Curt Schilling leaving baseball for game development

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 10th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Curt Schilling's love affair with games, particularly of the MMO persuasion, is no secret. In late 2006, he took this commitment to the next level, founding Green Monster Games (now 38 Studios) and pledging to support his staff with competitive benefits. Now he's putting game development right up there with family, telling GameTap, "After baseball, I will do nothing except be a father, husband and run this company."

Codenamed Copernicus, Schilling's MMO is still in "concept phase" – tentatively dated for late 2010 – but it's one part of a mega-IP aimed at saturating multiple entertainment markets, including film, TV, books, comics, and action figures. With fantasy novelist R.A. Salvatore and Todd MacFarlane on board as creative partners, Schilling's ambitious project is more than just a pipe dream. As for baseball, the fabled pitcher doesn't plan to leave the sport behind entirely after his final season. "[I will be] intimately involved in making a baseball game ... I will be a part of a company doing a sports game [some day]."

Tags: 38-studios, copernicus, curt schilling, curt-schilling, curtschilling, green-moster-games, macfarlane, r-a-salvatore, todd-macfarlane

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mr.ESC @ Jan 10th 2008 7:05PM

The best of luck.

FrankTheCrank @ Jan 11th 2008 8:29AM

Curt, your the man...bloody sock and all.

We will always love you up here in New England.

Go Sox!!!

Trickob @ Jan 10th 2008 7:06PM

you know what would be really cool is if a senator or other high ranking government official started their own game development company...

a baseball player? eh...

Mr.ESC @ Jan 10th 2008 7:18PM

This would be cooler...

"In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as Indie developers. If you want a game, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can buy a game from... The A-Team".

ThornedVenom @ Jan 10th 2008 11:56PM

I PITY THE FOOL

Platinum_Skeet @ Jan 11th 2008 12:45AM

Mr. Esc... That was classic man... Classic...

isocrazy @ Jan 10th 2008 7:55PM

I can see one of the achievements now,

* Get a bloody sock 50 pts

dan stabbingworth @ Jan 11th 2008 8:56AM

Act like an obnoxious, self-absored, arrogant ass:
50 pts

MegaSnort @ Jan 10th 2008 8:09PM

With Salvatore & MacFarlane attached we can expect this MMO to have a good story and art direction.

A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Jan 10th 2008 10:22PM

No. We can expect it to have a detailed story and cliché art direction.

MasterInsan0 @ Jan 11th 2008 12:45AM

More accurately, we can expect it to be a cliché fantasy world with a cliché art direction.

Neebs @ Jan 10th 2008 8:18PM

There shouldn't be a baseball mini-game. If there is, it should clone TF2's.

jynxycat @ Jan 10th 2008 9:42PM

I remember when PCGamer had him review one of the EQ expansions. I thought it odd, until he explained that he's a huge EQ nerd. -_-

antoine62 @ Jan 10th 2008 11:17PM

I recently serviced a party his company threw here in Las Vegas during CES. I didn't know it was Curt sitting at the couch, but heard someone talking about his love of MMO's, strategy, direction, gameplay etc. I figured the guy to be the lead designer or project coordinator. When I looked to see who it was, I was surprised it was him.

Needless to say, from what I heard him talking about and the concept art around the room, the cames art and characters seem pretty on-point. Along with someone passionate like Curt, the game(s) should shape up to be something nice.

J. Nagle @ Jan 10th 2008 9:56PM

That's a BS headline, for the record. He's not leaving baseball, not now at least. Sure, he'll go into game development after he retires. But the headline makes it seem as if he announced today that he is leaving baseball, effective immediately, to go into video game development. That's just not true.

Joe @ Jan 10th 2008 10:01PM

As a huge, HUGE BoSox fan, that headline made me shit bricks.

Thanks for the scare!

Squirrel3D @ Jan 10th 2008 10:31PM

If he makes a baseball game, I predict it's the return of Baseball Stars!!

Arno @ Jan 10th 2008 11:16PM

Redsox are buying championships now, kudos to them.

ChiTownRuler23 @ Jan 10th 2008 11:25PM

and what does this have to do with schilling devolping games now?

Arno @ Jan 11th 2008 7:08AM

Nothing. I just hate the Redsox, is all.

MC @ Jan 11th 2008 7:32AM

If you don't in today's MLB, especially when your in the same division as the Yankees, you end up like the Orioles. (All apologies to the Oriole fans out there.)

aerobica @ Jan 11th 2008 12:27AM

Yeah. The headline is completely misleading.

BillNabors65 @ Jan 11th 2008 1:11AM

Best of luck, Mr. Schilling. I hope your game turns out the way you want it and the company succeeds.

StrangeBum @ Jan 11th 2008 8:08AM

Ummm...yay?

I guess I should devote my life to my kids (don't have), wife (don't have) and upstart MMORPG game studio too (also don't have).

It seems like everyone is jumping on the cash cow these days, after WoW and all.

DCBlack @ Jan 11th 2008 9:43AM

So I guess you could call it MMO on steroids?

Seriously Curt, as a Yankees fan I cannot wait for you to retire and make a ton of games that I likely won't buy (unless you do make a critically acclaimed baseball game, then I might try that out).

LaudableNinja @ Jan 11th 2008 3:35PM

That headline........holy crap. I was about to cry. Curt is, despite allegations of a huge-ass ego [which I think he doesn't have], a good guy. He is actually into gaming, and I trust him. Though I doubt the game will be able to compete with the big guns, it's nice to hear that he's giving it a shot. Sounds like he won't be returning to the Sox as a coach though...which kinda blows. Oh well.

To anyone who says that the Red Sox are buying championships, I have two things to say. First off, you kinda have to in this day and age (yes, yes, I know there's always a sleeper team a.k.a. the Rockies). Secondly, the Red Sox are getting big contributions from a bunch of farm players as well, Pedroia, Papelbon, Ellsbury, Buchholz, etc. So.....hah.