Veteran game designer Bill Roper is set to join MMO specialists Cryptic as Design Director. The ex-Blizzard co-founder masterminded the launch of Hellgate: London at Flagship Studios, but following poor sales his ambitious start-up was forced to close.

Roper will help Cryptic deliver new MMO title Champions Online, having cut his teeth on huge projects like Diablo and StarCraft.

"Bill brings a ton of creative energy to the Cryptic office and we're thrilled to have him join our team," beamed John Needham, Cryptic boss. "His years of gaming and online experience are huge assets to all of our projects, and Bill will assist us in furthering our studio's vision to create innovative, exciting MMO gameplay."

"Cryptic has experienced huge growth over the past year and has exciting opportunities ahead of it," chimed in Roper himself. "The company knows how to choose compelling IPs that have rich histories such as Champions and Star Trek. I’m looking forward to working with the team." The new MMO is due out in early 2009.

By Luke Guttridge

  • Champions Online
  • Platform: PC
  • Publisher: 2K Games
  • Developer: Cryptic Studios
  • Release Date: April 2009

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