Kotaku: Randy Pitchford

Nolan Bushnells Pooh-Poohs In Game Ads

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:00:24 MDT

Atari founder and old dude Nolan Bushnell doesn't like in-game advertising. He doesn't believe those kinds of ads are very effective. Says Bushnell:

I don't believe those kinds of ads are very effective.

SEE? Bushnell's rationalization is that while playing have to focus on the in-game objectives and can't be bombarded with ads. We disagree! Gearbox's Randy Pitchford has done a pretty damn good job of convincing us otherwise. Thanks for that, Randy!
In-Game Ads Don't Work [MTV]

Gearbox Boss "Shares Contempt" For In-Game Ads

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:00:00 MDT

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford recently signed off on an in-game advertising deal with ad company Double Fusion. Cue upset gamers saying all kinds of nasty things to Randy both behind, and in front of, his back. Well, he's having none of that, and has set the record straight on what the deal means for upcoming Gearbox games, not only promising "we hate exploitive advertising that doesn't offer value to the gamer", but also providing examples of how it's being implemented into their next Brothers in Arms game - dare I say it - tastefully, by using only era-appropriate companies and artwork (in this case, a battle featuring a circa-1944 Philips factory in the Netherlands). If like me you keep a small fire burning for all things historically interesting, it's a good read.
Game Ads Done Right [Gearboxity]

Gearbox Hints At Something Huge

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:40:00 MST

The president of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford, has already put the hype train into motion for their next unannounced title today, seeking a senior artist for a project so massive that "when you find out what this is, you'll likely agree that I can't oversell this one." A currently open job listing at the Gearbox official site reads "trust us, it's huge", pointing to a "megaton" AAA release. So what are they working on?

The team already has Borderlands, Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway, Aliens and Samba de Amigo for Wii on its plate, with the newest super secret project to get some serious attention only after at least two of those games ship. That means whatever Gearbox has been tapped to create, it's a long way off.

So, let's start the predictions, gang. We know that Gearbox currently has strong ties to Sega and has done plenty of work for Valve in the past. The team also handled the original Halo PC port. We also know that their forte lies in first person shooters, but aren't afraid to tackle a rhythm game remake.

Unfortunately, we may not know for years what the team has planned, but we're going to be hovering closely to (read: stalking) Mr. Pitchford at both DICE and GDC this month to try to learn more.

If you're an industry developer, this is the most important post you've ever read... [Gearbox Forums]

New Details of Aliens Games

Kim Phu — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 10:40:00 MDT

Although Sega hasn't said much about the Aliens game that will be coming out, the developer for the game, Randy Pitchford at Gearbox, has let some of the cats out of the bag. The game, which is based on that classic sci-fi sequel by James Cameron, will be a first-person shooter that follows the character Colonial Marine, a soldier that accompanies Sigourney Weaver in the movie.

"Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective," explained Pitchford. The Colonial Marines battled the acid-blooded xenomorphs in Aliens, and were a template for the troopers who fight alongside the Master Chief in the Halo games.

Pitchford also mentions that even though there is communication between his company, Gearbox, and Obsidian Entertainment, the company that is responsible for making the upcoming RPG version of the Aliens game, both companies are taking two completely different directions. I can only assume one of them will do Alien vs. Predator, or is that just wishful thinking? Kim Phu

Gearbox spins out Aliens, Heat game details [Gamespot UK]

Game Devs Rap PS3

brownlee — Mon, 01 May 2006 10:40:59 MDT

If you're wondering what actual game developers think of the PS3, Next Generation has a pretty fascinating Q&A with seven devs — Randy Pritchford of Gearbox Software, Brad Foxhoven of Titan Productions, Chris Charla from Foundation 9, Loren Hillberg of Macrovision, Bill Gardener from Eidos and a couple other guys — asking them for their impressions on the PS3s launch, specs and strategy.

It's an interesting read. Personally, we were fascinated by this completely bizarre prediction from Pritchford:

I still hold onto my prediction from a couple years back that, eventually, Sony will be licensing the video game operating system software from Microsoft. Perhaps Sony's experiences with their new online initiative will actually make that difficult-to-imagine step a little easier... If Microsoft can ever figure out how to gain traction and trust as a gaming platform in Japan, I believe that the two companies will rapidly desire to become partners instead of competitors. It sounds counter to expectations at first because we are so caught up in the competition, but I assure you that I could explain why the concept of an eventual partnership between Sony and Microsoft has merit.

... yet doesn't! What do you think? Microsoft and Sony to be online bed buddies in the near future?

Top Industry Figures Muse PS3