Although Aspyr, founded in 1996, has had some success publishing titles such as Mah Jong Parlour, Bonkheads, and Carmageddon, it wasn't until last year when the company published Tomb Raider II for the Mac, thanks to an agreement with Eidos Interactive, that Aspyr began to make a name for itself. Keen on not becoming a slave to Tomb Raider only titles, Aspyr began to look elsewhere to diversify their product line. They decided to go after the biggest fish of them all, Electronic Arts, the largest game publisher in the world. It would prove to be a difficult task. Electronic Arts is known for its arrogance, bureaucracy, and all-around toughness. But through persistence, countless phone calls, endless negotiations, and a bit of luck, Aspyr was able to sign a deal with Electronic Arts.
Is Aspyr for real? How did the Madden deal come about? What other games could we expect from Aspyr? When will Madden 2000 ship? These were questions I kept asking myself. So I decided to pay Aspyr a visit. I hopped on a plane a few weeks ago and visited Austin based Aspyr Media. Upon arriving, I met with Ted Staloch, V.P. of Sales and Jeff Baietto, V.P. of Marketing. After a quick tour of the office, we sat down for a video interview to talk about Aspyr Media and what we could expect from them in the future. Overall, I was impressed with Aspyr. Both of the gentlemen I talked to were down to earth, yet extremely motivated. Like many small companies in this industry, Aspyr runs a tight ship, with just a handful of people working full-time. In addition to Staloch and Baietto, there's Michael Rogers, the President of Aspyr Media, Brandon Owens, Technology and Operations Manager, and Amy Torres, Product Manager. Interns and some part-time help round out the rest of the staff. Aspyr's modo is one of persistence, never taking no for an answer. Their formula for convincing publishers such as Electronic Arts to give them titles like Madden 2000 is a simple one, really. They provide their customers with an outstanding product, market the hell out of their games, and give the big publisher "free money." In the end, everyone is happy. The Mac consumer gets an "A" title, the PC publisher gets a check from Aspyr for the licensing and royalties, and Aspyr makes any additional money off the bottom (after paying for the conversion, the PC publisher, the marketing and advertising, etc).
But the thing that impressed me the most about Aspyr is that they asked me more questions than I asked them, which was quite a surprise. They asked for advice, for criticism, and my thoughts. In the end, I got the impression that Aspyr really wants to make this work. They want to provide Mac gamers with the best games out there, even if it takes a little learning, a little struggling, and a lot of faith. (Note: Click on the image below for a QuickTime video interview. Due to their large sizes, we are posting one QuickTime movie from the Aspyr interview. The next issue of IMG, Vol 7 - Issue 3, will have all the QuickTime movies). IMG: Tomb Raider II was your first big break. It really put you guys on the map. Can you talk about how the deal for Tomb Raider II came about? Ted Staloch:
IMG: Can you talk a little about Apple's turnaround and how it affected your company?
IMG: Tomb Raider II was a huge success for you guys. How well did Tomb Raider II do?
IMG: How did the deal for Madden 2000 come about and when do you expect it to ship??
IMG: There's been some rumors that you might be doing other EA sports titles. Can you tell us which ones?
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