Supporting Indie Creators: David Brevik's Skystone Games

David Brevik, a prominent figure in video game development, has a career marked by significant contributions to the industry, particularly in the action role-playing genre. His journey, which began with early programming interests, has evolved to encompass founding multiple studios and, most recently, establishing Skystone Games to support emerging independent creators.

Early Ventures and a Genre-Defining Title

Brevik’s early professional path saw him transition from a clip art company to a lead technical director role at Iguana Entertainment. In September 1993, he co-founded Condor, a video game development studio, alongside former colleagues. Condor quickly secured development contracts for titles like NFL Quarterback Club and Justice League Task Force. It was during this period that Brevik conceived an action role-playing game, which he presented to Blizzard Entertainment executives in January 1995. This concept, named Diablo after a mountain near his childhood home, garnered Blizzard’s interest. The publisher initially agreed to release the game, and by March 1996, acquired Condor, rebranding it as Blizzard North. Under Blizzard’s influence, Brevik adapted Diablo from a turn-based system to real-time combat and integrated multiplayer functionality through Blizzard’s Battle.net platform, while also removing the permadeath feature. His pivotal role in Diablo’s creation and development earned him recognition as an influential figure in computer gaming.

Departures and New Beginnings

Brevik’s tenure at Blizzard North concluded in June 2003 when he, along with other executives, resigned following disagreements with Vivendi Games, Blizzard Entertainment’s parent company, regarding financial protections and the potential sale of Blizzard. This departure prompted him to co-found Flagship Studios, recruiting other former Blizzard North employees. Flagship Studios later dissolved in August 2008. Following this, Brevik took on the role of creative director for Turbine Inc. as the company expanded its operations on the West Coast. He then joined Gazillion Entertainment in 2009 as creative director, eventually becoming President and Chief Operating Officer. After several years, he left Gazillion in January 2016 to pursue independent game development, subsequently establishing Graybeard Games, which released an action role-playing game titled It Lurks Below.

Championing Indie Development with Skystone Games

In May 2020, David Brevik, in collaboration with Bill Wang, announced the formation of Skystone Games. This new venture operates as both a publishing and development studio, with a clear mission to assist smaller independent studios. Skystone Games aims to facilitate multi-platform releases for these developers, leveraging Brevik’s extensive experience in the gaming industry to help bring their creations to a broader audience. This initiative underscores a continued commitment to game development, now with a focus on fostering the next generation of creators.