Harris heads to Robonica
By Staff -- Playthings, 3/24/2008 10:33:00 AM
CENTURION, South Africa—Robonica, a startup focused on developing new forms of robotic entertainment, has appointed designer Larry Harris to head its game creation efforts.
Harris (pictured) is best known for creating the strategy game Axis & Allies and its sequels. In addition, Harris has more than 200 published games to his credit, according to Robonica, including Conquest of the Empire, Broadsides and Boarding Parties, and LionHeart. Harris' career includes stops at Milton Bradley, Mattel, Coleco, Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Infogrames, Atari and his own company, Harris Game Design.
"Larry is one of the most acclaimed and experienced game designers in the industry today," said Johan Poolman, CEO of Robonica. "He brings vast creative and game design experience to Robonica, and will play a vital role in our endeavors to provide the market with entertaining and well balanced games that do justice to our novel new concept of game-playing robots."
Harris’s appointment is the second toy industry “name” to join the relatively unkown startup that says it is committed to “providing the world with meaningful and entertaining forms of robotic entertainment.”
Commenting on joining Robonica, Harris said: "The Robonii robot and the gameplay potential of the robotic gaming concept fascinated and intrigued me as game designer from the outset. With a 'real world' programmable robot interacting with other robots and accessories in its environment, I have rich elements in which to design challenging and fun-filled games that will deliver hours of entertainment. One clear aspect that was important to me was the need for repeat play value—I did not want this to be one of those things you turn on once or twice and soon forget. The 'magic' here is game play that is based on something you can touch and program, in a way an extension of yourself."
Robonica’s U.S. office is in Boston.
