Castaway Entertainment Suspends Operation Dec.15th

Scott Ruggels · Nov 2005

It had a good run for 2.5 years, but the decision was made last night, and has now been imparted to the employees. Castaway Entertainment L.L.C. is shutting down operations. I liked the company for it's freewheeling, non corporate atmosphere, and the excellent co-worker/craftsmen I have worked with. I don't think I have been better treated by a company, but I guess it was not inthe cards. of the 25 or so Publishers looking at publishing our game after EA dropped us last Fabruary, only one is still in negotiation and the liklihood of us getting picked up by them is slim. All the notes expressed a lot of praise for the artwork and the skill of the team, but it was not enough to overcome the reticense of the industry to risk $12 million dollars and 24 months on Intellectual property that was new and original, rather than a license or sequel. So, as of now, My work is going to be updating the resume, working on a few tutorials to get up to speed on Unreal Ed 3 esoterical and making not one, but two demo reels. One for aniamtion, purely, and one for "Character work". So the Castaway Email address will be god until the 15th of December. after than, who knows(other than I can start collecting unemployment). Iit was a great run, though. At least now i can sho you all what I was working on.

Scott

JDinges · Nov 2005

really sorry to hear that Scott =/

good luck with whatever the future holds.

sledgy · Nov 2005

Sorry to hear that Scott. From your tone it sounds like they were a pretty decent company.

aesir · Nov 2005

arg! Thats a drag.

Im looking forward to see what you've been working on though

MoP · Nov 2005

Damn, that sucks, Scott. As JDinges says, good luck with the future, and I look forward to seeing your works!

rooster · Nov 2005

seems like we're always losing the kind of companies the industry really needs imho

. GL finding a new place

Daz · Nov 2005

Bummer Scott! I'll keep my ear to the ground for anything going on. I know Lucas in their new digs in the Presidio are looking for folks, and your most obvious bet right now is probably Activision ( Z-axis ) at their new digs in Foster city If you want to stay in the peninsula. I've a good friend who's a producer there so lemme know.

Joshua Stubbles · Nov 2005

Damn Scott, sorry to hear about this. Like DaZ said, Z-Axis is a good studio. There are about 4 ex-5000ft programmers working there right now (on Iron Max and Xmen, I believe). I defineatly wish ya the best of luck, and look forward to seeing your forthcoming work

eXpendabLe · Nov 2005

Best of luck to you and the other Castaway employees. I hope it wont be long before you get picked up by a top-notch studio.

pogonip · Nov 2005

Ehhh sorry to hear about that im sure you will find something nice ;-) I hope all the guys there find something soon I wish castaway could have stayed open.

Rhinokey · Nov 2005

bummer scott i believe we are still looking for more artists at Mythic, but we are on the other side of the known world from you in Virginia. not sure if that would be good for you

nitzmoff · Nov 2005

Hey bros, let's not forget about me, I worked there too.

Hopefully we all bounce back to something swell. I'll have maybe a few more words to say later, but the pub is the focus of tonight.

Later.

Joshua Stubbles · Nov 2005

Sorry Nitz! I wasn't aware that any other pcounter's worked at Castaway. Again, sorry to heard the bad news =\

Kevin Johnstone · Nov 2005

Sorry lads, I tried to help out with the occasional tips and tricks on the UE3 list, I thought you were all well on your way.
It's never any good when you have the rug pulled out from under you , hope something turns up soon for you all.

r.

AstroZombie · Nov 2005

Damn, sorry to hear that

JonMurphy · Nov 2005

Sorry to hear, Scott. It's always a shame when this stuff happens.

da_milkman · Nov 2005

Hey Scott, sorry to hear that. If you or any of your friends want to check out the Chicago scene we are looking for good people. Just send your info to [email="lcrowley@day1studios.com."]lcrowley@day1studios.com.[/email] You can use me as a reference.

Bronco · Nov 2005

sorry to hear that scotty and nitz.

Im sure you guys will find some more work as your both great artists,but good luck for the imediate future none the less.

John

hawken · Nov 2005

I'm sure you'll land on your feet Scott. It's a crime to let such hard work and toil go to waste though. Was there enough structure to make another company from the ashes? That's happening a lot.

I'll spell check your resume if you like!

Jeff Parrott · Nov 2005

Sorry to hear guys. I'm sure with your experience and work there you'll be able to land something.

nitzmoff · Nov 2005

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

It was a nice little company and there's parts of it that I will miss very much (namely the 4 minute drive from my apartment

) Nothing lasts forever though and for my first year I was able to do a great many things I probably would not have had the chance to at a larger company. I was hired as an environment guy but shortly after the EA cancelation I was finding myself designing, doing concept art and coming up with business strategies. It was a lot of fun and I learned a great deal about how this industry works.

After I square things away with a new job I'll drop a load of art in PnP for your viewing pleasure.

Again though, a lot of the folks here were really swell and I can only hope they land promptly on their feet. Personally, I should have some news for you all in the near future.

/mini-retrospective

-Nick

milla · Nov 2005

Best of luck Scott, though your talent should see you right

hawken · Nov 2005

[ QUOTE ]
(namely the 4 minute drive from my apartment)

[/ QUOTE ]

you drove?

nitzmoff · Nov 2005

You bet. I loved being able to leave the house moments before I was expected to be in the office. That's not going to be the case anymore though, but that can be a good thing. It's never good to get too comfortable in a routine.