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Making Stars Shine Bright

Ten Ton Hammer Interviews Brett Close, president and CEO of 38 Studios

Questions by Cody “Micajah” Bye

In terms of sheer star power, few MMOG development teams rival the studio that Curt Schilling has created. Originally named Green Monster Games, 38 Studios has collected an amazing assortment of talent – both on the creative side and the technical side of the spectrum. Sporting names like R.A. (Bob) Salvatore, Todd McFarlane, Mary Kirchoff, Scott Cuthbertson, and Chaz Sutherland, 38 Studios is generating abnormally large amounts of hype for a company that has yet to reveal the name of their upcoming original IP. Everyone’s waiting for the announcement of the premise of the game, and when that happens the world will want to know the details behind the story.

One of the more recent stars to fall into the 38 Studio bullpen is Brett Close, the designated president and CEO of 38 Studios. Previously holding positions at Midway Austin, EA-LA (formerly Dreamworks Interactive), and VR1, Brett is known for “consistently delivering highly successful products by building exceptionally effective teams and organizations across a variety of industries, including: Video games and entertainment products, scientific/business software, and pharmaceutical/bio-tech products.”

To learn more about this 38 Studios newcomer, Cody “Micajah” Bye asked him a variety of questions about his past experience with Midway and VR1, and his future goals with his new development team.

Brett Close, President and CEO of 38 Studios

Ten Ton Hammer: To start, how’d you get involved with guys like Curt Schilling,  R.A. Salvatore, and Todd McFarland? Although the official announcement depicting your hiring wasn’t released until March, were you actually a part of the team earlier than that?  

Brett: Curt was the nexus for hooking us up. He contacted each of us, vibed about ideas, and then brought us all together. We had a big breakfast in Phoenix, toured Todd’s studio, and talked about how incredibly powerful (and fun) this could be. These guys are a very energetic and intriguing group of hyper-achievers, and they‘re a blast to hang out with. I’m constantly blown away by the creative dynamic.

As for me . . . apparently Curt heard about me through some industry connections and picked up the phone. That was mid last year. Initially I was just involved on a friendly basis.  Then some months later I committed to making a permanent move and leading the studio. So even though I’ve only been in-house for a few months, I was indirectly involved for some time.

Ten Ton Hammer: Did you just receive a phone call one day asking you to join their studio, or did you have a more hands-on role in the growth of the company  into what it has become?  

Brett: Curt was already pretty hooked up with the developer community through some of his previous experience in video games. He heard about me through mutual friends in the industry. He just picked up the phone and called me.