Like Jean Grey rising as the Phoenix, the Marvel Universe massively
multiplayer online role-playing game was given a second life earlier
this year. After Microsoft and Cryptic Studios officially called it quits on their Marvel-themed MMOG in early 2008, Gazillion Entertainment announced this March
that it had reached a multiyear deal with the comics purveyor to bring
a host of superhero-themed online games to market for different age
groups.
Gargantuan is handling the flagship product of this effort, Marvel
Universe Online, which is in development for the PC and consoles.
Today, Gazillion said that it had bolstered its internally owned studio
by hiring industry veteran David Brevik to lead development at
Gargantuan as the outfit's new studio director. Brevik will be based
out of Gargantuan's development studio, which shares its offices with
Gazillion's headquarters in San Mateo, California.
Brevik is perhaps best known for cofounding a development
company called Condor in 1993. After being commissioned by Blizzard
Entertainment to create the Diablo franchise in 1995, the World of
Warcraft purveyor bought the studio outright in 1996, renaming it
Blizzard North. Having been credited as project lead, design lead, and
lead programmer on both Diablo and Diablo II, Brevik also helped launch
Blizzard's online portal, Battle.net.
Most recently, Brevik, along with other one-time Blizzard North executives, cofounded Flagship Studios. Formed in 2005, Flagship Studios launched its first and only effort, Hellgate: London, in 2007. Though it received fairly positive reviews, the game was commercially unviable, and the online game was officially shuttered earlier this year.
A separate Gazillion-owned stuido, Amazing Society, is at work
on a second Marvel-themed MMOG, which deals with the kid-friendly Super
Hero Squad brand. Gazillion has yet to attach a release date to either
MMOG.