While some ex-employees are in dire straits due to the collapse of Realtime Worlds, one employee has created not one, but two new companies. APB’s lead character designer, Jimmy O’Ready, has founded two start-ups in the Dundee, Scotland area. The two companies are called Montynero Characters and Montynero Concept Art, and are based on O’Ready’s experience having worked on APB, Need For Speed, and SSX.
"The character art for APB was praised by the industry, thanks to a strong team effort over many years," said O'Ready. "For my part I'm interested in basing this company in Dundee, which is a great city full of talent, and collaborating on the next generation of game art with companies across the globe."
"Art customization systems or character design are things I've enjoyed orchestrating at Realtime Worlds and Electronic Arts, on SSX and APB, and prior to 3d and management I worked on the concept side for years. Montynero is positioned to provide the highest quality of characters, concepts, and expertise for all game types, anywhere."
APB’s character customization tools were far and beyond the most popular feature for players, and O’Ready was a large part of their creation. He remains calm in the wake of Realtime’s precipitous fall.
"It was a shock, even for a ground-breaking high risk project. Personally I felt delays in a couple of crucial areas meant APB simply missed its moment,” he said.
O’Ready hopes to do contract work for other larger developers in future. IndustryGamers wishes him well in his new ventures.
