Midway, Ion Storm Vets Detail KingsIsle Entertainment

Former veterans from developers like Midway, Wolfpack and Ion Storm have revealed new specifics on KingsIsle Entertainment, an Austin and Dallas based studio developing multiple MMO projects "under a cone of silence" for the past three years. The company is led by CEO Elie Akilian, former head of communications software company Inet Technologies, with development headed by Todd Coleman, former developer on the MMO Shadowbane, and former iD and Ion Storm co-founder -- as well as Commander Keen, Rise of the Triad and Anachronox producer -- Tom Hall. The team also includes David Nichols, a former Midway Games veteran who most recently served as the publisher's Administration and Operations senior VP. The MMO project currently helmed by Coleman is expected to go into beta this spring. KingsIsle offered no further details on the title or nature of the MMO. The same goes for a separate MMO project led by Hall, apart from saying the game would be "announced at a later date." Said Elie Akiliann, "We founded KingsIsle with an approach that fosters ingenuity. Our focus is in the online environment and will continue to be so in the future. We've pulled together some of the most creative minds around and given them room to push boundaries and create superlative entertainment experiences. We'll continue to build on that base of originality."