They’re crammed into a two-story building off Rockbrook Drive in Lewisville: Scores of young people in T-shirts and tattered jeans working long hours in small, dimly-lit offices making video-game magic.
Q&A with Ghostbusters: The Video Game developers
They're employees at Terminal Reality and their latest creation is Ghostbusters: The Video Game, a three-year project that not only is drawing worldwide attention from gamers but is tasked with restarting the movie franchise of the same name.
“Totally unique,” said Drew Haworth, the game's creative director.
Creating games before the movie is nothing new -- Lara Croft and Mortal Kombat are examples. But this cart-before-the-horse approach hasn’t been done with an established film franchise with previous releases.
Nonetheless, a Ghostbusters III is in the creative stages. Writers from the hit TV show The Office are working on a Ghostbusters script, banking that the game's success convinces producers to fund what would be the movie's second sequel.
That accounts for much of the buzz for the Atari-published game and Terminal Reality itself. Powered by the Terminal Reality-developed game engine that works across all gaming platforms, the long-awaited title was released this month to strong reviews. Three days into its release, the game was the top seller on Xbox 360, according to Amazon.com.
One indication that the game might be a success: On the night of the game’s release, about 300 fans, half of them sweating in bulky Ghostbuster suits, waited in line at a Lewisville GameStop to plunk down $59.99 for their copy. “To us,” said Brendan Goss, Terminal Reality’s development director, “that’s a pretty good indication” that the game could be a success.”
Ghostbusters’ release is also showcasing a video-game developer that’s produced more than 30 titles but has toiled in relative obscurity since 1994, when it was founded by Mark Randel.
“We're now the largest independent game developer in Texas, the best-kept secret in Lewisville, if you will,” Goss said.
Texas ranks third nationally behind California and Washington in the number of video-game companies with 94. Those companies employ about 2,800 Texans and bring the state about $177 million per year in revenue, said Leah Smith, the Texas Film Commission's animation and video-game liaison. “We're very committed to helping our video-game industry here,” she said.
In the Dallas area, video-game companies have settled in Mesquite, Garland, Plano, Richardson and Dallas. Combined with a lower cost of living and state-enacted tax incentives for video-game development, the industry appears to be flourishing in Texas.
“When (publishers) are taking a look at developers that they want to work on a title, we’re able to run at a substantially lower burn rate than a company of equivalent size in San Francisco or Los Angeles ... just because of the cost of living,” Goss said.
That translates to younger people being able to afford a higher quality of life.
“We have a number of 22- and 23-year-olds (employees) that own their own houses,” Haworth said. “That's not going to happen in Redwood Shores (home to industry leader Entertainment Arts) or even in Austin.”
The young developers are part of the community. They blow off steam locally, sometimes gathering at the Applebee's or at the cluster of restaurants off East Round Grove Road.
“We're very, very proud to have them here – they’re like a mini-Microsoft,” said Nika Reinecke, the city's economic development director. “We know they're growing out of their space, so we're working with them to find another space.”
Goss said his company has had a positive relationship with the Lewisville Economic Development Department.
“They were surprised ... just at the scope of the games being done here, and the impact that a team of 100 young people living in their city contributing to their economy,” Goss said. “We're on their radar, essentially as something to be proud of -- which is great. That's what we like.”
About Terminal Reality
Based in Lewisville, founded in 1994 by CEO Mark Randel. Web: terminalreality.com
About the game
Ghostbusters: The Video Game: Rated E. Cost: $59.99 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; $39.99 for Wii. Web: ghostbustersgame.com
Where's the third film?
Dan Aykroyd: “I'm just waiting for that magic phone call. One day, the producer calls you and says, ‘We have a production number,’ and that's the real green light. And it’s coming soon, I hope. . . . We could be in production by winter.”
-- Los Angeles Times
Harold Ramis: “Right now, there’s just a script being written. But it’s all good. After all, no one wants to embarrass themselves with a bad movie.”
-- Wall Street Journal
D/FW game developers
• Apogee Software, Garland. Signature title: Duke Nukem.
• Gearbox Software, Plano. Signature title: Brothers In Arms.
• id Software, Mesquite. Signature title: Doom.
• Nerve Software, Richardson. Signature title: Quake Wars.
