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Countdown to CGE 2007 ~ July 2007 ~ 28 JUL 2007 |
Classic Gaming Expo Distinguished Guest:
ED ROTBERG
If you can measure a video game
designer's prowess by his ability to cross genres, platforms, and
manufacturers, then surely a designer who crosses entire ERAs
measures highest of all.
Ed Rotberg designed coin-ops in three decades, and was with Atari both
when it was in its infancy in the 1970's and again during its resurgence
in the 1990's. His first arcade design was Atari Baseball in 1979
but in those early years he is best known for designing the classic Battlezone.
Rotberg moved from Atari to Sente and spent a good deal of the 1980's
designing that company's cornerstone titles, such as Snake Pit, Hat
Trick, and Goalie Ghost.
In 1987 he returned to Atari and was instrumental in exploiting some truly
unique hardware developments with his brilliant S.T.U.N. Runner
coin-op design. He was also the lead designer on Atari's Blasteroids,
and co-designed the helicopter sim/arcade game Steel Talons with Ed
Logg. In between those popular games, he also developed the vastly
underrated Shuuz (which happens to be a favorite around here).