Harvey Smith (game designer)

Last updated

Harvey Smith
Harvey Smith, Seoul 2006.jpg
Smith in Seoul, 2006
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Other namesWitchboy
Occupation(s) Video game designer, writer
Years active1993-present
Employer Arkane Studios
Known for

Harvey Smith (born 1966) is an American video game designer and writer, working at Arkane Studios.

Contents

Smith has lectured in various places around the world on topics such as level design, emergent gameplay, leadership, game unit differentiation, [1] future trends and interactive narrative.[ citation needed ] At the Game Developers Conference in 2006, Smith won the Game Designer's Challenge: Nobel Peace Prize, for his design featuring a mobile video game that facilitates political social action. [2]

Early life

Smith was born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast. [3] He grew up playing games like Pong [4] as well as Dungeons & Dragons . [5] He read books by Ursula K. Le Guin, William Faulkner, Vladimir Nabokov and Roger Zelazny, among others. [6] He served six years in the U.S. Air Force, including tours in Germany and Saudi Arabia. [3] Smith moved to Austin at the behest of a friend to try his hand at video game design. [7]

Career

Early in his career, Smith worked in quality assurance (QA) at the Austin-based Origin Systems, where he became the QA lead for games including Super Wing Commander and System Shock . [8] In 1995, Smith became an associate producer for Ultima VIII , working with co-founder of Origin, Richard Garriott. Smith then pitched his own game, Technosaur, a real time strategy game inspired by Dune that would have featured "cybernetically augmented velociraptors". The project was canceled by publisher Electronic Arts after 18 months of work. [9]

After leaving Origin in 1996, Harvey Smith went to work at Multitude where they released FireTeam . [10]

After Multitude, Smith's game development career continued in Austin, Texas working with Warren Spector at Ion Storm as lead designer on Deus Ex as well as its sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War . [11] After this he unsuccessfully pitched a further game in the Thief series, to be called Thief: Modern, in which central character Garrett lived in modern-day New York. [11]

Smith then left Ion Storm to work at Midway Games, originally to work on a title called Criminal with "immersive sim values" inspired by Michael Mann's 1995 crime film Heat , but shifting ultimately to work as lead designer on BlackSite: Area 51 . [11] [10] [8] On November 29, 2007, Smith came out publicly to announce how unrealistic the BlackSite: Area 51's development schedule was and through mutual agreement left Midway a day later. He claimed the schedule caused the low reviews due to the fact they were not able to test the game properly. [12]

In 2008, Smith became partner and co-creative director of Arkane Studios in Austin alongside the company's president, Raphaël Colantonio. [10] They went on to release the stealth-action game Dishonored in 2012, which won many Game of the Year and Best Action/Adventure accolades including the 2013 BAFTA award for Best Game [13] and 2012 SPIKE VGA for Best Action/Adventure Game. [14] Smith also co-directed the sequel Dishonored 2 and its standalone expansion Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. [15] Smith is co-director on Arkane Austin's Redfall , an open-world first person shooter, which released on May 2, 2023. [11] [16]

Smith's semi-autobiographical novel, Big Jack is Dead, was released on April 2, 2013, by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. [17] That same year it was on Kirkus Review's list of "Best Indie General Fiction". [18]

Works

Video games

YearTitleRole
1994 Super Wing Commander Quality assurance
System Shock
1995 Ultima VIII: Pagan (CD-ROM version) [19]
BioForge
CyberMage: Darklight Awakening Producer, designer, writer, voice actor
Technosaur (cancelled) [20] —
1998 FireTeam Designer
2000 Deus Ex Lead designer
2003 Deus Ex: Invisible War Director
2004 Thief: Deadly Shadows Designer
2005 Area 51 Designer, writer
2007 BlackSite: Area 51 Executive creative director
2009 Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor Quality assurance
KarmaStar —
2012 Dishonored Creative director, designer, writer
2013 The Novelist Quality assurance
2016 Dishonored 2 Creative director
2017 Prey Quality assurance
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider Creative director
2023 Redfall Studio director

Book

YearTitleCategoryPublisherISBN
2013"Big Jack is Dead"FictionCreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN   1482563657

Related Research Articles

Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. In its first 15 years, it was a video game developer and self-published its titles. In 2001, Bethesda spun off its in-house development team into Bethesda Game Studios, leaving Bethesda Softworks to focus on publishing operations.

A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses stealth to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow the player to choose between a stealthy approach or directly attacking antagonists, but rewarding the player for greater use of stealth. The genre has employed espionage, counter-terrorism, and rogue themes, with protagonists that are special forces operatives, special agents, secret agents, thieves, ninjas, or assassins. Some games have also combined stealth elements with other genres, such as first-person shooters and also platformers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game Developers Choice Awards</span> Annual award for games and developers

The Game Developers Choice Awards are awards annually presented at the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games. Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were presented from 1997 to 1999. Since then, the ceremony for the Independent Games Festival is held just prior to the Choice Awards ceremony.

<i>Deus Ex: Invisible War</i> 2003 video game

Deus Ex: Invisible War is a 2003 action role-playing video game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows and Xbox. It is the second game in the Deus Ex series. The gameplay—combining first-person shooter, stealth, and role-playing elements—features exploration and combat in environments connected to multiple city-based hubs, in addition to quests that can be completed in a variety of ways and flexible character customization. Conversations between characters feature a variety of responses, with options in conversations at crucial story points affecting how some events play out.

Arkane Studios SASU is a French video game developer based in Lyon. It was founded in 1999, and released its first game, Arx Fatalis, in 2002. Besides the Lyon studio, Arkane Lyon, Arkane Studios operated Arkane Studios LLC in Austin, Texas, from July 2006 until its closure in May 2024. The studio has created the popular Dishonored series as well as developing Prey (2017), Deathloop (2021) and Redfall (2023). Marvel's Blade is under development.

ZeniMax Media Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded in 1999 by Christopher Weaver and Robert A. Altman as the parent company for Weaver's video game publisher Bethesda Softworks. The company additionally owns the development studios Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, MachineGames (Wolfenstein), and ZeniMax Online Studios. Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for $8.1 billion in March 2021 and operates it under the Microsoft Gaming division.

<i>The Crossing</i> (video game) Cancelled video game

The Crossing is a cancelled first-person shooter video game by Arkane Studios, which attempted to fuse single-player and multiplayer by threading its single-player campaign through live multiplayer games.

<i>Prey</i> (2017 video game) 2017 video game

Prey is a 2017 first-person shooter video game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on May 5, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Hunicke</span> American video game designer and producer (born 1973)

Robin Hunicke is an American video game designer and producer. She is a professor of game design at UC Santa Cruz and the co-founder of Funomena.

<i>Dishonored</i> 2012 video game

Dishonored is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the fictional, plague-ridden industrial city of Dunwall, Dishonored follows the story of Corvo Attano, bodyguard to the Empress of the Isles. He is framed for her murder and forced to become an assassin, seeking revenge on those who conspired against him. Corvo is aided in his quest by the Loyalists—a resistance group fighting to reclaim Dunwall, and the Outsider—a powerful being who imbues Corvo with magical abilities. Several noted actors, including Susan Sarandon, Brad Dourif, Carrie Fisher, Michael Madsen, John Slattery, Lena Headey and Chloë Grace Moretz, provided voice work for the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cara Ellison</span> Scottish video game critic and developer

Cara Ellison is a Scottish video game writer and critic.

<i>Dishonored 2</i> 2016 video game

Dishonored 2 is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Lyon and published by Bethesda Softworks for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It is the sequel to 2012's Dishonored. After Empress Emily Kaldwin is deposed by the witch Delilah Copperspoon, the player may choose between playing as either Emily or her father/Royal Protector Corvo Attano as they attempt to reclaim the throne. Emily and Corvo each employ their own array of supernatural abilities, though the player can opt not to use these abilities at all. Due to the game's nonlinear gameplay, there are a multitude of ways to complete missions, from non-lethal stealth to purposeful violent conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corvo Attano</span> Fictional character in the Dishonored series

Corvo Attano is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Arkane Studios' Dishonored series. He is the lead protagonist in Dishonored, one of two playable protagonists in Dishonored 2, and has appeared in multiple Dishonored works, including a comic series, and the first published book of a trilogy of novels announced in 2016.

An immersive sim (simulation) is a video game genre that emphasizes player choice. Its core, defining trait is the use of simulated systems that respond to a variety of player actions which, combined with a comparatively broad array of player abilities, allow the game to support varied and creative solutions to problems, as well as emergent gameplay beyond what has been explicitly designed by the developer. This definition is not to be confused with game systems which allow player choice in a confined sense or systems which allow players to easily escape consequences of their choices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphaël Colantonio</span> French video game designer (born 1971)

Raphaël Colantonio is a French video game designer, and was the founder and for 18 years president of Arkane Studios. He has served as creative director on several of Arkane's titles, including co-creator with Harvey Smith for the Dishonored series.

<i>Dishonored: Death of the Outsider</i> 2017 video game

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is a 2017 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Lyon and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is a standalone expansion pack following Dishonored 2, and was released 15 September 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game takes place in the coastal city of Karnaca after the events of the previous title. It follows the former assassin Billie Lurk as she reunites with her mentor Daud to kill the mysterious entity known as The Outsider. The game is played from a first-person perspective and the player has access to a variety of supernatural abilities to complete missions in a multitude of ways, from stealth to purposeful violent conflict.

The Outsider (<i>Dishonored</i>) Fictional supernatural being

The Outsider is a fictional supernatural being in Arkane Studios' Dishonored franchise, residing in an empty otherworldly dimension called the Void. After appearing in promotional webisodes, the character made his game debut in Dishonored (2012), where he grants magical powers to the player character. He serves a similar role in the game's sequel, Dishonored 2 (2016), though he may be rejected. The Outsider reappears in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (2017), which follows former-assassin Billie Lurk as she attempts to kill him, though his ultimate fate is up to the player.

<i>Deathloop</i> 2021 video game

Deathloop is a first-person shooter immersive sim video game developed by Arkane Lyon and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released on 14 September 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Windows, and on 20 September 2022 for Xbox Series X/S. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the art design and gameplay. Deathloop won Best Game Direction and Best Art Direction at The Game Awards 2021, as well as Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

Dishonored is a series of action-adventure games developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The franchise started in 2012 with Dishonored. A sequel, Dishonored 2 was released in 2016. A standalone expansion to Dishonored 2, Death of the Outsider, was released in 2017. A follow-up which takes place in the same universe, Deathloop was released in 2021.

<i>Redfall</i> 2023 video game

Redfall is a first-person shooter video game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on May 2, 2023. The game received mixed reviews, with criticism for its gameplay design, story, and technical problems.

References

  1. ↑ "Harvey Smith's GDC presentation on Orthogonal Unit Differentiation".
  2. ↑ "GDC: The Game Design Challenge: The Nobel Peace Prize". Gamasutra.
  3. 1 2 "Harvey Smith". www.amazon.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Gamasutra - The Subversion Game: An Interview With Harvey Smith". www.gamasutra.com. October 5, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Building a World with Dishonored 2's Harvey Smith". pastemagazine.com. December 21, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Dishonored 2". Game Informer. Minneapolis: GameStop. June 1, 2016.
  7. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (October 17, 2012). "Interview: Unmasking Dishonored's Harvey Smith | Rock Paper Shotgun". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  8. 1 2 Lane, Rick (September 21, 2022). "Harvey Smith is in uncharted territory". NME . Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  9. ↑ McKeand, Kirk (2022). The History of the Stealth Game. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: White Owl. p. 74. ISBN   9781399096911.
  10. 1 2 3 "The mirror men of Arkane". Polygon. September 28, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Peel, Jeremy (March 2023). "Collected Works: Harvey Smith". Edge . No. 38. Future Publishing. pp. 70–79.
  12. ↑ "Confirmed: Harvey Smith Leaves Midway". 1up.com. November 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011.
  13. ↑ "BAFTA Awards Gaming 2013". BAFTA.
  14. ↑ "Around the Web: Award Season". The Bethesda Blog.
  15. ↑ McKeand, Kirk (September 5, 2017). "Why Dishonored: Death of the Outsider needed new writers, according to Harvey Smith". PCGamesN . Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  16. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (January 25, 2023). "Redfall Release Date Confirmed For May 2, As Lots Of New Gameplay Footage Debuts". GameSpot. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  17. ↑ Futter, Mike (May 29, 2013). "Get Big Jack Is Dead By Dishonored's Harvey Smith For Free". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Best in Indie Books 2013". Kirkus Review. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  19. ↑ Gillen, Kieron (November 23, 2007). "The Making Of: Harvey Smith". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Gamer Network . Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Technosaur [PC – Cancelled]". Unseen64. April 7, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.