Hello, I am Mike Fisher and am the UI Artist here at Runic Games. I have been working with this crew since we created Mythos, and can remember when we could count the numbers of our team on one hand. Prior to that I worked with many of our group at Wild tangent on titles such as Fate. This is a great bunch of people and friends at Runic, and it is truly a pleasure to work here.

I have for the most part always lived in the pacific northwest, and love it here. I didn’t get into the art gig until late. At close to 30 I decided I’d had enough of the typical 9 to 5 grind. I attended the Art Institute of Seattle with dreams of becoming a great illustrator. Immediately upon graduating I was hired as an artist for Humongous Entertainment. I’ve been working on PC games since and have never looked back. It’s now been over 16 years – Yes I am an old fart.

What I do here at Runic is design the elements for the User Interface as well as other 2D art assets for the game. Occasionally I will pinch hit on wardrobe textures. I really like the direction we’ve taken the art in Torchlight. I think it is whimsical and classic. I am especially proud of this title, and am thrilled for the MMO. It’s incredible to be surrounded by such talented and committed people, working in an open environment where all input is valued. I feel lucky to work with this creative collection of characters.

Hey there, people.

I’m Jason Beck, the Art Director here at Runic. I’ve been with this group since Mythos and with a handful of these guys like Travis, Marsh, Greg, Brock, John, and Mike since our time together while I was pitching in on FATE. I’m originally from the Portland, OR area and saw my fair share of small to mid-sized studios try and flail before I relocated up to the Seattle area in 2001. I studied Fine Arts and Computer Animation and have had a pretty wide range of roles in the industry, from Character Artist and Animator, Level Designer, Modeler, Concept Artist, and a bundle of hybrid roles as a Lead and now an AD. It feels very strange being able to say it’s now Year 12 in the industry.

My day to day varies greatly. I strive for a nice split between management and production work, but the percentages have shifted on me as we grow. There are days where it resembles an Instant Messaging Crisis Hotline and there are others where I’m stomping around as a new monster idea with our animator. I love the variety of work, having a hand in building a creative environment, working with the best coders and gaming minds around, and doing my part to create new games and IP with the rest of the team.

Torchlight has been out as a digital download since the end of Oct. and the response has been amazing. Recently, the boxed version has been made available to many retailers, and we’re working on the final parts of our localized and regional versions as well. In parallel, we’re all hard at work on the next project and scribbling up ideas, painting beautiful concepts, and writing up a whole lotta backstory and lore as we expand and add to our IP.

One of the more difficult conversations I have with people I meet for the first time is discussing my work. After I’ve gone on and on about how I love what I do, the crazy bits of fun we have, how I basically am being paid to make monsters every day, and how I can’t imagine doing anything else I’m usually given that snarky response of “must be fun to play all day”. But while there is certainly a wealth of passion, creativity, and childlike zeal involved…there is also a tremendous amount of work, time, and commitment necessary… and this team is a tenacious band of the best of both sides of that coin. Wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.

And they’re off!

Members of Runic Games are en route to China today, spending 10 days in Beijing and Shanghai visiting our partners.

This is Technical Artist Adam Perin’s first trip to China which inspires a lot of glee around the office – Adam is the most notoriously finicky eater we have ever met. Subsisting primarily on mac ‘n’ cheese, fries, and cheap beer, it’s only a matter of time before he dies of scurvy.

Eating in China would be a cuisine adventure for anyone, but for Adam it’s more like truth or dare. We’re daring him to challenge the boundaries of his consumption habits – maybe by a nanometer or so. Here are Adam’s thoughts on the matter:

We want you to add your opinion! Check out the poll on our forums to vote for what you think Adam should eat!

Check back often, we’ll keep you updated with photos from the trip. Bon Voyage, boys!