Thought I'd write a few words about what we're doing with Midgard these days, in case you're wondering. I shouldn't say too much, especially since we're working with our marketing department to create a really, really interesting website scheduled to launch at some point in the next few months, where you'll be able to read the developers' journals, feature interviews, articles and stories -- as well as watch videos and listen to audio -- about the making and creating of an online world. Can't tell you the URL yet, nor the exact ETA, but it's coming. And it will be good. Oh yes.

Anyways. Midgard; my current project. What's new? Our staff is increasing rapidly, and there are currently four full-time designers working on the project (including myself). Most of us have lots of experience in the industry, and the latest addition to the design-team -- Sverre Kvernmo (doing double duty as designer and lead world-builder) -- has worked on tons of great games, from level-design on the classic add-on packs Doom 2: The Master Levels and Eternal Doom, to, uh, John Romero's Daikatana and designer on the underrated KISS Psycho Circus title. In other words, a bona fide pro. I'm really, really happy to have him join our team. Really. The other recent addition is Jon Helgi Torarinson, a proper Viking from Iceland who, prior to joining Funcom, created an expansive pen-and-paper RPG (in Icelandic, no less) based on Norse mythology. Both Jon Helgi and Sverre have gone through the required tour of duty on Anarchy Online, designing and creating playfields, before joining Midgard. As did the last member of the design team, Jarl Schjerverud, who's worked here at Funcom even longer than me (and that's a looong time), though you may not have heard of his previous games. One, Deadly Skies (for the PlayStation), was only released in Japan, and the other, a real-time strategy game for the PC called Steel Rebellion, was cancelled at a late stage in production. He is, however, an excellent designer, and he's working on some of the more technical aspects of Midgard's character creation, progression, and skill systems.

That's not forgetting the other members of the team, of course; the programmers, world builders, artists, and musicians who are currently pouring their hearts and souls into this game. This team is very tight-knit, and while the Anarchy Online team is currently going through a tough period with the launch of that game, we're keeping our heads down and simply working. Whatever happens with AO in the weeks and months to come, we're sure to learn a lot from their triumphs and mistakes.

All in all, things are progressing nicely (albeit a tiny bit slower now than a few months ago; it's the summer, of course, and since the Midgard team isn't labouring under tough deadlines...yet -- we're taking it a bit easy, and everyone's getting their holiday this year), and once the Midgard website launches we'll release a lot of information about the game and the people working on it.  ¶ 11:58