We are awesome. We are mighty. And we are City State Entertainment! And we are also in alphabetical order, first name first! Wonder whose idea that was?
Andrew Meggs always wanted to be one of those rock star game developers he’d heard about. With no useful rock star skills other than growing his hair, he strapped a PC keyboard to an old guitar and began rocking what he claims is a Model M Keytar. Just don’t look up his kilt when he jumps on the conference table for what he calls a “code solo.”
Anna Luu keeps herself small because it makes her fury that much more concentrated. She once took down the UPS guy and ate his stomach before he’d completely stopped moving. It’s OK; they sent us another one the next day. They send us one every day. It’s nice of them.
David Hancock came to us a somewhat normal human. One week later, was rebuilt into a cyborg. His bones are made of titanium, and he wants a fight with Wolverine. Awwwww yeah.
Lucas Feld has been a professional pixel whisperer for over a decade. He enjoys Mutton Chop rides, blunderbusses, and long walks down the beach in soft focus. He can be found hurling himself down the 495 at breakneck speed almost every day, and has transported sharks across state lines for immoral purposes.
Mark Jacobs co-founded Mythic Entertainment and made some kick-ass games like Dark Age of Camelot. Then he traded the company and his soul for a bunch of shiny beads. After winning back the soul in a Dubai poker game, he’s ready to do it all again. And this time, he’s got beads and he’s not afraid to use them.
Michelle Davies was kicked out of Second Life for swarming other players with an army of self-replicating Daleks that transformed into bouncing penises. The upside is that Second Life is safer now. The downside is that she’s got nowhere left to send them but her first life.
Mike Crossmire was one of the original artists at Mythic. Like, before DAOC and stuff. When City State was formed up, he leapt at the chance to work with Mark again. Some people just like pain.
Mike Milano was happily sitting by the beach, playing hoop, and making games down in South Carolina. So when we offered him a job, he had three questions: How close we are to the beach, do people play hoop up here, and how fun is the social scene? We did what anyone else in our position would do. We fibbed. We told him that we were right by the water (well, somebody
was tubing down the street in a recent flood) and that there’s a hoop right next door (it’s an indoor arcade game). The gnarly nightlife of Fairfax will blow away the sedate and calm Folly Beach life, right?
You know that guy who was always sitting out in the park strumming an acoustic guitar? You hated him, but all the girls loved him? Patrick Doring one-ups all that with a mandolin. He’s probably playing a romantic ballad for your girlfriend right now.
Scott Trolan is really, really into cosplay. His favorite characters are soldiers from various wars in American history. He claims it’s something called “re-enactment” and that he’s not “that kind” of geek. Nobody’s buying it.
Sharkey Wellington is the lifeblood of this team. He single-findedly keeps our morale up while providing guidance in a stern yet respectable manner.
Tim Mills wasn’t always head of a leper colony. He started out small, in the leper mailroom, and clawed his way to the top. That’s hard to do when the people you’re trying to climb over keep falling apart.
Tonya Dunham is all about the cash money. That’s what she’s here for. We let her play with it, pile it up, move it around, dole it out… and none of us get hurt. Much.
Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question. To relieve the tedium of eternity, we have devised a simulacrum of the questions that humans such as yourself might ask.
1) What is City State Entertainment?
We are a game studio based in Fairfax, Virginia. We are also available for Bar Mitzvahs, confirmations, and the occasional birthday party.
2) What kind of games do you make?
None; we just started. However, we all have iPhones, iPads, PCs, Macs, assorted Android devices, and Facebook & Google+ accounts. We might decide to do something useful with them besides playing Angry Birds and Smurf Village!
3) Who are the key members of the studio?
We don’t have anybody from the Key family. We do have a couple of Mikes, though.
4) When can we expect to see your first game?
As soon as we publish it.
5) We’ve heard that you have some ex-Mythic & Troika guys there, is that true?
Yep. And we’re not releasing them until the ransom is paid.
6) Wow, Troika and Mythic. Sounds like you have an experienced team right?
Yes, we have over 1000 years experience making games! Dog years, of course, but that kind of fits for our industry.
7) Who would be dumb enough to put money into a game studio right now?
That would be Mark Jacobs, the guy with the dunce cap on his head.
8) If you started the studio back on March 7th, what have you guys been doing for the last six months?
One of the nice things about having such an experienced team is that we’ve learned a lot from our past endeavors. With that experience in mind, we’ve spent the last six months making great powerpoint presentations and having rounds and rounds of meetings. That’s what makes a great game studio.
9) Is Anna’s bio true? Did she really eat the stomach of a UPS guy?
Not the whole stomach. She wasn’t really hungry that day, but she’s really excited for the next UPS guy to come in, because we got her some fava beans and a nice bottle of Chianti.
10) Is it true that you guys had sharks flying all over your building’s atrium?
It’s true, it’s true! They had to contact animal control and close the cement pond for a little while. Fortunately the sharks are back where they belong and nobody got eaten (yet).
11) So, what’s up with the name City State Entertainment?
We were originally going to be based in Singapore, and it seemed a really appropriate name. Even after we walked away from that deal we decided to keep the name. It’s better than saying, “Boring Part of Fairfax Entertainment.”
12) If you could sum up what makes CSE different from all the other game studio startups, what would that be?
Besides an overabundance of modded Nerf guns, a stifling politically correct atmosphere, our palatial digs, and our flock of MBAs, it’s our 100% serious, no-nonsense approach to every aspect of our daily lives! This studio is truly a “No fun zone!”
