Friday I got to head out to Stone Mountain, GA to hang with CCP Games at their new North American office. After arriving at the new location, Mike Tinney gave us a tour of the building and explained that the incentives afforded by local government had something to do with why they decided on getting it. Members of that government were present to tell us that someone had the forethought to include video game development with the rest of the technical companies that are being sought to create jobs in their areas.
The building itself is a really great looking two-story office complex with a built-in racquetball court, cafeteria, and warehouse. The warehouse will be important further down the page. Right now the building houses the World of Darkness team, the North American EVE Online customer support team, and an awesome viking sword hanging in a corner office.
World of Darkness Online is indeed being worked on, and I got to see some early concept art and it looks great. It's dark enough with just the right amount of grit and neon and it captures exactly what I think of when I picture running around a city at night. The werewolf looked awesome. Mike explained that the bulk of the content for WoD Online was being created at the new office, while the majority of the technical infrastructure was being worked on in Iceland.
WoD Online isn't the only thing being developed there, however. The EVE Online RPG is being worked on as well, and I learned that they are planning on it using the same Storytelling system that is used in the WoD RPG's.
After the tour, there was a short ribbon-cutting ceremony and with a quick snip the office was officially open. All of the guests made their way to the dining area where a wonderful meal was prepared. When dinner was finished, we all walked next door to the warehouse (remember?) for the party. And of course, since it was a White Wolf party, there were fire-eaters and at least one snake that I saw. A DJ mixed a good blend of techno beats overlayed with some 80's pop into the wee hours of the morning. It was a great event and I want to thank CCP Games for inviting me.
Also, Team Awesome completely dominated at beer pong.
