Industry Vets Form Online Dev/Publisher

Games industry veterans Dr. Lars Buttler and Jon Van Canegham this week officially formed Trion World Network, a new development and publishing studio dedicated to online games and entertainment. Prior to forming Trion, Buttler was VP of Global Online for Electronic Arts, while Jon Van Canegham is the founder and former president of New World Computing, creator of numerous roleplaying and strategy games including the Might & Magic and Heroes of Might & Magic series. Buttler will be serving as Trion's CEO, and Van Canegham as president and chief creative officer. The company is in Redwood City, California, in close proximity to Electronic Arts' headquarters. "Broadband has created a new frontier in game development, similar to the first explosion of game development in the 1980Â’s," Jon Van Caneghem, co-founder, president and chief creative officer, commented. "Designers are free to be creative and explore concepts and designs that were previously impossible or unheard of." Trion did not announce any details regarding any specific current or upcoming projects.