December 2002

Just who the heck is Jay you say?

Q: We are new to the industry, we have three people on our game dev team so far (all of us friends or relatives) and we're making our first game, it'll be an advanced 3d RPG. We have programmers, designers, and sound, but we need artists. How can we go about getting the art done without hiring full time?

A: If you have the money, my opinion would be to subcontract the art aspects of the game out to another team. The best way to go about finding an art team is searching through the IGDA, Gamasutra, and GIGnews websites. Another good resource is the mod community that is active with so many RPGs and first person shooters. Also, be sure to keep in mind legal aspects of ownership of the assets. You might check Tom Buscaglia's article for more on that.

Jay

Q: Jay, What are the top 3 to 5 companies for developing a Mass Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Todd

A: The big companies right now are Verant with Everquest, Mythic with Dark Age of Camelot, Sony Online with Star Wars Galaxies, Wolfpack Studios with Shadowbane, EA with the Sims Online, Turbine with Asheron's Call, NC Soft with Lineage, and Funcom with Anarchy Online.

If you want to look at the top independent companies you'll find Mythic, Wolfpack, CCP with Eve Online, Funcom, and Turbine.

Jay

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Who is Jay?
Jay Powell is an agent at Octagon Entertainment, a full service agency catering to the needs of game developers, specializing in the creation of domestic and international opportunities for game financing and publishing and finding opportunities in other medias. Jay has arranged and negotiated numerous deals in Europe and North America for Octagon's clients. He has also proven a key evaluator of projects, having secured some of Octagon's most successful games. With gaming experience in excess of fifteen years, Jay's industry insight has been immensely beneficial to Octagon's clients and publishing partners. Jay's experience has allowed Octagon to create and maintain a property evaluation and acceptance methodology that exceeds the standards and expectations of the interactive industry. Now, Jay brings his knowledge and experience to you.