Chris Taylor goes indie
Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege creator leaves Wargaming to pursue new studio
Gas Powered Games founder Chris Taylor, who sold the company to Wargaming in 2013, has decided to leave in favor of independent development, according to GamesBeat. Taylor had opened a Seattle studio for the World of Tanks developer, and there was a lot of speculation around what he might be building for them, but the project was never announced; neither Taylor nor Wargaming are saying what he was working on.
As for Taylor, it sounds like he's still interested in RTS and big titles, but just not working for large companies. "Between Gas Powered Games and Wargaming, it was an eighteen-year stretch and I wore myself out and didn't realize it," Taylor said. "I've decided I need to take a few months off, regroup, and recharge before I dive into my next thing."
Taylor is not talking about his next studio or project just yet.
Taylor is best known for founding Gas Powered Games in 1998 and franchises like Dungeon Siege, Supreme Commander, and Total Annihilation, which put his name on the map when he was working for Cave Dog Entertainment back in the late '90s. He got his start in the industry in the '80s, working at Distinctive Software in Burnaby, Canada. His first game was Hardball II, released in 1989.