In a press release today, Turbine announced the hiring of four new key pieces of talent to help the company steer “the next generation of online gaming.” One such hire is Ken Rolston, former lead designer of the Elder Scrolls series and recent designer of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
From the press release:
Ken Rolston, Director of Design – Ken brings an exceptional track record to Turbine as one of the most accomplished fantasy RPG computer and video game designers of all time, with over a decade of lead designer experience on the award-winning Elder Scrolls franchise and, most recently, he released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning to critical acclaim. Ken will lead the vision and the implementation of all aspects of game design for Turbine.
Additionally, the studio has hired three technology oriented folks as well, perhaps hinting at what the studio’s future projects might hold.
Alan Villani, Vice President, Technology – Alan joins Turbine from NetherRealm Studios, where he was responsible for driving the technology platform that supported Mortal Kombat™. Alan will be responsible for our digital technology platform that helps drive online engagement and monetization.
Jai Singh, Executive Director of Technical Operations – Jai joins Turbine from Zynga, where he managed the technology infrastructure for some of the largest social games in the world. Jai will be responsible for managing all online operations hosting & computing infrastructure, technical support and network operations.
Demetrius Comes, Executive Director of Engineering – Demetrius joins Turbine from Petroglyph Games and brings almost 20 years of technology experience spanning the video games, telecom, and computer security industries to his new role. Demetrius will oversee all engineering functions for the studios product development team including Game Platform, Release Engineering and Technical Production.