Chris Roberts (video game developer)

{{Short description|American game designer and filmmaker (born 1968)}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Chris Roberts GDC 2012 (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| name = Chris Roberts

| caption = Chris Roberts at GDC Online 2012

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|5|27}}

| birth_place = Redwood City, California, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| title = Founder & CEO of Cloud Imperium Games

| occupation = Business executive, game designer, filmmaker

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Sandi Roberts|2009}} }}

| partner = Madison Peterson (–2005)

| children = 2

| years_active = 1987–present

| known_for = Wing Commander
Freelancer
Star Citizen

}}

Chris Roberts (born May 27, 1968){{cite book |last=Harrison |first=Mike |title=Wing Commander I & II: The Ultimate Strategy Guide |year=1992 |url=https://archive.org/details/Wing_Commander_III_Strategy_Guide |location=Rocklin, California |publisher=Prima |page=223 |isbn=1-559-58-129-8}} is a British-American video game designer, programmer, film producer and film director. He created the Wing Commander series while at Origin Systems and has been working on the crowdfunded space simulator Star Citizen since 2010.

Early life

Roberts was born in Redwood City, California to a British father and an American mother, and grew up in Manchester, England.{{cite magazine |last=Eddy |first=Andy |date=October 1990 |title=The Making of Origin Systems' Wing Commander |url=https://archive.org/details/video-games-computer-entertainment-october-1990/page/132/ |magazine=VideoGames & Computer Entertainment |page=133}} He attended Parrs Wood High School, the same school as computer music composer Martin Galway. As a teenager, he created several video games for the BBC Micro, including Stryker's Run, Wizadore, and King Kong.{{cite web|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/12694-Blast-From-The-Past-King-Kong|title=Blast from the Past: King Kong

|publisher=Cloud Imperium Games|access-date=August 23, 2015}}

Career

= Origin =

Roberts returned to the United States in 1986 to visit his parents, who had settled in Austin, Texas. Chris Roberts joined Origin Systems in 1987. There he created Times of Lore which was published in 1988. The game's interface had a strong influence on other Origin products such as the popular Ultima series.{{cite web|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/12671-Blast-From-The-Past-Times-Of-Lore|title=Blast from the Past: Times of Lore|publisher=Cloud Imperium Games|access-date=August 23, 2015}} A similar game system was used in Roberts's next release for Origin, Bad Blood (1990).{{cite web|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/12719-Blast-From-The-Past-Bad-Blood/|title=Blast from the Past: Bad Blood|publisher=Cloud Imperium Games|access-date=August 23, 2015}}

Wing Commander was published later in 1990 and was highly acclaimed. Wing Commander (and the franchise it spawned) soon became Origin's most successful product. Roberts wasn't as heavily involved in the sequel Wing Commander II, which he only produced. He instead concentrated on Strike Commander. First shown to the public at Summer CES 1991, the project suffered from numerous delays and was not released until 1993. He returned to Wing Commander soon after, devising the original concept for the spin-off Wing Commander: Privateer (which his brother, Erin Roberts, produced) and being more deeply involved in Wing Commander III and Wing Commander IV. For these sequels, Roberts directed the live-action cinematic scenes. Roberts's major role in developing the Wing Commander games led Next Generation to name him one of their "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995".{{cite magazine |title=75 Power Players: Mr. Big Shot|magazine=Next Generation|issue=11 |publisher=Imagine Media|date=November 1995|page=53}}

Following the traditions of Origin Systems, Chris Roberts's residence at the outskirts of Austin, Texas was named "Commander's Ranch", a reference to the Wing Commander series.{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_54/323-Wing-Leader.2/|title=Wing Leader|publisher=The Escapist|access-date=August 23, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628164149/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_54/323-Wing-Leader.2|archive-date=June 28, 2015}}

= Digital Anvil =

Roberts left Origin in 1996 and founded Digital Anvil with Tony Zurovec and his brother Erin Roberts.{{cite magazine|title=The Great Escape |magazine=Next Generation |issue=34|publisher=Imagine Media |date=October 1997|page=44}} He cited disillusionment with working with large development teams and Origin parent company Electronic Arts' unwillingness to give substantial funding to games that weren't sequels. The fledgling studio set up shop in Austin and for several years worked quietly, inking a publishing deal with Microsoft in 1997.{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_54/323-Wing-Leader.3/|title=Wing Leader|publisher=The Escapist|access-date=August 23, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707032500/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_54/323-Wing-Leader.3|archive-date=July 7, 2015}}

Roberts had stated that he desired to produce films as well as games with Digital Anvil. The 1999 feature film release of Wing Commander directed by Roberts himself, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and featuring visual effects from Digital Anvil, failed to attract either critical praise or financial success.

Digital Anvil's first finished game was Starlancer, released to a generally favorable critical reception in 2000.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/starlancer/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=StarLancer|website=Metacritic|access-date=August 23, 2015}} Developed jointly between Warthog and Digital Anvil, the game was produced by the Roberts brothers, and Eric Peterson. The company was acquired by Microsoft soon after, who sold two of Digital Anvil's projects, Conquest: Frontier Wars led by Eric Peterson, and Loose Cannon led by Tony Zurovec to Ubisoft. Roberts left the company after the acquisition, abandoning the director position of his ambitious project Freelancer, although he remained with the game in a consulting role for a while. The game was commonly regarded as vaporware due to its promised release date of 2001; however, it was eventually released in 2003 with a markedly different feature set than the initial plans.{{cite web|url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2003/01/07/freely-lancing|title=Freely Lancing|website=IGN|date=January 7, 2003 |access-date=August 23, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Freelancer Preview|url=http://www.firingsquad.com/games/freelancer_preview/|last=Wojnarowicz|first=Jakub|date=January 14, 2003|work=FiringSquad|publisher=GX Media|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110214628/http://www.firingsquad.com/games/freelancer_preview/|archive-date=January 10, 2013|access-date=June 13, 2007}}

= Point of No Return Entertainment/Ascendant Pictures =

After leaving Digital Anvil, Roberts founded Point of No Return Entertainment, planning to produce films, television and games. However, no projects materialized from Point of No Return. Roberts founded Ascendant Pictures in 2002 and served as a producer for a number of Hollywood productions including Edison, Timber Falls, Outlander, Who's Your Caddy?, The Big White, Ask the Dust, Lucky Number Slevin and Lord of War, which were almost entirely financed by a loophole in the German tax laws that was finally closed in 2006. Roberts' activities as a film producer ended with the depletion of the funds raised by this controversial financing scheme.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0094902 |title=With Ascendant Pictures (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)|website=IMDb}} In 2005, actor Kevin Costner sued Ascendant Pictures for breach of contract on an unreleased film.{{Cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-11-30-costner-lawsuit_x.htm|title=USATODAY.com – Kevin Costner sues Ascendant Pictures |website=usatoday30.usatoday.com}} The company was acquired by Bigfoot Entertainment in 2010.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigfoot.com/up-press-releases-172.php|title=Bigfoot | Updates | Press Releases|website=www.bigfoot.com}}

= Cloud Imperium Games =

In 2011, Chris Roberts founded Cloud Imperium Games with his wife Sandi Roberts, as well as business partner and long-time international media attorney Ortwin Freyermuth. In October 2012, Cloud Imperium Games launched a crowdfunding campaign on their website to develop a space simulation game, Star Citizen, and later added a Kickstarter campaign in conjunction. By November 2012, they had earned US$6,238,563, surpassing all stretch goals set for the campaigns, and breaking video game industry crowdfunding records. Chris Roberts had stated that if at least $23 million could be raised over the course of the crowdfunding campaign, no outside investors' or developers' funding would be required. This goal was reached October 18, 2013.

As of June 11, 2024, Cloud Imperium Games has raised over US$700 million in crowdfunding and over $63.25 million in external investments.{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Alex |date=2020-03-31 |title=Star Citizen Has Now Raised Over $550 Million |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/03/star-citizen-has-now-raised-over-550-million/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330010050/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/03/star-citizen-has-now-raised-over-550-million/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 30, 2020 |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Kotaku Australia |language=en-AU}} Cloud Imperium Games' other title in development, Squadron 42, a single-player campaign set in the Star Citizen universe, is still in development with an estimated release date of 2026, having been feature-complete and in the polish phase since 2023.{{Cite web |title=Squadron 42: I Held the Line - Roberts Space Industries {{!}} Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42 |url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19453-Squadron-42-I-Held-The-Line |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Squadron 42: I Held the Line - Roberts Space Industries {{!}} Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42 |language=en}}

Personal life

Roberts had a long on-and-off relationship with his common-law wife Madison Peterson. Roberts and Peterson had a home in San Diego. He has 1 daughter with Peterson. The first marriage of Chris Roberts with actress Sandi Gardiner (born 24 May 1980 in Adelaide, Australia) was annulled in 2005. He remarried Gardiner in 2009.{{Cite web |title=Exclusive: The Saga Of 'Star Citizen,' A Video Game That Raised $300 Million—But May Never Be Ready To Play |date=1 May 2019 |website=Forbes |author=Matt Perez, Nathan Vard |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2019/05/01/exclusive-the-saga-of-star-citizen-a-video-game-that-raised-300-millionbut-may-never-be-ready-to-play/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319042736/https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2019/05/01/exclusive-the-saga-of-star-citizen-a-video-game-that-raised-300-millionbut-may-never-be-ready-to-play/ |archive-date=19 March 2025}} Roberts sold his Hollywood house in 2007. Afterward he was unsure whether he'd stay in Los Angeles so he rented homes for 10 years. In September 2018 he purchased a house for $4.7 million via the Roberts Family Trust in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. He also has a daughter Skye Roberts with Gardiner. Skye is an actress who was born in Santa Monica.{{Cite web |title=An Interview with Doom Patrol's Skye Roberts |website=Rival Magazine |url=https://www.rivalmagazinela.com/rival-online/an-interview-with-doom-patrols-skye-roberts |date=29 October 2021 |author=Samuel Aponte |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513044700/https://www.rivalmagazinela.com/rival-online/an-interview-with-doom-patrols-skye-roberts |archive-date=13 May 2025}}

Works

;Video games{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,6555/|title=Chris Roberts Video Game Credits and Biography|website=MobyGames}}{{Cite web|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/12665-Meet-Chris-Roberts|title=Meet Chris Roberts – Roberts Space Industries | Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42|website=Meet Chris Roberts – Roberts Space Industries | Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42}}

scope="col" \| Name ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Credited With ! scope="col" \| Publisher
class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
King Kong	1983	designer{{Cite web\|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/12694-Blast-From-The-Past-King-Kong\|title=Blast from the Past: King Kong – Roberts Space Industries \| Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42\|website=Blast from the Past: King Kong – Roberts Space Industries \| Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42}}	BBC Micro User
Match Day	1985	designer (BBC Micro port){{Cite web\|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/chris-roberts-star-citizen-profile\|title=The Stars His Destination: Chris Roberts from Origin to Star Citizen\|first=ian\|last=dransfield\|date=September 13, 2014}}	Ocean Software
Wizadore	1985	designer	Imagine Software
Stryker's Run	1986	designer, programmer, artist	Superior Software
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny	1988	designer{{Cite web\|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-v-warriors-of-destiny/credits\|title=Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988) DOS credits\|website=MobyGames}}{{Cite web\|url=https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/11157\|title=Chris Roberts In and Around Ultima V – Wing Commander CIC\|website=www.wcnews.com\|date=September 8, 2011 }}	Origin Systems
Times of Lore	1988	director, designer, writer, programmer, tester	Origin Systems
Bad Blood	1990	director, designer, programmer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander	1990	director, lead designer, producer, programmer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander: The Secret Missions	1990	producer, programmer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade	1991	producer, programmer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi	1991	producer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi: Special Operations 1	1991	creative director	Origin Systems
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi: Special Operations 2	1992	creative director	Origin Systems
Strike Commander	1993	director, producer, artist, programmer	Origin Systems
Strike Commander: Tactical Operations	1993	producer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander: Privateer	1993	executive producer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander: Armada	1994	producer	Origin Systems
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger	1994	director, producer, writer, actor	Origin Systems
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom	1996	director, executive producer	Electronic Arts
Starlancer	2000	executive producer	Microsoft
Conquest: Frontier Wars	2001	producer, writer	Ubisoft
Freelancer	2003	original concept	Microsoft Game Studios
Star Citizen	TBA	director	Cloud Imperium Games
Squadron 42	TBA	director	Cloud Imperium Games

;Films

scope="col" \| Name ! scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Credited With ! scope="col" \| Distributor
class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
Wing Commander	1999	director, actor	20th Century Fox
The Punisher	2004	executive producer	Lions Gate Entertainment
The Jacket	2005	executive producer	Warner Independent Pictures
The Big White	2005	producer	Momentum Pictures
Lord of War	2005	producer	Lionsgate Films
Ask the Dust	2006	executive producer	Paramount Classics
Lucky Number Slevin	2006	producer	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Who's Your Caddy?	2007	executive producer	The Weinstein Company
Outlander	2008	producer	The Weinstein Company
Black Water Transit	2009	executive producer{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Black-Water-Transit-Lawsuit-Settled-We-Still-May-Never-See-It-16392.html\|title=Black Water Transit Lawsuit Settled, But We Still May Never See It\|date=January 5, 2010\|website=CINEMABLEND}}	Capitol Films

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web|last=Ryan|first=Vincent|title=Star Citizen Smashes Game Crowdfunding Record|url=http://themittani.com/news/star-citizen-smashes-game-crowdfunding-record/|publisher=THE MITTANI DOT COM|access-date=December 11, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204073607/http://themittani.com/news/star-citizen-smashes-game-crowdfunding-record/|archive-date=February 4, 2013}}

{{cite web|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|title=Star Citizen funding passes $23 million|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-funding-passes-23-million/1100-6415665/|website=GameSpot|access-date=November 29, 2013}}

}}