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The games industry legend Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Ultima Underworld, Disney Epic Mickey) has announced his retirement from games in a new statement on LinkedIn.
Spector first rose to prominence in the world of video games in the early-to-mid '90s as a producer on several acclaimed Origin titles, including various Ultima and Wing Commander games, System Shock, and the oft-forgotten but well-loved flight sim Wings of Glory, before working briefly on Looking Glass Studios' Dark Camelot, the game that later became Thief: The Dark Project.
He later founded Ion Storm Austin in the late '90s and notably served as a director and producer on the influential immersive sim Deus Ex, before leaving Ion Storm in the mid-2000s to found Junction Point, the company behind Disney Epic Mickey and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.
His last project, the stealth-action heist game Thick As Thieves, which he produced, was released earlier this year, in May, but received mixed reviews at launch, with an announcement being made two months after that there would be "no further content updates" because ongoing development was "no longer... viable".
Looking back on his career, Spector said he "wouldn't change a thing" if he had the opportunity and suggested the reasons for his retirement are simple: he's done pretty much all he set out to do, and the game industry has changed so much "it's just not as much fun... anymore." Now, with age and health catching up to him, he says it's time to pursue other interests, such as consulting, lecturing, and writing books, as well as getting his "piano chops" back.
He says he has "mixed feelings" about the announcement, stating there are still three games in particular he'd love to make: one "very big", one "very small", and another he doesn't know "how to make", but the games business has "changed" and it's time for "a new generation of developers" to have their time in the sun.
Here's his statement in full:
"Let me cut right to the chase. I'm retiring from game development. At least I think so. I've been here before and changed my mind, but this time I'm pretty sure I mean it.
I've had a great career. Wouldn't change a thing even if I could. But the reasons to retire are simple: I'm a month away from my 44th year as a developer. I've had the chance to work on tabletop roleplaying games and board games. I've worked on more digital games than I can remember — 17 full games, I think, and 9 or so add-on packs. Gratifyingly, some of those games are still being played 15... 20... 30 years later. And most of them have been in a genre that has had influence beyond what I or anyone else expected. I've run teams as small as a dozen and as big as 800. I've worked for big companies and done startups. I like to think I've helped some insanely talented people along in their careers. (That last is the most important.)
With all that behind me and with age and health (my business) catching up with me I'm feeling like I've done what I set out to do. It's time to write some books, do a lot of reading, do some lecturing, maybe do some consulting. (Feel free to get in touch about those last two.) Also there's a keyboard here just waiting for me to get my piano chops back.
I definitely have mixed feelings about this. I mean there are three games in particular I'd still like to make. (One is very big... one is very small... and one I don't know how to make which scares me.) But the game business has changed and it's just not as much fun for me anymore. Plus there's a new generation of developers coming up who deserve their time in the sun.
To all of you reading this I want you to remember that games are not a solved problem yet — there is, I hope, plenty of experimentation and innovation to come. And to all you young developers out there, I've said it before and I'll say it again, your job is to make people forget people like me ever existed.
Will I come back? Never say never. But I think it's time to ride off into the sunset.
Now stop reading and make great games."