A legend has decided to hang up his mouse and keyboard. Warren Spector, renowned for games like Ultima, System Shock, Deus Ex, and Epic Mickey has decided now is the time to slip into retirement. Admittedly, this isn’t the first time he’s tried to ride into the sunset, even saying in his retirement post on LinkedIn that “I’ve been here before and changed my mind but this time I’m pretty sure I mean it.” Here’s a bit from his statement:
I’ve had a great career. Wouldn’t change a thing even if I could. But the reasons to retire are simple: I’m a month away from my 44th year as a developer. I’ve had the chance to work on tabletop roleplaying games and boardgames. I’ve worked on more digital games than I can remember — 17 full games, I think, and 9 or so add-on packs. Gratifyingly, some of those games are still being played 15… 20… 30 years later. And most of them have been in a genre that has had influence beyond what I or anyone else expected. I’ve run teams as small as a dozen and as big as 800. I’ve worked for big companies and done startups. I like to think I’ve helped some insanely talented people along in their careers. (That last is the most important.)
Spector goes on to discuss how time and age have caught up with him and that there are many other things he’d like to occupy his time with, including reading and writing some books, teaching, and even consulting. So, he’s retiring, but not exactly going away; instead, he’s changing things up and doing something new. Interestingly, Spector states that there are still three games kicking around in his mind that he’d like to make, but “the game business has changed and it’s just not as much fun for me anymore.” He didn’t elaborate, but as Spector himself pointed out, he’s been a part of multiple game companies over the years, and not all of those studios had happy endings. The turmoil in the industry right now likely isn’t helping matters, but despite moving from company to company, Spector has been consisten in producing fresh ideas and delighting fans with new experiences many, many times.
Alongside his retirement statement, Spector also talks about the survival tactics he used across his 43-year career. Among the pearls of wisdom, Spector talked about how he’s never thought of games as a business, that he’s always thought of games being important because of the role they play in people’s lives, and having great mentors. There’s more, and if you’re interested you should hit up the link above and get his full thoughts.
Happy retirement, Mr. Spector, and thanks for the memories.
Source: Warren Spector LinkedIn Account