be an online title that combines elements of action, strategy, and RPG game play, with a heavy focus on collectability and combat. As a free-to-play title, the game will be microtransactions supported, falling perfectly inline with True Games’ business model; an exclusive deal they signed back in August of 2008.

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As the name suggests, Mytheon is heavily steeped in unique, ancient mythologies from around the world. Building upon players’ first supposition of Greek mythology, players start out their adventure by delving into the rich lore of ancient Greece. Future expansions are planned for further journeys through various different mythological pasts of assorted civilizations. As with many, if not all free-to-play/microtransaction supported titles, Mytheon will feature vast character customization options. Recognizing the need to keep players interested, the Petroglyph team is already focusing on ways to replay the game, while offering a unique experience each time. To accomplish this, Mytheon features a number of group, PVP and solo play options and varieties, each capped off with a fully featured, integrated social networking system.

And while the title is still in development, the folks at True Games are starting to warm up the plates, by encouraging the existing community to create their own fan sites, by way of a contest. The best Mytheon fan site creators will receive prizes and top honors, including closed beta access, and a $50 in-game currency credit to spend any way they choose. In addition, bragging rights also go a long way in online gaming, and the winning creator will have a link to his or her creation coming directly from the official Mytheon site. And if this wasn’t enough, the winner will also receive an exclusive interview with on the the Petroglyph developers.

“We can’t wait to see what our creative fans come up with for this contest and who can build the most compelling fan site,” said Peter Cesario, Director of New Business and Product Development at True Games Interactive. “Mytheon is such a unique game in itself that we think our community will have a lot of fun coming up with fun and interesting fan sites.”

True Games has now made the official fan site kit available for download via the official mytheon forums. Interested parties have until October 23rd to submit their entries, with winners being announced in early November.

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True Games expanding with new dev studio in Austin, Texas

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Proving yet again the strength in microtransaction-supported titles, SoCal games publisher True Games has recently announced that they’re launching their own in-house games development studio. Based in Austin, Texas the new studio will be headed up by industry veteran Frank Lucero. This new studio will be True Games first foray into developing their own free-to-play, microtransactions supported IP, with one title already in the works.

truegameslogoThis new development is just another jewel in the crown for True Games. Over the summer of 2008, True Games founder Jeff Lujan brought aboard Peter Cesario, formerly of K2 Network, Namco, Vivendi Universal and 20th Century Fox fame. A little over a month later, True Games signed an exclusive deal with GOA to publish, distribute, and operate their upcoming title, Mythos, currently being developed by Petroglyph Studios, in the European market. And earlier this year the company launched their first official offering, Warrior Epic, developed by Possibility Space.

The new development studio in Austin is just further step forward for True Games. The Lone Star State arm of True Games will primarily be focused on art, programming, and design. In fact, True Games is almost a tad over-eager to get the new ball rolling, as the development studio is not yet fully staffed, and the company is aggressively recruiting on their corporate website.

“The decision to base this studio in Austin had a lot to do with the exceptional talent pool that exists in the area,” said Jeff Lujan, Founder and Chairman of True Games Interactive. “We are confident that we are building a talented and passionate team that will deliver the best possible games for our community.”

Again, the new studio will be headed up by long time industry figure Frank Lucero. Lucero brings over 15 years of expertise to the True Games table and has design and programming experience with both Console and PC titles in the MMO space. Prior to coming on board with True Games, Lucero spent seven years at Wolfpack Studios/Stay Bullet Games working on various MMO and Wii Games, most notably the (now closed) Shadowbane series. With True Games, Lucero will be in charge of overall operations and management of the new studio.

With their first title Warrior Epic doing well, and the much anticipated Petroglyph title Mythos just around the corner (a 2010 release date is scheduled), it looks like True Games is truly ready to take their game to the next level. Publishing and operating titles is truly nothing to sneeze at, but developing your own Intellectual Property from the ground up is the next logical progression for businesses of True Games’ caliber. Lets see what Lucero and team deep in the heart of Texas can come up with!

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True Games acquires free-to-play Warrior Epic

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Hot on the heals of their most recent appointment of former NCSoft and EA exec Peter Jarvis, Orange County based True Games Interactive has just announced that they’ve acquired global publishing rights to Warrior Epic, a free-to-play MMORPG being developed by Possibility Space.  True Games and Possibility Space will work closely together with a projected launch of spring 2009.

“This partnership demonstrates True Games’ commitment to bringing quality triple-A gameplay, traditionally only seen in retail releases, to the free-to-play game space,” said Jeff Lujan, Founder and Chairman of True Games Interactive. “Not only is Warrior Epic a visually beautiful MMORPG, it also offers some incredibly innovative gameplay features that, combined with the free-to-play model, will ensure a big hit with gamers around the world”.

This free-to-play hot potato has been making waves even prior to the True Games announcement, and this is certainly not the last we’ll hear from Epic Warrior.  The fantasy RPG places players in command of a Warrior Hall where they manage their characters’ adventures.  Each character class has it’s own unique play style and is open for recruitment.  While True Games and Possibility Space have not yet released official details, these unique warrior classes and the hall itself can be upgraded visually and functionally, presumably via microtransactions.

“The free-to-play business model is ushering in a fresh and welcome change to how games are developed and the relationship between developer, publisher and player. We welcome this change, and were looking for a publisher who felt the same,” said Gage Galinger, CEO of Possibility Space. “True Games’ progressive attitude toward online gaming and dedication to working with the next generation of top developers on truly high-quality game content made them the right choice for us and for Warrior Epic.”

“As our lineup grows and the quality of our upcoming products becomes evident, we are raising the bar for the free-to-play space,” said Bob Drobish, CEO of True Games. “With each unique product we sign, we continue to attract key talent and partnerships and this is just the beginning of what we have in store for gamers.”

Considering True Games’ induction of Peter Cesario, and Peter Jarvis, along with this recent acquisition, if you haven’t already taken notice of True Games Interactive, now might be the time to start.  Personally, I see these guys loading up the big guns and expect to see some great things coming out of Orange County.

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Check True Games Interactive out at: www.truegamesinteractive.com
Find out more about Warrior Epic at: www.warriorepic.com

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True Games seeks to become leading micro transaction publisher in US

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

True Games Interactive founder Jeff Lujan says, “True Games is serious about becoming the leading micro-transaction online game publisher in the US.”  To accomplish this goal, they’ve recently brought in heavy hitter Peter Cesario of K2 Network, Namco, Vivendi Universal and 20th Century Fox Interactive fame.

Cesario joins the team as the new Director of New Business and Product development manager.  He’s worked on top projects such as Hellgate: London, The Lord of the Rings franchise, the Peanuts franchise (Snoopy vs. the Red Baron), Curious George, and Alien vs. Predator.

As Director of New Business and Product Development, Cesario will oversee all development projects along with managing development and licensing relationships, including the company’s newest announcement regarding a Petroglyph Studios developed title.

“I am excited to join True Games when it is just beginning its climb to the top,” said Cesario. “I have worked with the key management personnel who started the company and I have the utmost respect for their experience and knowledge of the industry and am proud to be part of their team.”

For more info about True Games, visit www.truegamesinteractive.com

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