Start-Up Studio Forms From RTW's Ashes

Jimmy O'Ready, lead character artist on the recently defunct MMO APB, has launched the first start-up to rise from the ashes of developer Realtime Worlds. O'Ready's new studio, Montynero, will provide characters and concept art services and is based in Dundee, home of his previous employer. "The character art for APB was praised by the industry, thanks to a strong team effort over many years," O'Ready told GamesIndustry.biz [registration required]. "For my part I'm interested in basing this company in Dundee," he said, "which is a great city full of talent, and collaborating on the next generation of game art with companies across the globe." Speaking about his previous project, O'Ready said that, in his view, "delays in a couple of crucial areas meant APB simply missed its moment.” Despite this, he found Realtime Worlds' collapse into administration following poor sales of the game to be a "shock, even for a ground-breaking high risk project”. Prior to working on APB character art at Realtime Worlds, O'Ready worked at Electronic Arts on the snowboarding franchise SSX. "Art customization systems or character design are things I've enjoyed orchestrating at Realtime Worlds and Electronic Arts," he said, "and prior to 3d and management I worked on the concept side for years. Montynero is positioned to provide the highest quality of characters, concepts, and expertise for all game types, anywhere."