Michael Hengst

Developer BIO

Michael Hengst worked in the games industry since 1988. While being editor and editor in-chief of the famous German magazines POWER PLAY and Video Games, he worked also on various games in various roles. One of his earliest works was the translation of the in game text and the manual of the SSI Role Playing Game Buck Rogers. He worked also as a tester for the German version of the remarkable Landstalker, which he, funnily enough, played first in Japanese. That fact has been brought to the attention of the European boss of Sega, at that time. During an ECTS, Michael had the chance to convince him to bring Landstalker into Germany.

In addition he was – in a certainly strange way – responsible for bringing the highly acclaimed RPG Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant into the German market. By visiting the developer Sir-Tech in the early nineties, he became a close friend the co-owner of Sir-Tech, Robert Sirotek. Wondering why Wizardry has never been released in Germany, he brought together Robert and Jürgen Goeldner, the Managing Director of the German publisher Softgold. As a result the Game was released 1993 in Germany in a fully localised version.

Michael worked between 1995 and 1996 for the well known Developer Sunflowers, and than as a freelancer before opening his own business in 1998. During that time, Michael Hengst brought highly successful Strategy guides into the German market, which sold extremely well. In addition he did some acclaimed press folders and brochures on different games, like Diablo II, which where unmatched in quality.

Michael worked for the Austrian based Publisher/Developer JoWooD Software AG in various roles. He helped bolstering JoWooD into becoming multi platform publisher and took on different projects, like the acclaimed Ski Racing 2005: Featuring Hermann Mayer which has been developed by the Swedish developer Coldwood Interactive in an amazingly short time on three different platforms.

Right now, Michael is working as a freelancer for various companies. For JoWooD Software AG, together with the extremely talented and highly professional Slovenian developer Zootfly and famous US-Designer Bob Bates, he works on the new game Panzer Elite Action (working title).

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Games Credited

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (2009), CDV Software Entertainment USA, Inc.
Ancient Wars: Sparta (2006), Russobit-M
Evil Days of Luckless John (2006), Akella
First Battalion (2006), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Sacred Gold (2005), KOCH Media UK Ltd.
Sacred Underworld (2005), Take-Two Interactive Software Europe Ltd.
Neighbors from Hell: On Vacation (2004), Russobit-M
S3: Silent Storm - Sentinels (2004), 1C Company
SpellForce: The Breath of Winter (2004), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Against Rome (2003), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Cold Zero: No Mercy (2003), Deep Silver, JoWooD Productions Software AG
Neighbors from Hell (2003), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Arx Fatalis (2002), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Europa 1400: The Guild (2002), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Far West (2002), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Gothic II (2002), JoWooD Productions Software AG
Gangsters: Organized Crime (1998), Eidos Interactive Ltd.