2002-09-18: A Word from SunSword, UO Producer
A Word from SunSword, UO Producer
Sep 18 2002 3:11PM
This was originally posted to Development at uo.com. [1]
Hail, and well met! My name is Anthony Castoro, also known as "SunSword," and I am very excited to return to Origin as the new Producer of Ultima Online. No doubt many of you may recognize me as a former Lead Designer on Ultima Online. Over the next few weeks, I will be taking up the reins from Bryan "Tajima" Walker, who will be moving over to the critical role of "Director of Studio Operations."
For those of you who don't know me, I've worked in the computer game industry for about 6 years on a variety of games including Cybermage, AH-64D Longbow, Wing Commander 4, Ultima Online, and most recently as Lead Systems Designer on Star Wars Galaxies. I've worked my way up from within the industry starting as a QA tester, then a customer support representative, a game designer, and as a lead designer (twice).
In that time, I've found that one of the things I most enjoy about working in the game industry is the people. I love working with a team to create something. I love interacting with players to hear their thoughts (and gripes!) about their favorite games. And I particularly enjoy helping people figure out how to solve problems. And that's what I'm here to do.
Many things have changed since I last worked on Ultima Online. I got married. UO grew a third dimension. I bought my first house (in real life :)). UO surpassed 200,000 active subscribers. Several new games were launched. Many other games were cancelled. And I became a father.
Amongst all of these changes, one thing has remained constant: the UO community remains strong and vibrant. And it is on the strength of this community that I was able to make the decision to leave the Star Wars Galaxies project and return to Origin. UO has a life of its own and I cannot deny the appeal of working on a project with such a dedicated fan base. There are great things already in development here and, even though I have only been back for a few days, I am extremely impressed with the Origin Team's talent and dedication.
I have a lot of catching up to do, but rest assured, you'll be hearing more from me soon.
Anthony "SunSword" Castoro Producer, Ultima Online
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