a follow-up to earlier entry

Activision CEO: Labels Should Owe Guitar Hero, Not Reverse
( full article )

(cross-posted to gamers)

here's a shout out to you midwestern types

EA Chicago vets sign with Activision // News:

Development veterans behind the Fight Night and Def Jam series for EA Chicago have formed a new studio and signed with publishing heavyweight Activision.

Robomodo was formed earlier this year following the closure of EA's Chicago outfit, and is lead by director Josh Tsui, who has previously worked on Mortal Kombat titles for Midway and Fight Night Round 3 for EA.

"At Robomodo we are dedicated to doing it right, from the way we approach game design and art, to the methods we use to manage our projects," commented Tsui.

"Our culture is focused on enabling game designers and artists to innovate, while providing them with proper management oversight and technology support."

The 35-man team has already inked a deal with Activision to work on one of its key franchises, although further details are still under wraps.

"Activision has embraced our vision and agreed to give us a shot with one of their IPs. We are fortunate to be working with the largest publisher worldwide, and we are looking forward to collaborating with their team on one of their upcoming games," added Tsui.

Joining Tsui as partners of the studio are David Michicich who takes on the role of CEO, Nick Ehrlich as COO, Peter Sauerbrei as CTO and Richard Ho acting as motion director.

Tsui, Michicich, Ho and Ehrlich all first worked together at Midway, and have since gone on to work on titles including Tao Feng for Microsoft, Wrestlemania 21 for THQ and Def Jam ICON for EA. [emphasis mine]

No offense, but JESUS GAWD, no wonder they were dropped. I am officially giving up hope for whatever they're working on. Fight Night Round 3 and Def Jam Icon LOOKED great, but FNR3's Total Punch Control is an innovation in search of a need, and everything that worked right in Def Jam Vendetta gameplay can be attributed to AKI.