Alexander Winn#TerraGenesis

Winn gained recognition as a young filmmaker while still a senior in high school when two of his student films, Baggage Claim and Jack O'Neill - Private Detective, won a total of 14 film festival awards including a CINE Golden Eagle Award for Jack O'Neill - Private Detective,{{cite web|url=http://www.cine.org/winners/w-04-fall.php |title=CINE Golden Eagle Winners, Fall 2004 |publisher=CINE |year=2004 |accessdate=2007-12-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061003003521/https://www.cine.org/winners/w-04-fall.php |archivedate=October 3, 2006 }} making him the only high school student in the world to be awarded the CINE Golden Eagle for an individually produced project that year.

In late 2004, Winn, along with Ryan Luther, co-founded Edgeworks Entertainment to produce a new Halo 2 machinima series called The Codex. Episode 1 of this series was released on February 9, 2005, a date previously rumored to be the release date of an unknown Bungie project. Winn acted as writer, director, editor and composer, and reprised these roles during production of the prequel series, The Heretic.

Winn and his machinima series have been featured in national and international media including the biography segment "Machinima Master" on mtvU,{{cite web|url=http://www.mtvu.com/uconnect/game0RZ_ball/ |title=On Campus: Game0RZ Ball Tour |publisher=mtvU |year=2005 |accessdate=2007-12-04 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911090049/http://www.mtvu.com/uconnect/game0RZ_ball/ |archivedate=2007-09-11 |url-status=dead }} the front covers of the Dallas Observer{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/2006-01-19/news/lights-camera-play/|title=Lights Camera Play|publisher=Dallas Observer|accessdate=2008-04-26| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080526081329/http://www.dallasobserver.com/2006-01-19/news/lights-camera-play/| archivedate= 26 May 2008 | url-status= live}} and Houston Press,{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-01-19/news/hollywood-halo/|title=Hollywood Halo|publisher=Houston Press|accessdate=2008-04-26| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080512010917/http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-01-19/news/hollywood-halo/| archivedate= 12 May 2008 | url-status= live}} and a full chapter in Halo Effect, a published collection of essays and articles about the impact of the Halo video game series on popular culture.{{cite book | last = Yeffeth | first = Glenn | title = Halo Effect: An Unauthorized Look at the Most Successful Video Game of All Time | publisher = BenBella Books | year = 2007 | url = https://archive.org/details/haloeffectunauth0000unse | isbn = 978-1-933771-11-3 | url-access = registration }} Most recently, he was interviewed as an expert on machinima in a piece for Marketplace on National Public Radio in April 2008.{{cite web|url=http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/15/machinima/ |title=Turning Video Games into Movies |publisher=Marketplace, NPR |accessdate=2008-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512232904/http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/15/machinima/ |archivedate=12 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}

On July 6, 2016, Winn released his 25th app, TerraGenesis, on the iOS App store. Based on real science and data from NASA, the game lets players terraform planets across the Solar System, far-flung systems like TRAPPIST-1, and even journey through time to explore various stages of the Earth's history. As players terraform, they cultivate entire civilizations through emergent gameplay, tackling societal, economical, ecologic, cultural, and political evolution and issues as they work to create habitable worlds for people to live on. Winn always thought someone should make a game based on terraforming and had only spent a month building the game upon the initial release. At the same time, the public's interest in space entertainment was increasing due to the release of Ridley Scott's The Martian starring Matt Damon. Winn was able to create what he calls a “little version” of TerraGenesis in time for the film's opening.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/interview/70653/indie-spotlight-edgeworks-entertainment-terragenesis/|title="Then it started blowing up": How TerraGenesis transformed indie developer Edgeworks|last=Chapple|first=Craig|website=pocketgamer.biz|date=8 May 2019 |access-date=2019-08-30}}

Winn quickly moved on to creating his next app and did not originally think much of TerraGenesis' release. When the app started to pick up, Winn and his wife were actually living in New Zealand at the time and were road tripping around for seven months. Winn says, "She was driving and I was on my little MacBook Air in the passenger seat doing bug fixes, pushing out updates on hotel Wi-Fi and stuff.”

In June 2017, TerraGenesis took the top prize at the Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/66104/terragenesis-wins-very-big-indie-pitch/|title=Space colonisation game TerraGenesis wins Very Big Indie Pitch at PGC San Francisco|last=Chapple|first=Craig|website=pocketgamer.biz|date=29 June 2017 |access-date=2019-08-30}}

On October 4, 2017, Edgeworks signed with publishing company Tilting Point for TerraGenesis, which market and distribute the title on iOS and Android.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/66907/edgeworks-signs-publishing-deal-with-tilting-point/|title=TerraGenesis developer Edgeworks signs publishing deal with Tilting Point|last=Chapple|first=Craig|website=pocketgamer.biz|date=November 2017 |access-date=2019-08-30}} On April 4, 2018 Edgeworks Entertainment and publisher Tilting Point announced launching TerraGenesis on the Google Play store, making it available for Android users.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/316129/TerraGenesis_Now_Available_on_Android_Devices.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830223458/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/316129/TerraGenesis_Now_Available_on_Android_Devices.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2019|title=TerraGenesis Now Available on Android Devices|website=www.gamasutra.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30}}

In May 2019, the 5.0 version update of TerraGenesis was launched, adding a whole host of new features to the game, as well as a completely revamped graphical engine.{{Cite web|url=https://toucharcade.com/2019/05/20/terragenesis-update-out-now/|title=Incredibly Deep Planetary Strategy Game 'TerraGenesis' Gets Massive Version 5.0 Update|date=2019-05-20|website=TouchArcade|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-30}} Two months later on July 20 a "flat planet mode" was added to the game as well as Moon landing inspired events in the game to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/347011/TerraGenesis_Launches_51_Update_with_New_Flat_Planet_Mode.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830223457/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/347011/TerraGenesis_Launches_51_Update_with_New_Flat_Planet_Mode.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2019|title=TerraGenesis Launches 5.1 Update with New|website=www.gamasutra.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30}}

On July 31, 2019, Edgeworks and Tilting Point announced their plans to release TerraGenesis to the Microsoft Store in the fall.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/347691/Terraforming_Simulator_TerraGenesis_Coming_to_Microsoft_Store_this_Fall.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731132205/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/347691/Terraforming_Simulator_TerraGenesis_Coming_to_Microsoft_Store_this_Fall.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 31, 2019|title=Terraforming Simulator TerraGenesis Coming to Microsoft Store this Fall|website=www.gamasutra.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30}} To showcase the upcoming Microsoft Store launch, Tilting Point and Edgeworks partnered with filmmaker and composer John D. Boswell on a cinematic video for TerraGenesis, showcasing the possibilities of space exploration, depicting a sense of wonder and curiosity.{{Citation|title=TerraGenesis - Leaving The Cradle Trailer - IGN|date=31 July 2019 |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/31/terragenesis-leaving-the-cradle-trailer|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30}} TerraGenesis currently has over 22 million downloads{{Cite web|date=2021-02-09|title=TerraGenesis Developer Edgeworks Entertainment Cryptically Teases New Game|url=https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2021/02/09/project-perihelion-terragenesis/|access-date=2021-02-09|website=Hey Poor Player|language=en-US}} and is available in 12 different languages.{{Cite web|date=2021-02-09|title=Edgeworks Entertainment Announces Untitled New Sci-Fi Game|url=https://worthplaying.com/article/2021/2/9/news/124056/|access-date=2021-02-17|website=Worth Playing|language=en-US}}

A city-builder styled game titled TerraGenesis: Landfall released on digital storefronts in 2022.{{Cite web |title=TerraGenesis: Operation Landfall |url=https://www.ign.com/games/terragenesis-operation-landfall |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=IGN |language=en}}

On April 9, 2016, Alexander Winn married Edgeworks cofounder Lacey Hannan.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hannanforthewinn.com/|title=HannanForTheWinn.com|website=HannanForTheWinn.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-05}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.alexanderwinn.com Official website]
• {{IMDb name|id=2549811}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winn, Alexander}}

Category:1986 births

Category:Living people

Category:Machinima

Category:USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni