Letter from the Game Director - December 16th, 2011 - Passing the Torch

**Means**

The Final Friday with Means

At this point in time I am the longest sitting Game Director Anarchy Online has ever had. It is time for a change. At the end of December I will be leaving Anarchy Online to pursue another challenge and be closer to my children's grandparents in Sweden.

On March 29th, 2004 I stepped into the Funcom offices and began my first work as a content designer with Anarchy Online. I remember one of my first tasks was to playtest Crypt of Home before it was released to the live servers. Despite what Cerubin did to me and my group of other new employees I figured I was the luckiest guy in the world and had found the best job ever. I was right. The new group of designers were asked to request which project and position they would be interested in working on and I was the only one who got my request and I was delighted to be the new Monster Designer for Anarchy Online...delighted until I realized that we were launching Alien Invasion in a few short months. I couldn't believe the hours I put in getting the monsters for that expansion to work and I also couldn't believe I was loving every minute of it. I couldn't even begin to mention all the great stuff I was lucky enough to get to work on while I was here...not to mention all the amazing people. Amazingly enough it feels like it was yesterday.

During my 8 years at Funcom I have never woken up in the morning and not wanted to go to the office. I worked myself right into the hospital before the release of Legacy of the Xan. At the end of the day that we filmed the promo for LoX I wasn't able to stand and had to be taken to the hospital by my good friend Craig Morrison..and as soon as I could stand again I was right back the next day. Our online world provided infinite challenge and unending variety every day...it is simply not possible for one person to learn it all. Some surprises were good...and some were definitely bad. From the massive piles of player bodies covering the ground outside the Biodomes to being flat on my back on the floor with both hands on my face while we rolled back the servers at 3am...none are moments I would trade for anything. The experience has been an all consuming passion for me for what feels like a lifetime. My first son crawled for the first time beside my desk in the Oslo office where he spent at least 3 hours with me every day for the first 6 months of his life. When I look at The passion this team and the community has for Anarchy Online it has always made me feel privileged just to get to be a part of it. It has been an incredible honor to get to spend the last 8 years working with Anarchy Online and being a part of the Funcom family.

Looking to the future of the game things could not be better. Holding the dual role of Producer/Game Director for Anarchy Online always made me feel stretched and it was definitely unwieldy to manage the business and creative ends of the project at the same time. Going forward into the future these roles will again be filled by two people to make sure each area gets the attention it needs and deserves.

Filling the role of Producer is Dave "Ilaliya" Williams. Dave has been management at three different game companies and has lead the systems teams for both Age of Conan and most recently The Secret World. I know we can count on Dave to keep the project running smoothly and bring his systems experience to the team whenever we might need it. I am very grateful to Dave for coming to AO to help us get things done right.

Taking up the helm as the new Game Director is Fia "Lindelu" Tjernberg who has been with the team since before the release of the Legacy of the Xan booster pack. Fia has been a driving force helping the team deliver amazing things for the last few years and I can't wait to see what she manages to put together going into the future. I'm certain she will keep you up to date with updates of her own that I can't wait to read. So many things are getting close to completion..this is going to be a very exciting year.

Both these individuals are incredible assets to the project and will no doubt manage a bright future for all of us who love Anarchy Online. Like everyone else who has ever moved on from the team...if they ever need anything from me, big or small, all they have to do is ask. Thank you again to everyone for the never ending support and ecouragement that has made my time with Anarchy Online and Funcom such an amazing experience.

Waldgeist edit: German Translation

Tikra

1st!

Edit:
Took me a bit to breathe again.
Thank you Means for the incredible good job you did past years. Wish you all the best Luck for whatever is ahead of you.
And grats Lindelu! From now on, you will be the most loved and hated person in the AO team

Louderer789

Cago30

Thank you all you have done, Means! Good Luck to you and your family in all your future endeavors.

Collodion

Good Luck Means!

luvhel

Good Journey ahead Means

Niles

oh, gl Means

**Lazy**

it's as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced

Shadowblayde

I seem to be getting 3 different images in my mind all swirling around together.
Anarchy
Hell
and a
Handbasket

Neuromotor

The end is nigh!

Best of luck to both Means and the remaining crew.

**Aiken**

Good luck Means with the future projects. I might not have always been the most vocal of supporters, but you have been the best GD I've known in the game.
Kudos for all your hard work over the years man, I'm sure most of us, the whiners included, will look back kindly

Deathkillz

its the beginning of the end of Anarchy Online, instead of making the game easier so new people join and the population increases, they continue to make the game harder and the grind soul destroying, so more and more people leave!! awesome

Louderer789

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...nies_of_Sweden

Is it DICE?

Jandorith

Wow, this is...Sad I guess. Will be interesting to see how things work out.
Farewell Means!

**Lazy**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

its the beginning of the end of Anarchy Online, instead of making the game easier so new people join and the population increases, they continue to make the game harder and the grind soul destroying, so more and more people leave!! awesome

it HAS gotten easier tho. dailies made the axp grind cake. imagine getting ai30 off apfs, and city raids alone. or worse, 220 grind pre-inf mish reward. or worse still, grinding 200 doing nothing but broken shores mishes (*shudder*)

Murskaink2

This isn't a good sign..

Thank you Means. Good luck.

Cdogg421

was a great run, hope your new life is fun and prosperous

Multrox

Ill keep my finger crossed for Fia hoping she will do at least half as you did Means!Good luck in future man!

Deathkillz

well i dont really see new people joining the game, all i see is people leaving

**Lazy**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

well i dont really see new people joining the game, all i see is people leaving

i blame the release of WoW-but-with-lightsabres on that.