A new challenger approaches! Former Bungie developers Michel Bastien, Damián Isla, and Rob Stokes have formed a brand new development studio, Moonshot Games. Moonshot will specialize downloadable titles, with an aim to produce AAA-quality titles on a small scale and modest budget.
Based in Seattle and Boston, Moonshot is currently scouring both regions for talent. The talent currently on board have all worked on theHalofranchise, so their experience with blockbusters hits cannot be questioned. They seem pretty confident and eager to get started, so I’m equally eager to see what they can do.
Sounds like a promising little outfit, and I’m certain we’ll be hearing big things from them soon. Best of luck to Moonshot Games!
October 7th, 2009 – Guidance is internal. Ignition sequence starts. All engines running. Liftoff. We have liftoff of Moonshot Games.
Formed by Bungie alumni Michel Bastien, Damián Isla, and Rob Stokes, Moonshot is dedicated to exploring the uncharted spaces of high-quality downloadable games, bringing to those worlds our years of experience with AAA productions. With launch and support facilities in both Seattle, WA and Boston, MA, the Moonshot program poises itself to pull top talent from either coast.
From mission control in Seattle, Managing Director Michel Bastien oversees the trajectory of this brave new endeavor. As production lead of Halo 2 and Halo 3, Bastien developed the long view and grasp of complexity necessary to see our birds safely from launch pad to lunar soil, time and again.
Director of Technology Damián Isla heads up Moonshot’s research and fabrication labs in Boston. At Bungie, Isla served as AI and gameplay engineering lead, and he is a foremost expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Games. But he promises there are no Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computers aboard Moonshot’s maiden flight.
Finally, guiding Moonshot’s forays into the unknown is Creative Director Rob Stokes. Another seasoned veteran of Bungie, Stokes logged hundreds of hours as a writer, mission designer, and design lead on the Halo franchise. From the command module, Stokes indicates that altitude and velocity are on the line. “Roll is complete. We are pitching.”
The Moonshot team firmly believes that the stars need not be limited to multimillion-dollar projects supported by armies of ground crew. There is a place in history for that small, nimble craft, built smartly on a modest budget, and piloted by expert hands.
We are now passing into the lunar shadow. Stay tuned for transmission when we emerge from the other side.
Moonshot Games is a Washington State LLC. “Moonshot Games” is a registered trademark of Moonshot Games, LLC. Bungie is a registered trademark of Bungie, LLC. Halo is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
