Hiya folks!

I’m Travis Baldree, and I’m one of the Engineers at Runic, as well as the President/Project Director and one of the cofounders. I was the Project Director/Lead Engineer for Mythos as well, and the Designer/Programmer/Producer for Fate. I appear to have too many titles. In olden days, I made lots of casual and advertising games you’ve never heard of – most of which were racing games. I squeezed two forgettable space-sims, a Tony Hawk 2 port, and a Need for Speed browser game in there as well. Day to day, I do a little bit of this, that, and the other – the bulk of my time is spent programming or developing content for Torchlight, with another significant portion going to making sure that everyone is coordinated and knows what’s upcoming, and solving day to day problems that help things keep trucking along. I get to sign checks too, which isn’t as exciting as it sounds. Occasionally I dip my toes back into art and do a bit of rigging, a lot of particle work, some asset exporting, and anything the art team lets me slip in under the radar. Don’t worry – they’ll probably revise it later and bring it up to code!

I am incapable of using modern note-taking or scheduling devices, which means I have little piles of paper all over my desk covered in nonsensical squigglies and doodles. My meeting notes look like a toddler’s refrigerator art.

Runic Games is home of the best team I’ve ever worked with, period. They are all amazing and I’m lucky to be here with them, and I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. When Torchlight ships, if you like it, it is all due to the incredibly devoted and hardworking guys and gals here.

We’ve just completed our show at PAX, and are all exhausted and invigorated at the same time. It was great fun watching people play the game, gathering feedback, and getting a chance to show what we’ve been up to.

We hope to see you in our alpha and beta tests when our MMO gets further down the line – and we hope you have a blast playing Torchlight not too long from now!

I’m Kyle Cornelius, one of the concept artists here at Runic. A little history about me… I graduated from Western Washington University with a BS in Industrial Design. I sort of fell into the gaming industry after college while beta-testing Mythos. I was hired on as a contract concept artist at Flagship Seattle, and worked on Mythos for several months before the studio shut down and we reformed as Runic.

My duties have bounced around a lot during the course of the project, concepting monsters, characters, props, armor, as well as a fair amount of UI design. The variety keeps things fresh, and helps me become more well-rounded as an artist. Working in a small studio with a flexible art director is awesome, and really allows for a lot of wild designs to come to fruition. It’s a pleasure to work on a game that you are really excited to play, as well as having coworkers that are as passionate about the project as you are. Seeing players’ reactions to our work at E3 was very rewarding, and I am excited to help show off a much more complete version of the game at PAX. That being said, we are all happy to be close to launching our first title, and beginning work on the MMO afterward.

Runic Games unveils the official launch date for the highly anticipated ARPG Torchlight at PAX!

September 4, 2009 – Seattle, WA – Runic Games, Inc. (”Runic Games”), a specialized developer of PC-based entertainment software in the United States, today unveiled at the Penny Arcade Exposition that the highly-anticipated, action-RPG, Torchlight, will launch on October 27. Runic Games’ development team features the same talent that brought the bar-setting, action-RPGs, Diablo, Diablo II and Fate. Torchlight will be available as a fully downloadable game for US$19.99.

Gaming enthusiasts looking for a sneak peak at Torchlight before the official launch date can visit Runic Games at Booth 872 in the Expo Hall during the Penny Arcade Exposition, which runs from September 4-6. On hand will be Runic Games’ CEO, Max Schaefer, co-designer of Diablo; and President, Travis Baldree, designer of Fate, to demonstrate the game.

“We have always felt that gaming should first and foremost be about the players and by announcing the launch date of Torchlight to fans at PAX, we’re able to give them a sneak peak of the game before its official release” said Max Schaefer, CEO of Runic Games, Inc. “PAX is a unique venue geared towards video game enthusiast and we are excited to be showcasing Torchlight and look forward to seeing many of our dedicated fans at PAX.”

Torchlight sets itself apart from other action-RPGs with its intuitive, approachable interface, which enables gamers of all skill levels to quickly immerse themselves into the rich game play and varied world of Torchlight. The level randomizer will ensure that each adventure is unique with different monsters, treasures, puzzles and items for players to find, defeat, and unlock. Through a powerful suite of development tools, Runic Games will empower players and game enthusiasts alike to create and share their own content and levels.

For more information on Torchlight, gamers can visit the official website at http://www.torchlightgame.com/ to view additional game play details, trailers and screenshots.

About Runic Games, Inc.

Runic Games is a developer of PC-based entertainment software, designing games that focus on quality, approachability, and fun. Runic Games is staffed by team with experienced members, including leads on “Diablo,” “Diablo II,” “Diablo II: Lord of Destruction,” “Fate,” “Hellgate: London” and “Mythos.” Runic Games is located in Seattle, Washington, United States.