Randy Pitchford
Encyclopedia
Randall S. "DuvalMagic" Pitchford II (also known as DuvalMagic) is one of five founders of video game developer Gearbox Software
and currently the CEO and president of the company.
In his early days Randy was a professional magician in Hollywood occasionally performing at the famous Magic Castle between classes at UCLA.
Randy's had a long professional background in the production and design of 3D games including work on Apogee Software/3D Realms Entertainment
's "Atomic" edition for Duke Nukem 3D
, and Shadow Warrior
. He left the company in May 1997 to work on Prax War at Rebel Boat Rocker. The game was never released and he helped found Gearbox Software LLC in Texas in January 1999.
Randy accepted the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences award for best PC Action Game in 2000 for his production and direction of Gearbox's debut title, Half-Life: Opposing Force
. Since then, Randy's company has been involved in the development and production of Half-Life for Dreamcast (cancelled), Half-Life: Blue Shift
, Half-Life for PlayStation 2
, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
, James Bond 007: Nightfire
for PC
, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
for PC, Halo: Combat Evolved
for PC, Borderlands
for PC and the Brothers In Arms series
. More recently Gearbox bought the Duke Nukem
IP and finished up 3D Realms
' Duke Nukem Forever
, which Randy briefly worked on before forming Gearbox.
After the mixed reviews from video game critics, Pitchford responded back by stating playing Duke Nukem Forever is "like eating a greasy hamburger instead of caviar" and having "Rolling Stone
finding a deeper meaning for a Ke$ha song", implying that gamers should enjoy a game for what it is rather than trying to fit it into their conceptualization of what it should have been.
Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software, LLC is an American video game development company based in Plano, Texas.-History:Gearbox Software was founded in January 1999 by five members of the content team from the defunct developer Rebel Boat Rocker: Randy Pitchford, Brian Martel, Stephen Bahl, Landon Montgomery, and Rob...
and currently the CEO and president of the company.
Career
He wrote his first game (a 16-room text adventure) when he was about 11 or 12 on a CPM machine which his dad built.In his early days Randy was a professional magician in Hollywood occasionally performing at the famous Magic Castle between classes at UCLA.
Randy's had a long professional background in the production and design of 3D games including work on Apogee Software/3D Realms Entertainment
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
's "Atomic" edition for Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC . It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee...
, and Shadow Warrior
Shadow Warrior
Shadow Warrior, often known by its initials SW, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and released on May 13, 1997 by GT Interactive. Shadow Warrior was developed using Ken Silverman's Build engine and improved on 3D Realms' previous Build engine game, Duke Nukem 3D...
. He left the company in May 1997 to work on Prax War at Rebel Boat Rocker. The game was never released and he helped found Gearbox Software LLC in Texas in January 1999.
Randy accepted the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences award for best PC Action Game in 2000 for his production and direction of Gearbox's debut title, Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Opposing Force is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction first-person shooter video game Half-Life. The game was developed by Gearbox Software and Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Entertainment on November 1, 1999. Opposing Force is the first expansion for...
. Since then, Randy's company has been involved in the development and production of Half-Life for Dreamcast (cancelled), Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Blue Shift is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction first-person shooter video game Half-Life. The game was developed by Gearbox Software with Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Entertainment on June 12, 2001...
, Half-Life for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is a multiplayer video game and the follow-up to Counter-Strike. The game was released in 2004 using the GoldSrc Half-Life engine. CS:CZ features a multiplayer mode, which features updated character models, textures, maps and other graphical tweaks...
, James Bond 007: Nightfire
James Bond 007: Nightfire
007: NightFire is a first-person shooter video game featuring the character of the British secret agent James Bond and a sequel to Agent Under Fire, published by Electronic Arts in ....
for PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, often abbreviated to THPS3, is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation. In 2002, it was published for the...
for PC, Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved, frequently referred to as Halo: CE, or Halo 1, is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The first game of the Halo franchise, it was released on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system, and is...
for PC, Borderlands
Borderlands (video game)
Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
for PC and the Brothers In Arms series
Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is a first-person shooter video game created by Gearbox Software for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Mac OS X. It is the first game in the Brothers in Arms series. It is published by Ubisoft and was released in early 2005...
. More recently Gearbox bought the Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem is a video game series focusing on its protagonist, Duke Nukem. Originally created by Apogee Software Ltd./3D Realms as a series of video games for the PC, the franchise expanded to games released for various consoles by third party developers...
IP and finished up 3D Realms
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
' Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever is a 2011 first-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by 3D Realms and Triptych Games and finished by Gearbox Software and Piranha Games...
, which Randy briefly worked on before forming Gearbox.
After the mixed reviews from video game critics, Pitchford responded back by stating playing Duke Nukem Forever is "like eating a greasy hamburger instead of caviar" and having "Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
finding a deeper meaning for a Ke$ha song", implying that gamers should enjoy a game for what it is rather than trying to fit it into their conceptualization of what it should have been.