Ken Williams (game developer)

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Ken Williams (born October 30, 1954 ) is an American programmer and game developer . He was the co-founder and long-time managing director of the game developer and publisher Sierra On-Line .

Live and act

Williams founded the game software manufacturer Sierra Entertainment (formerly Sierra On-Line) in 1979 together with his wife Roberta , which operated from 1979 to 2008. In addition to serving as co-founder and CEO of Sierra Entertainment Williams was as a programmer and producer of numerous games of the company involved ( King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! , Phantasmagoria 2 , etc.), including the first graphic adventure Mystery House . In some Sierra games there are also allusions to himself and cameo appearances . Sierra On-Line was under Williams' direction until 1996, during which time it rose to become a leading provider of computer games, which in addition to its own products now also published the titles of other game developers.

“There were two people that had a heavy influence on Sierra: Bill Gates and Walt Disney. These two companies were our role models. I read every book written on both companies. I did everything to try to understand how they thought, and how they did business. "

“There were two people who were a huge influence on Sierra: Bill Gates and Walt Disney . These two companies were our role models. I've read every book about these two companies. I've tried everything to understand how they think and how they do business. "

- Ken Williams : Interview with Adventure Classic Gaming 2006

“I'm not sure how typical I am of other CEOs ... most of my time is spent looking at product ... To me, everything is about being able to build awesome product ... Any game which does not push the state of the art leaves an opportunity for a competitor's game to look better. "

"I'm not sure how typical I am of a CEO ... I spend most of the time looking at the product ... For me it's all about being able to develop an excellent product ... Any game that doesn't push the limits of what is technically feasible continues to drive forward, gives competitors the opportunity to look better. "

- Ken Williams : Interview with Adventure Classic Gaming 1999

In 1996 the company was sold to CUC-Software . The following year Williams left the company and retired from the game industry. In 2009, Ken and Roberta Williams were jointly listed by IGN as one of the 100 most important game developers of all time. The couple also received the Industry Icon Award for their life's work at the Game Awards 2014 in Las Vegas.

Ken and Roberta have two sons, DJ and Chris.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Philip Jong: Ken Williams (2006 ACG Interview) ( English ) In: Adventure Classic Gaming . March 28, 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2006.
  2. ↑ Jess Morrissette: Ken Williams (1999 ACG Interview) ( English ) In: Adventure Classic Gaming . October 11, 1999. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  3. ↑ 23. Ken Williams & Roberta Williams ( English ) In: IGN . News Corp . 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 5, 2011. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / games.ign.com
  4. ↑ The Game Awards 2014 - Dragon Age Game of the Year, Sierra Industry Icon
personal data
SURNAME Williams, Ken
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American entrepreneur and programmer
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1954