He’s spent the last three years developing the MMO League of Legends and, before that, laid the groundwork for Riot Games’ great expansion. Greg Street, better known as Ghostcrawler, was one of the studio’s most important employees until he decided to leave the project in early March. This decision, motivated mainly by a complicated personal situation, did not mean that he was going to leave the world of game development. Indeed, after barely a month of his departure, he has already announced his new project. A project that will lead him to compete directly with his former company.
From managing MMO League of Legends to rival Riot Games
“After working for 15 years in California, I’m moving to Texas to be closer to my family. It sounds like a retirement from the gaming industry, but nothing could be further from the truth (…) I’m happy to announce that I’m starting my own remote studio. Our goal is to go fast and do it big. Fortunately, I found a strategic partner who has a similar vision to mine, and we let’s move on. Oh, and yes, it will be an MMO or something very much like an MMO”explained the former Riot Games employee on social networks.
In this sense, Greg Street’s objective seems clear: to take everything he learned while working on the MMO League of Legends to create an experience far from Riot Games. It should be noted that aside from the years he spent on his former company’s grand project, he is one of the most experienced developers in the industry. He worked for years on World of Warcraft, both in its heyday and its first big downfall, and was also involved in the creation of Age of Empires, becoming responsible for the design of AoE 3.
years of development
Ghostcrawler says it’s still too early to announce his new project. However, it promises frequent updates as soon as things start moving. “We want to get you excited, listen to your feedback and give you the opportunity to track down our mistakes. Personally, I think that’s the only way to make great games”he explains. It will be a while before we know the main lines of the project and many years before we can play it. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye out for what will be the great “solo” work of one of the industry legends.