Neversoft Studio: 1994-2014
Neversoft was my second home for the majority of my professional life. Over fifteen years I watched our company grow from twenty people to almost two hundred working out of our own studio warehouse. I was there with the original founders Joel, Mick, and Chris in 1999 for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and stayed until the very end, when we went out in a blaze as the studio merged into Infinity Ward.
Over my 15 years at Neversoft I had the honor and pleasure of working with incredibly talented developers on some legendary projects. I watched employees grow up, get married, buy houses, and have children (mostly in that order). I was lucky to work with insane talent outside our studio: skaters like Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, and Jamie Thomas; musicians like Slash, Metallica, and Tom Morello; and creative folks like Randall Jahnson, Chris Lennertz, and Stephen Gaghan.
And all along the way we had a metric ton of fun - from company parties, to late-night skate sessions, secret videos, and the Jar-Jar of Shame. We started scrappy, and thanks to Joel and the crew, we held on to that positive, kick-ass, can-do attitude as we grew. At Neversoft the game was the thing; every person in our studio was a game player, designer, and maker.
In the words of Joel, "Life's a series of cool buzzes; string 'em together."
For a nice look back at the history of Neversoft with myself and Joel, check out this Polygon Article.