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"I'm pretty sure I mean it" - Legendary Deus Ex and System Shock developer Warren Spector announces retirement
He plans to write books, lecture and consult after saying age, health and industry changes made the work less fun.
Legendary game developer Warren Spector announced his retirement on LinkedIn, stating he is "pretty sure" this marks the end of his 44th year as a developer, citing "age and health" as primary factors.
During his tenure at Origin and Ion Storm, Spector pioneered "immersive sims," producing titles including Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex while leading teams as large as 800.
Throughout his career, Spector worked on 17 full digital games and 9 add-on packs, with some of his creations still played 30 years after their release.
His announcement follows the release of Thick as Thieves this year, which ended support after two months; Spector noted that industry changes mean it is "just not as much fun for me anymore."
Spector plans to write books, deliver lectures, and provide consulting, while urging young developers to continue experimenting and stating, "your job is to make people forget people like me ever existed" as he prepares to "ride off into the sunset.