Disney Infinity is in the books and I just got back from an awesome two week vacation with my family to celebrate. It was the first time in about a year that I have spent any significant amount of time with them. Being away from production for the first time in a very long time gave me a chance to reflect on just how herculean of an effort Infinity was. A lot of sacrifices were made and from top to bottom the engagement and effort were like nothing I could have imagined.
I don’t think people realize the passion, blood, sweat, and tears that go into a big game. A ton of people pour their souls into a project but they don’t get the recognition they deserve. I want to point out some of the people that have inspired and impressed me on this project. These guys are my heroes.
If you are a Disney fan who is excited about all the memorable Disney themed toys in the Toy Box you can thank Reed Hawker for his contribution. Reed is a talented artist who in his, “spare time,” created Scrooge’s Money Bin. He single-handedly started a movement, later dubbed the, “skunk works,” project, to infuse the Toy Box with pure Disney Magic. Reed and the other artists ended up creating a huge amount of inspired content not because they were told to but because they are passionate about Disney, Infinity, and the Toy Box.
Another artist, Worth Dayley, also deserves a shout out. Worth is a part time artist who spent a ton of time outside his work hours to create assets and objects for the Toy Box. I still remember coming in one morning to see a beautiful Tron themed sky on his monitor. My jaw hit the ground both by the quality of his work and when he told me he had created it at home.
The lead programmer of the Toy Box, James Rowe, is one of my heroes. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as him. He, (and most of the programming team,) basically lived at Avalanche. He also taught me a few lessons about restraint, smart engineering, and the power of simplicity. As an example, James took my original over-scoped logic toy system design and made it clean and streamlined. The final system would not be nearly as good without his wisdom.
Justin Towns, James’ right hand man, also blew me away with his passion, intellect, and helpfulness. Justin saved the art and design staff’s bacon more than a few times. He was a pleasure to work with. At even the most intense times he was always willing to help out and did so with patience and a smile.
One of the craziest examples of the effort a person made for Infinity is Erik Cambridge. Erik was responsible for a huge number of Toy Box adventures and his wife gave birth to twins right in the middle of crunch time and that was after being on bed rest for months. Erik managed to take care of his wife, two newborns, and his two year old son and still get his extraordinary workload completed effectively. I don’t know how he did it but it was impressive.
I personally owe a huge debt of gratitude to Derek, “Deek,” Newman. Derek and I worked almost solo on the Toy Box through much of its early stages. At one critical point, when it would have been very easy to throw in the towel and accept the status quo, Derek refused to give up on what we believed in. I don’t think the Toy Box would exist without him.
I worked for and with some of the greatest managers I have ever known. Bob Lowe, my director, put up with a world of pain that I inflicted on him. My passion knows no bounds and he took the good and bad and managed it brilliantly. He also is a good friend, mentor, and example of what real leadership is. Michael Lott, the head of the world department, also helped me personally through the roller coaster of emotions that come with working on a big project like Infinity. Michael’s degree of integrity and passion for developing and helping people is unrivaled.
Lastly, even though he’s basking in a bit of the spot light now, I don’t think anyone realizes how huge of an impact John Blackburn, the head of Avalanche, has had not only on Infinity, but family gaming and gaming as a whole. John is the single most brilliant individual I’ve ever met. He eats, sleeps, and breathes innovation and competence. And unlike most highly placed people, his feet are firmly planted on the ground. John has always been willing to listen to my crazy ideas and he has always treated me with dignity and respect despite me being the uber-nerd I am. Thank you John.
OK, I have to mention one more Disney person… John Vignocchi. I think I’ve been at this for about 20 years now, entirely as a developer working for publishers. I’ve worked with a lot of publisher-side producers and designers, including some very high profile people. John is hands down the best. He pretty much is the poster boy for the model producer. John infuses everyone with passion and helps you forget the blood and sweat and concentrate on the game. He is inspirational and he has a heart of gold. There is also an awful lot of depth and substance behind the smile and the whole Infinity team couldn’t have functioned nearly as well without him.
Taylor, Lindsey, and Brian, my three amazing children, had a lot more to do with the Toy Box than people may expect. In fact, I personally believe it wouldn’t exist without them. When we started the Toy Box I brought an early prototype home and they played it over and over. They, along with a legion of neighborhood kids, drove the refinement of the design. What I am most impressed with though is that they helped make Infinity, and the Toy Box in particular, a family game like none that has come before. I first saw the spark of imagination that the Toy Box inspires, appear in them. Infinity is all about igniting that childlike creativity that most of us lose and my kids taught me how precious that is. I hope Infinity has the same impact on your family and your children as it has had on me and mine. Just two more weeks and we’ll find out.
SOURCE: Chad Liddel's blog
