The First Decade: The Influential People

Posted December 22, 2009 - By G4Sterling

Although video games are a young medium, each decade is defined by something different. In the 2000s, we've seen the slow erosion of PC gaming, the sales dominance of handheld systems, the rise of online console games, and most importantly, a resurgence of mainstream acceptance as children of the 70s and 80s reached adulthood and began using their dollars to turn games into an industry second only to Hollywood. Of course, the decade is defined by both games and news, but it's important to look at the names who've sculpted both from the business side. Here's a look at a few of the most influential business figures in gaming this decade.

Satoru Iwata

Who Is He? As the worldwide president and CEO of Nintendo, Iwata has overseen the company since taking over in 2002 from Hiroshi Yamauchi, who reigned over the company for 53 years prior. He is the first non-blood relative of the Yamauchis to run Nintendo in its history.

Why Is He Important? Iwata weathered the stormy GameCube years at Nintendo, during which the company wrestled with a chilly public reception toward its hardware. He has overseen a dramatic turnaround and restored Nintendo to an ubiquity unseen since the late 80s. Alongside the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto’s creative vision, Iwata -- a former game producer -- has been one of the most important figures in the company’s resurgence.

Decade Milestones

May 2002 -- Iwata takes over the reins of Nintendo from Yamauchi a few months after the GameCube launch.
May 2003 -- Game Boy Advance SP launches. Its design style moves away from Nintendo's traditionally kid-friendly designs and indicates an aesthetic change for Nintendo's hardware.
May 2004 -- The introduction of Reggie Fils-Amie, the new marketing director of Nintendo, marks a transition from a more aloof company during the Yamauchi era, to a more proactive company that's aggressive about its branding.
November 2004 -- Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS to wide fanfare. As of now, Nintendo DS is on track to set worldwide sales records and is likely to usurp PlayStation 2’s market saturation by the end of its life cycle.
November 2006 -- Nintendo releases Wii. Watching people argue over second place in hardware sales each month resembles 12 year-old Internet arguments about second place box office while Titanic played in theatres.

Alex Rigopolous

Who Is He? Co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems, along with Eran Egozy. Both men have changed the way gamers interact with music over the decade. Both men’s leadership has been instrumental to Harmonix’s success, though Rigopolous is the more vocal of the duo.

Why Is He Important? Aside from Sony’s SingStar franchise, nearly every successful Western-made music game of this decade has Harmonix’s fingerprints on it somewhere. Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band have all seen the Harmonix touch. Even less successful games like Frequency and Amplitude are considered cult classics. Many have credited Rock Band’s approach to downloadable content as one of elements currently keeping record labels afloat.

Decade Milestones

November 2003 -- Karaoke Revolution releases to wide fanfare. It wins Time Magazine’s Game of the Year.
November 2005 -- Guitar Hero, a joint venture between Harmonix and RedOctane, releases. Through word of mouth, it grows to be a huge hit and eventually plants the seeds for Rock Band.
November 2007 -- Rock Band releases, which brings the Guitar Hero concept from a two player experience to a four-player co-op game. Neighbors and landlords across America are pissed.
September 2009 -- The Beatles: Rock Band releases. It marks a milestone for one of the 20th century’s most famous bands whose surviving members and heirs have been reluctant to adopt the tech advancements of this decade.

Ken Kutaragi

Who Is He? Credited as “The Father of the PlayStation,” Kutaragi ushered in the research and development that led to the PlayStation. He oversaw every generation of PlayStation hardware until his resignation in 2006 and retirement in 2007.

Why Is He Important? Public gaffes aside, Kutaragi’s vision and ideas (and his tendency to buck the trends at a staid and traditional Japanese company, no small feat) helped mold not only the arguably most important gaming platform of this decade, but also set the standards for others to imitate. Despite the hubris exhibited around the PlayStation 3’s launch, many forget that Kutaragi was instrumental in engineering these great machines that lead to us flaming one another on the Internets. Orator, he is not. Visionary? Without a doubt.

Decade Milestones

October 2000 -- PlayStation 2 launches in America. It goes on to command 70% of the market at its peak, and has sold over 138 million consoles in nine years.
March 2005 -- PlayStation Portable marks Sony’s first foray into the handheld gaming market. While the platform has never matched the sales of Nintendo DS, it’s certainly the most successful machine to take on the Nintendo juggernaut.
November 2006 -- PlayStation 3 launches in Japan and North America near-simultaneously. The machine has struggled over the years after its release, but has gained its footing in recent months.

Bobby Kotick

Who is He? As the CEO and president of Activision Blizzard, Kotick oversees the world’s largest third-party videogame publisher.

Why is He Important? Although Kotick’s statements over the past two years haven’t always endeared him to the media or hardcore gamers, Activision has made some exceptionally shrewd decisions in the 2000s that have led the publisher to its present prime positioning. From Tony Hawk’s salad days in the earlier parts of the decade to Shrek and the numerous Spider-Man and X-Men titles that Activision has launched, it was always a company in solid standing. And that’s before you factor in the likes of Blizzard, Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty.

Decade Milestones

2003 -- Activision acquires Infinity Ward, a team formed from former Medal of Honor: Allied Assault developers, who had just shipped Call of Duty. The series has grossed $3 billion in sales to date.
2005 -- Activision renews its license for Spider-Man and X-Men with Marvel. Kotick upgrades from a kiddy pool full of cash to a Jacuzzi full of greenbacks.
2006 -- Activision acquires RedOctane, peripheral manufacturers behind Guitar Hero. The series has grossed over $2 billion to date.
2008 -- Activision merges with Blizzard to form the world’s largest publisher. Kotick upgrades to an Olympic-sized pool full of cash.

Gabe Newell

Who Is He? Co-founder of Valve Software, Newell is one of the minds behind the Half-Life series, the Source Engine, and Steam.

Why Is He Important? Aside from the fact that Valve has launched some of this decade’s most critically-acclaimed games, it has also provided one of the most durable game engines in the Source Engine, which gamers first experienced in Half-Life 2, and have continued to enjoy it all the way up to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve’s most recent title. But even more importantly, Steam has done for PC gaming what iTunes has done for digital music. During an era in which the retail shelf space for PC titles has dwindled, Valve’s service changed the way gamers pre-order and buy their games.

Decade Milestones

2002 -- Valve announces Steam, which initially functions as a content delivery service, then goes on to replace the online multiplayer services set up by Sierra (Valve’s then-publisher).
2004 -- Half-Life 2 releases, after delays and a security breach that compromises the Source Engine. Aside from showing off what Valve’s game engine was capable of, it required Steam to activate, which dramatically boosted its install base overnight.
2004 -- A judge decides in favor of Valve in a long-time legal fight between the developer and Sierra regarding royalties and distribution. Valve strikes up a distribution agreement with EA shortly after.
2009 -- Steam acquires the exclusive digital distribution rights to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. The service's library currently boasts over 900 games.

The Houser Brothers

Who Are They? Dan and Sam, limelight-shy co-founders of Rockstar Games (alongside CEO Terry Donovan).

Why Are They Important? Grand Theft Auto’s 3D resurgence has undoubtedly changed the face of gaming. Rockstar Games’ approach to marketing ripped several pages from the music industry’s techniques (ask any urban dweller about stickers slapped on telephone poles or the vast billboards and bus ads advertising a GTA game). When mainstream media started comparing the gaming industry to Hollywood, it really started with GTA: Vice City. For all of the controversy (and occasional bone-headed moments) that Rockstar has incited over the 2000s, gaming is considered a far more mainstream activity thanks to the likes of Grand Theft Auto.

Decade Milestones

2001 -- Grand Theft Auto III is on display at E3. It allegedly goes ignored. A few months later, it releases on PlayStation 2 during an unusually strong holiday season and goes on to help define the PS2’s stronghold.
2004 -- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas releases and goes on to set sales records worldwide. It is the top-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time, with over 17 million copies sold. It also incited the “Hot Coffee” incident, which led to an overhaul of the ESRB’s approach to reviewing and rating games.
2006 -- Microsoft announces at E3 that it will house exclusive downloadable content from Grand Theft Auto IV. The news ultimately bolsters sales of the Xbox 360 version as 3.29 million copies are sold on the platform in 2008, versus 1.89 million on PlayStation 3.
2008 -- Grand Theft Auto IV set new sales records in April 2008 when it hit stores, selling 3.6 million on its launch day (a feat later trumped by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) and selling 6 million copies in its first week.

Mike Morhaime

Who Is He? Co-founder and president of Blizzard, makers of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo.

Why Is He Important? Under Morhaime’s captaincy, Blizzard has released three anchor titles this decade, all of which rank as some of the most popular games of the era. Diablo II, Warcraft III, and World of Warcraft (plus expansions) have captured the minds, hearts, and wallets of millions of gamers around the world. WoW has taken the MMORPG and made it palatable for a variety of gamers.

Decade Milestones

2000 -- Diablo II, the sequel to the 1996 PC classic, releases. It goes on to be one of the decade's most popular PC games.
2002 -- Warcraft III launches, expanding the game’s fiction and preparing players for what was to come in the MMO space a few years later.
2004 -- World of Warcraft launches, and its $15/month subscription charge is soon multiplied by the millions. Other publishers’ attempts at launching a competing MMO were like waves crashing against the cliffside.
2008 -- Blizzard merges with Activision. Blizzard is the Good Cop, and retains the creative freedom to work on Starcraft II and Diablo III.

Mike Capps, Mark Rein and Tim Sweeney

Epic Games

Who Are They? President, Vice President/Co-Founder and CEO/Co-Founder of Epic Games (respectively).

Why Are They Important? Aside from Epic's game development, which brought us blockbusters such as the Unreal series and Gears of War, Epic's technical work at its North Carolina headquarters has carried an undeniable influence on contemporary games. Due to the aggressive licensing of Unreal Engine 3 as a highly modifiable middleware engine, Epic's fingerprints can be seen across a broad sampling of blockbusters of this console generation, including Mass Effect, Mirror's Edge, BioShock, Rainbow Six Vegas, and Batman: Arkham Asylum. Unreal Engine 3 can't make games play better on its own, but with a team of skilled artists and coders, there's no denying that they look better.

Decade Milestones

2005 -- Epic sets up a tiny theater next to Atari's E3 setup to show off the technological advancements of Unreal Engine 3. It provides a glimpse into the future of this generation.
2006 -- Gamers get their first real glance at the engine in action when Gears of War drops and several games utilizing the engine start hitting gamers' libraries. The wave of titles makes Unreal Engine 3 a buzzword for hardcore gamers.
2007 -- Silicon Knights' president Denis Dyack sues Epic, claiming that the company failed to deliver on the promises that the middleware offered. The suit is allegedly part of the reason for Too Human's delay.
2008 -- At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sweeney shows off the next evolution of Unreal Engine 3. With enhanced water physics, the ability to render more characters onscreen, improved AI capabilities and more environmental destructibility, a game that could show off those new features could only be around the corner. A few minutes later, Gears of War creative director Cliff Bleszinski was onstage to announce Gears of War 2.

Yves Guillemot

Who Is He? CEO of Ubisoft, one of the world's largest publishers.

Why Is He Important? At the beginning of the decade, Ubisoft was a somewhat-known publisher who'd broken through thanks to the success of Rayman during the heyday of 3D platformers and the distribution of Tom Clancy's licensed shooters. Since then, Ubisoft has taken some big risks throughout the 2000s. Aside from Halo, Ubisoft's games largely defined the Xbox and set the standards for console multiplayer gaming. The publisher was among the first to aggressively pursue content on Wii from launch, and has delivered some of the highest profile games of this generation, including Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, and Assassin's Creed.

Decade Milestones

2000 -- Ubisoft purchases Red Storm Entertainment, a North Carolina-based developer co-founded by novelist Tom Clancy. Ubisoft's partnership with Clancy opens up a wide variety of games bearing his name.
2001 -- Ubisoft purchases The Learning Company's library, which includes Myst and (more importantly) Prince of Persia.
2003 -- Ubisoft releases several games in a small window, most of which perform poorly, but include critical darlings Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Beyond Good & Evil.
2006 -- Ubisoft makes a big splash in the HD era of gaming with three Tom Clancy-branded games in one year (new entries for Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six), plus two prominent third-party games for Nintendo's new console, both of which prove to be hits. Ubisoft goes on to launch another successful IP the following year with Assassin's Creed.

Peter Moore

Who Is He? Currently the president of EA Sports. Former COO of Sega of America. Former corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft. Likes tattoos.

Why Is He Important? Out of the important figures of the decade, few have worn the hats that Peter Moore has donned, and few have been the face of so many cross-sections of the gaming industry. As the COO of Sega, he oversaw the launch and failure of the Dreamcast and Sega's transition from hardware manufacturer to third-party software publisher. At Microsoft, he came in to revitalize the Xbox brand and trump up interest. And he immortalized himself at E3 2004 with a tattoo bearing Halo 2's release date. Among the numerous personalities behind the Xbox team, Moore was among the most vocal, throughout controversies (hardware shortages at launch and early reports of faulty hardware) and triumphs (E3 2006). Therefore, given Moore's position at Microsoft, it was shocking to see him transition over to EA in August 2007 to head up EA Sports. Under Moore, EA Sports has flourished and expanded its reach out to social networking and iPhone interactivity. When you think about it, it's astounding that his current division had a heavy role in undermining his job at the start of the decade. Indeed, few talking heads were as beloved and bedeviled in the 2000s than Peter Moore. No matter where he goes, he'll never walk alone.

Decade Milestones

2001 -- Amid faltering sales and heavy competition from Sony, Sega ceases production of the Dreamcast and withdraws from the hardware market, all on Moore's watch.
2003 -- Microsoft brings Moore in. He gains notoriety at E3 2004 after not only promising a release date for Halo 2, but displaying a tattoo on his arm with the date. Theatrics aside, Moore's ties with Japan from his Sega days help Microsoft with establishing ties to Japanese dev houses. More importantly, Moore is credited with helping to establish EA's partnership with Microsoft to bring EA titles to Xbox Live. Remember when you couldn't play Madden on Xbox Live just six years ago? Yeah, thank Peter Moore.
2005 -- Xbox 360 launches on Moore's watch. Fortunately, this hardware sells more than the prior one he helped usher in. A few months later at E3 2006, he unveils another tattoo and another generation-defining moment: Grand Theft Auto IV will have platform-exclusive content for Xbox 360.
2007 -- After two years of sound bytes and flame war-inducing comments as one of Microsoft's spokesmen, Moore moves over to EA Sports, allegedly to return to the San Francisco Bay Area.
2009 -- EA Sports is the only third-party publisher to release games bundled with Nintendo peripherals, a first. Both Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis boast Wii MotionPlus. EA's social networking integration grows beyond just online matches, as Madden NFL 10 moves to the PC and iPhone with Online Franchise Mode.

Tags: Videogames

Comments

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Sesslersprodigy

NEWELL IS THE BOSS. i think they forgot to say he is good at negotiations because he had to fly to florida and talk to the leader of the l4d2 boycotte.

Posted: December 28, 2009 10:23 AM | Reply | Report

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EpicAmbu

I would have had Miyamoto in my list, either way this is cool

Posted: December 27, 2009 9:25 PM | Reply | Report

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Gameinatrix

And why is Morgan Romaine not on this list or any female gamer industry types? I'd say there are a few who also helped change and shape the industry as well...

Posted: December 27, 2009 11:20 AM | Reply | Report

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specswiz

Nice list, they were good for this decade. Now it's over!! Out with the old in with the new.

Posted: December 27, 2009 12:46 AM | Reply | Report

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0Devildog0

You had to have seen the controversy coming when you include Kotick in a list.

Posted: December 25, 2009 3:55 AM | Reply | Report

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bestclipfan

I am surprised Cliffy B didn't make the list for inventing the 3rd person cover style shooter.

Posted: December 23, 2009 9:55 AM | Reply | Report

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yayap001

Peter Molyneux

Posted: December 22, 2009 11:58 PM | Reply | Report

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SpoogeMuffin

Will Wright?

Posted: December 22, 2009 6:23 PM | Reply | Report

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Metalstorm98

ummmmmm MIYAMOTO ANYONE?

Posted: December 22, 2009 3:33 PM | Reply | Report

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austin43

The same Bobby Kotick who told Infinity Ward they should make call of duty 4 a WWII game? The same Bobby Kotick who releases a new underwhelming guitar hero each year? The same Bobby Kotick who decided Tony Hawk Ride was a good idea? And he wants to charge us MORE than 60 bucks a pop for new games? Bobby Kotick is to Activision what Al Davis is to the Raiders.

Posted: December 22, 2009 1:14 PM | Reply | Report

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napkinshower

peter moore's picture makes him look like anton lavey lol scary. cool i dig the post!

Posted: December 22, 2009 1:04 PM | Reply | Report

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iamevn

well, *I* game on MY pc... <.<

i'd say its pretty awesome

Posted: December 22, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Report

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grayk47

thank god i didnt see Peter Molyneux

Posted: December 22, 2009 12:57 PM | Reply | Report

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zenmastersamuraimonk

iwata and kutaragi are the only ones worth mentioning as far as being influential to me. i dont like the others two much for a few reasons, one kotick is an ahole, two i don't like sports games nor do like rhythm games, gta is lame if i wanted two do things for a bunch of gang members i can just step outside my building, three im not a pc gamer, and finally im kind of a huge otaku so i tend to like japanese people more than the average american. oh yeah and french people are kind of weird.

Posted: December 22, 2009 10:59 AM | Reply | Report

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Gyrorobo

Maybe It's just me but I dont see Cliff Bleszinski on this list. He was the Design Director epic after all, but whatever I was just putting in my 2 cents. P.S. Gears rules epic, and thank you for stealing hours and hours of my life!
P.P.S Where is Bethesda in this? where The Elder Scrolls series not some of the best RPG's ever?

Posted: December 22, 2009 10:44 AM | Reply | Report

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gorloc

I hope people don't come in here and start complaining about that stupid decade thing like in the last thread

Posted: December 22, 2009 10:32 AM | Reply | Report

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down311

Not to toot Bungies horn but they absolutely blew up online console gaming.

Posted: December 22, 2009 7:32 AM | Reply | Report

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Utmost_NutsZo

What about someone Naughty Dog?! They gave us the Half-Tuck! THE HALF-TUCK! =P

All kidding aside, that's a nice list.

Posted: December 22, 2009 6:31 AM | Reply | Report

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Master Chieftain

Those people are great at knowing what we want and they are the greatest people i know who can make a great game for a person or group of people to play

Posted: December 22, 2009 5:53 AM | Reply | Report

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