When a project manages to raise over 43 million dollars from crowd-funding alone, it's bound to attract some serious talent. Chris Roberts may be a living legend in the realm of space sims, but a game as ambitious as Star Citizen will require a team much bigger than one leader to deliver a finished product as robust and polished as what has been promised to the many backers.
Cloud Imperium Games managed to add another familiar face in the gaming community to the project this week when Diablo 3 producer Alex Mayberry signed on to be the executive producer for Star Citizen. Mayberry had been happy at Blizzard for ten years, but couldn't turn down the chance to work on Star Citizen after he got an up close and personal walkthrough of the ambitious space sim from Roberts.
Mayberry talked about his decision to join the Star Citizen team in an official statement released by the developer...
“After 10 years at Blizzard, I didn’t think that there was anything that could ever get me to leave... But then Chris [Roberts] invited me to come check out Star Citizen, and after seeing the game and listening to Chris talk about his vision, I knew that I had to be a part of it. Star Citizen is bold and ambitious, with a unique and innovative approach to game development. I am extremely excited to be joining the talented people at Cloud Imperium Games, and I strongly believe that together, with Chris Roberts' direction and the support of the player community, we will set a new standard for AAA games.”
Mayberry's high praise doesn't come as much of a surprise following the impressive gameplay footage played at PAX East. The new executive producer's experience on Diablo 3 and multiple World of Warcraft expansions may not seem like a direct link to the sci-fi space-sim, but there's no denying that he has plenty of experience in games that rely heavily on seamless multiplayer gameplay experiences. If that isn't enough to convince you he's a good fit, maybe Roberts' endorsement will be.
"As a long-time veteran of Blizzard he has an almost fanatical commitment to quality and playability, which makes him a great fit creatively... He has a sterling reputation in the industry, having helped manage many successful teams, and he’ll bring that same kind of winning style to Star Citizen."
Although some backers will be excited to hear the news of the high-profile new producer, other parts of the community are too busy anxiously awaiting the next update on the delayed Arena Commander/Dog Fighting Module. In last week's Arena Commander Weekly Report, Roberts addressed the impatience some backers are feeling and promised that the delays will be for the best in the long run.
"I know you’re all impatient to get your hands on the DFM, and believe me we’re all very eager to have it in the state that we can start to roll out it to all of you but as in any ambitious undertaking there’s still some details that we’re busy wrapping up in terms of the backend end, build deployment, matchmaking and network stability over the internet — All the while trying to balance and tune the core gameplay of the DFM."
Roberts went on to explain that although he couldn't confirm a date quite yet, the plan is to start rolling out the DFM by the end of May. This week's Arena Commander Weekly Report should bring some more details on that rollout plan.
Although the wait is certainly frustrating for backers who have shelled out enough money to earn access to the DFM, waiting another two weeks shouldn't be too heartbreaking if it helps to ensure a quality delivery. If the rollout misses that end of May deadline though, the mob may start to become unruly...
Are you excited to hear that Mayberry made the move from Blizzard to Cloud Imperium Games? Would you rather play an unstable version of the the Dog Fighting Module or wait for the bugs to be cleaned up? Let us know in the comments.
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Source: Cloud Imperium Games