Bob Bates

Developer BIO

From the TIMEQUEST Manual: SECTION 15 - About The Author

In 1536, Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries in England. After that, things settled down and stayed pretty quiet for awhile. Then, in 1989, Mediagenic ordered the dissolution of Infocom. Both events had sacrilegious overtones, and both cast legions of faithful followers adrift on seas of uncertainty.

Bob Bates had written three games for Infocom prior to its demise. The first two were Sherlock! The Riddle Of The Crown Jewels, and Arthur: The Quest For Excalibur. The third game expired with the death of the company and sank into an abyss from which it will never emerge.

Hoping to win the 'Henry VIII Memorial Defender Of The Faith' award, Bob co-founded Legend Entertainment Company in 1989 to continue the tradition of puzzle-based adventure games. Steve Meretzky signed up to do a game (providing definitive proof that he truly IS crazy) and the company is finally off and running. Bob likes to think he lives with his wife Peggy Oriani and their son Alex. They have a different opinion, however, and make him wear a name tag on the few occasions when he actually does come home. Nevertheless, he dedicates this game to them in recognition of the sacrifices they made so that it could be written.

Websites

• ACG Interview -- Interview with Bob on 12 Feb 2001
• Bob Bates' homepage -- A spartan page briefly tabulating some of his game industry accomplishments, as well as containing information on his two books on game development.
• 2005 Bob Bates interview -- on G-Wie-Gorilla
• Infocom Authors -- Short biography of Bob Bates.
• Bob Bates Interview -- Just Adventure's Randy Sluganski interviews Bob about his gaming background and the game Blackstone Chronicles.

Games Credited

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (2008), Deep Silver
Dunes of War (2007), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Spider-Man 3 (2007), Activision Publishing, Inc.
Tortuga: Two Treasures (2007), ASCARON Entertainment UK Ltd.
Ankh (Special Edition) (2006), bhv Software GmbH & Co. KG
Panzer Elite Action: Fields of Glory (2006), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Ankh (2005), bhv Software GmbH & Co. KG
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Atari, Inc.
Unreal II: The Awakening (2003), Infogrames, Inc.
The Terminator: Dawn of Fate (2002), Infogrames, Inc.
John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles: An Adventure in Terror (1998),
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1997), Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Mission Critical (1995), Legend Entertainment Company
Shannara (1995), Legend Entertainment Company
Superhero League of Hoboken (1994), Legend Entertainment Company
Companions of Xanth (1993), Legend Entertainment Company
Eric the Unready (1993), Legend Entertainment Company
Gateway 2: Homeworld (1993), Legend Entertainment Company
Frederik Pohl's Gateway (1992), Legend Entertainment Company
Spellcasting 301: Spring Break (1992), Legend Entertainment Company
Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance (1991), Legend Entertainment Company
Timequest (1991), Legend Entertainment Company
Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers get all the Girls (1990), Legend Entertainment Company
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur (1989), Infocom, Inc.
Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels (1987), Infocom, Inc.