Splash Damage takes Fable II lead designer

Richard Ham, Fable II's lead designer, has joined Splash Damage as creative director.

He'll be put to work in charge of the design team on the developer's Bethesda project.

“I’m really excited to be at Splash Damage," said Hame. "Their pedigree in shooters is absolutely fantastic and when I met the team and saw what they were working on, I knew I had to be part of it.”

Press release after the link.

Splash Damage Installs FABLE II Lead Designer as Creative Director

15-year industry veteran to drive vision for studio’s new title.

London, England – December 8th 2008 – Splash Damage today announced that it has appointed industry veteran Richard Ham as Creative Director. Richard comes to Splash Damage having completed Lionhead’s critically acclaimed hit Fable® II as Lead Designer, and was the creative lead of Syphon Filter®, the all-time best-selling shooter franchise for the original PlayStation®.

In his new role as Creative Director at Splash Damage, Richard will drive the vision and lead the design team behind their new AAA multi-platform title being developed in partnership with Bethesda Softworks, creators of the blockbuster hit Fallout® 3. Richard will work alongside the wealth of talent that has joined Splash Damage throughout 2008, including senior, lead, and directorial staff behind hits such as Mass Effect™, Rainbow Six® Vegas, Heavenly Sword™, and Burnout™ Paradise.

“We have spent months searching for the right person to lead Splash Damage's new title creatively, and Richard is an exact fit,” said Paul Wedgwood, owner of Splash Damage and Studio Director. “His stunning track record makes him ideal to drive our vision for such a truly ambitious new multiplatform project. I am constantly flabbergasted by his incredible design wit and intellect.”

Richard Ham added, “I’m really excited to be at Splash Damage. Their pedigree in shooters is absolutely fantastic and when I met the team and saw what they were working on, I knew I had to be part of it.”

Richard brings 15 years of game development and creative direction experience to Splash Damage and has worked on several high profile titles across most gaming platforms. He started out in the industry working for Nintendo of America and later joined Sony Computer Entertainment of America, where he led the hugely successful Syphon Filter series for the original PlayStation, the best-selling shooter franchise in the platform's history. He later served as Creative Director of Edge of Reality, where he successfully adapted EA’s massive hit The Sims™ to consoles and contributed to several other titles. Richard most recently worked at Lionhead Studios, where he worked on Fable: The Lost Chapters and The Movies™ for the PC and led the design team for the acclaimed Fable II.