Schilling's virtual curve ball
Pitcher's biz abandons Green Monster name
The computer game company founded in Maynard by Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is no longer known as Green Monster Games.
And the name change, which does away with the Red Sox reference, is a not-so-subtle sign that Schilling could soon be known as something other than a Red Sox pitcher.
Schilling announced earlier this month that he would change his company's name to 38 Studios.
Boston is home to the Green Monster, Fenway Park's imposing left field wall. Thirty-eight is the number that Schilling has sported for every team that he's pitched for in the major leagues.
According to Brett Close, who was named the company's president last month to take some responsibility off Schilling's shoulders, the decision to change the name to 38 Studios came well before Schilling's recent decision to put off retirement and return to baseball for the 2008 season.
And whether Schilling stays in Boston for the 2008 season or not, "doesn't matter one way or the other" to the company. "It has no bearing on anything, quite frankly," Close said.
Monster madness
Until spring training began last month, it appeared as if Schilling would retire after 2007, thus beginning and ending his professional baseball career in Boston.
Then, the name would've made sense. It would've been a reference to the stadium where Schilling gave the most stunning, heroic and dramatic pitching performances of his career.
It would have been a way for Red Sox fans to maintain some link to Schilling, and for Schilling to maintain his draw on the loyal Boston fan base after he retired.
But with his Red Sox contract coming to a close after the season, and the Red Sox unwilling to sign him to a new contract before then, Schilling said he would file for free agency and pitch again in 2008, even if it's not for the Red Sox.
So perhaps it is more appropriate for Schilling to use the uniform number he wore in Philadelphia and Arizona before coming to Boston, and which he'll wear if he leaves the Sox.
According to Close, Maynard is the right place for 38 Studios regardless of where Schilling plays.
"He could've had it just about anywhere," Close said. "First of all, it's home, in a business sense and in a community sense. Curt and his family are very active in the Boston area, and Curt's personality power is absolutely an advantage, and it shouldn't be overlooked."
Also, "there are other game development companies here, and a ton of tech here. There's also an education component that offers a lot of tech sharing capability," Close said.
Video gaming has grown to a $20 billion industry, and now outpaces movies, Close said.
Green Monster Games looked at one time to be the perfect name for Schilling's game development firm.
But Close said Schilling and company hope to be much more than a game development company. So, for a name, "we needed something that reflects a larger vision as an entertainment company. We reserve the right to be more than just a game company."
Indeed, Schilling's endeavor has attracted some big names. R.A. Salvatore, a Leominster native and science fiction novelist, is the company's "creator of worlds," or creative director. Todd McFarlane, the creator of the Spawn comic book series, also works for 38 Studios.
Time for growth
Close said having Salvatore and McFarlane could point to a future in comic books and movies for 38 Studios. "It would be limiting, to say the least, to assume that we wouldn't go into more products," he said.
For now, 38 Studios is concentrating on developing massive multi-player online role playing games, a segment of the huge and growing industry that caters to the most hardcore - some might say dorky - video gamers.
"These online games can be anything from glorified chatrooms to this cooperative adventure," said Salvatore.
Salvatore sees the video game industry one day outstripping all other forms of video entertainment.
"Ten years from now, more people will be playing computer games than are watching television," he said.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments