You could almost say John Romero has come full circle. He co-founded id Software in 1991, working with a few gentlemen on classic titles like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. At Ion Storm, he spearheaded the failed launch of Daikatana. At Slipgate Ironworks, Romero started to tackle the design of a new MMO, before the company was acquired by Gazillion Entertainment. Eight companies later, Romero is back to working with a small team at Loot Drop, creating social games for masses.
Loot Drop’s leadership consists of an impressive list of industry players: Romero himself, fellow id Software co-founder Tom Hall, Wizardry designer Brenda Brathwaite, and Sir-Tech Software founder Rob Sirotek. The new developer has already received funding from social game publisher RockYou to create new games, with RockYou publishing the first title.
The impetus behind Romero’s shift to social gaming is Ravenwood Fair, a title Romero collaborated on with developer LOLApps. Ravenwood Fair has already hit 11 million monthly active users since its launch in October. Boosted by the success of that title, Romero says that LootDrop intends to launch four titles this year.
“We have satisfied hardcore gamers for decades. Now it’s time for the rest of the world. Our opportunity is to teach the rest of the world how to play games,” said Romero.
He’s still focused on game design instead of monetizing players like many other social developers. “We don’t have a view of strip mining the players for cash,” Romero said. “When a player gives you money, you want them to feel good about giving you that money.”
Romero joins the list of classic game developers jumping over to the social network side of gaming. Ultima creator Richard Garriott, Firaxis co-founder Brian Reynolds, and MMO guru Raph Koster are among the other industry luminaries on the list.
[Via Venture Beat]
