Q&A: Jeff Anderson

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 Q&A: JEFF ANDERSON 

TURBINE PRESIDENT AND CEO [6.25.01]

Q: What's your background?

I joined Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. in March as the company's President and CEO. Previous to joining Turbine, I was the Executive in Charge of Production for Origin Systems, Inc. While at Origin, I managed the Ultima Online franchise (releasing the first-ever expansion pack for an MMP - UO: The Second Age), and focused on building EA's next generation of virtual worlds. Prior to that, I was the Executive Director of Viacom's consumer products group where I was responsible for their worldwide interactive licens-ing, merchandising, and business development for Paramount Pictures. Before Viacom, I had the opportunity to serve as the Vice President of Operations for Mission Studios, and I even worked for three years as an attorney in intellectual property and litigation. As for my formal education, I graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics, and from the University of Chicago Law School with a J.D. All in all, I have been in the games industry for almost a decade.

Q: Why MMP's?

Since my childhood, I have been a huge fan of role-playing games ("RPGs"). Like many of today's gamers, I spent many hours with my friends playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, AD&D, Gamma World, Panzer Blitz, and many others. I loved these games of course, but I loved the social relationships even more. For me, RPGs have always been about friends and communities. That's why I became such a fan of Ultima Online when it first launched. Finally, it felt like MMP's could recapture the social experience that single-player games lack. Since then, I've been hooked; I love online games, their communities and the overall challenges that the industry presents.

Q: What is your vision for Turbine?

Our vision is very simple. Turbine wants to be the premier provider of online subscription entertainment. For me, this means that we will develop great games and deliver the best possible customer service. When people see the Turbine logo, I want them to know that the game will be fun and high quality. Additionally, we are focused on subscription entertainment - not advertising based parlor games, for instance. Asheron's Call fits perfects into this vision. Our goal is to grow our existing audience by widening the game's appeal, adding compelling new content, and continually improving our service. Asheron's Call is a cornerstone for Turbine.

Q: What's the future of online gaming?

Online gaming is going to continue evolving even more quickly then in the past few years. There are so many new areas to explore in design, programming, and the business. We are busy implementing some of our thoughts and plans into the Expansion Pack and the sequel to Asheron's Call but I am glad to share some of my ideas. In my opinion, the first round of MMP's suffered from poor design and "feature bloat." Game designers need to focus on developing better, more engaging gameplay from the start. There is no excuse for pathetic gameplay, and very little can be done about it once the title is launched. Fun must come first. As for features, I believe that Live teams are the best way to continually add new content to the game. Second, we need to focus on the online media itself - in other words, the things that really makes online unique. Personally, I am tired of people just adding networking code to a game and calling it "online." Rather, I want to focus on things like advance communication, community tools, advancement ladders, new player experiences, and the like. Also, I believe that consoles are going to be an important part of this business in the future. There is a huge audience just sitting there waiting for the right game on the right platform. I want Turbine to be there first.

Q: What is the Expansion Pack?

Since its launch, Asheron's Call has been one of the premier online games. Each month, Turbine has consistently and aggressively extended the franchise with monthly episodes. Still, our fans felt that we needed a few features to make Asheron's Call truly outstanding. One of my first goals when I came to Turbine was to start developing an Expansion Pack. The Expansion Pack team (under the experienced leadership of Chris Foster and Nik Davidson) have been focused on making it a reality ever since. The Expansion Pack's key features (real 3D housing on the landscape, item storage, and a new land) firmly establish AC as the leader in MMP's. We are excited about bringing this and other innovative content to the original game - even while we are hard at work on its sequel.