Wheel of Time Games announced the addition of three game industry veterans to beef up its game studio in Montreal.
The additions happen as the company is creating a studio of 200 to 300 people to build a triple-A, open world, role-playing game set in the Wheel of Time universe.
Craig Alexander, studio head of Wheel of Time Games, the Montreal-based studio developing the title, appointed Lori Hyrup as studio design director, John Lindemuth as studio art director, and Steve Gray as studio technology director. Reporting to Alexander, the trio brings decades of high-level experience and creative expertise to the ambitious project.
Wheel of Time Games (spelled iwot games by the company) is a division of iwot studios, which leads a transmedia strategy to bring The Wheel of Time to life across games, film, and television. The novels by Robert Jordan have sold over 100 million copies, with the final seven installments all topping the New York Times Best Seller list. In total, the 15 novels have more than 4.4 million words, 2,750 named characters, and a rich mythology spanning thousands of years.
“In building a game worthy of the Wheel of Time legacy, it was critical to assemble a world-class leadership team,” said Alexander, in a statement. “Lori, John, and Steve bring unparalleled experience, creative instincts, and a deep love of storytelling. With them on board, we’re positioned to deliver an unforgettable, immersive experience for fans around the world.”
Hyrup is a veteran game designer and narrative strategist with more than 20 years of experience leading high-impact design teams across genres and platforms. Most recently, she served in a senior leadership role at Warner Bros. Discovery’s games division, overseeing a design and narrative team of more than 50. Her credits include Wonder Woman, Dark Age of Camelot (including expansions), Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Star Wars: Uprising, and Battlestar Galactica Online. She has also held leadership positions at Deck Nine, EA, and Kabam.
Lindemuth brings nearly three decades of art direction and world-building expertise to iwot games. As Director of Art at Turbine (later acquired by Warner Bros.), he led creative development on major IPs including Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Infinite Crisis, Batman: Arkham Underworld, and Game of Thrones Conquest. His earlier work includes contributions to the Rock Band franchise at Harmonix. Lindemuth recently led the art department for video game creators Backflip Studios.
Gray has more than 30 years of global experience spanning technology, production, and studio leadership. He founded Chemistry Entertainment, which became Heavy Iron Studios, and has held executive roles at Tencent, EA, and Square LA. While at EA, he spearheaded development of The Lord of the Rings video game series, selling more than 18 million units. Gray’s credits also include Chinese blockbusters Crossfire and Honor of Kings, as well as international hits such as NBA 2K Online, and Call of Duty Online.
These new hires follow the launch of iwot games in April, led by iwot studios CEO Rick Selvage and anchored by the earlier appointments of Alexander as Studio Head and Stéphane D’Astous as Director of Studio Operations. With executive leadership in place, the studio will continue its aggressive talent expansion, targeting a team of 200 to 300 developers in Montreal. Interested applicants can contact: opportunities@iwotgames.com.
Wheel of Time Games’ sister division, iwot productions, is behind the BAFTA-nominated Wheel of Time television series on Prime Video—which completed its third season with a 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes—executive produced by Selvage and Larry Mondragon. Amazon just announced that Prime has canceled the series. Regarding the end of the series, the company said in a statement, “While the television series has concluded for now, iwot studios remains deeply committed to weaving new threads in the Pattern, including the upcoming origin film Age of Legends, a 3D animated feature, and this ambitious new triple-A game.”
Upcoming projects include the origin film Age of Legends™, directed by BAFTA winner Kari Skogland, and a 3D animated feature developed with Quebec’s award-winning Squeeze Animation Studios.
