More Big Announcements

Apparently today is a day for Big Announcements. I didn't plan it this way, but it just sort of happened.

SoulJAR Games is proud to announce the continued involvement of Jeff Laubenstein with Cairn, and his future involvement with SoulJAR Games projects.

Jeff has been involved from the very beginning. He was excited to create a world of his own making, to establish the visual style. This is something he did at FASA, and he's responsible for why Earthdawn looks the way it does. He never really gets the chance to do that as a freelancer (since they must draw what they're told to draw), and it's why he got involved with Castle Nystul. He and Mike worked together at FASA, and he was hoping for a position where he could just create.

He drew those initial art pieces, and then everything went pear-shaped. Quite frankly, I could publish the game just with those 30-some pieces of art. That would mean the end of Jeff's involvement, technically. He'd drawn what we needed.

But that didn't sit well with me. Jeff really wants to continue creating the World of Cairn. I plan on continuing to publish Cairn-related stuff. So we came to an agreement. An understanding. He's signed off on it, and he continues to be involved in this, and future, projects. He's going to continue to produce Cairn art.

What I'm trying to do here is the traditional bootstrapping operation. Pull yourself up by your own boot straps. Right now, we're putting together a team of committed designers and creatives who are willing to help build something. We all work together, for no money, until we have product. Create the product first, then the rest will come. We're building a team of committed people who want to create great stuff, who donate their time and energy, who believe in what we're trying to do. Hopefully, people will like it and throw money at us (*hint*hint*). 

It all feels a bit cult-like. But if you look at companies like Apple, you'll see that the idea came in a garage first, then the company sort of grew up around it. It's an organic construct. It grows. Develops. Evolves. Each time you invest in a SoulJAR project, you're giving us the means to build something lasting. I don't intend to put the cart before the horse, and I want to do this carefully. Luckily, we're building a great team over here. A team of people who believe in something.

Jeff Laubenstein is an important part of the puzzle. I'm glad he wants to continue to be involved, and is willing to donate time and energy to this endeavor. If I do this right, he (and others) will have a place where they can continue to create the kinds of things he wants to create. Which is what makes this such a big announcement for us. Jeff has joined the team. Join me in welcoming him.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Help Me Fly for iPhone and iPad

SoulJar Meeting 9/20/13

A Peek Behind the Curtain