Executive Team

James Hettinger, Chief Executive Officer, Founder

In 1989, Mr. Hettinger founded and was CEO of Tantalus Inc., one of the first online game companies. Two years later, he founded and was CEO of MPG-Net, the first independent Internet game network. In 1995, MPG-Net was contracted by Microsoft to create the first online games available on the Microsoft Network. In 1997, MPG-Net became the exclusive online game provider for AT&T Worldnet.

In 1998, Mr. Hettinger sold his company to Interactive Magic, a publicly traded NASDAQ company. In 1999, he was asked to become CEO of Interactive Magic and complete the conversion of the company from a CD-ROM game company into an Internet game company. Additionally, in that year, Interactive Magic was selected as the exclusive provider of online games for Earthlink and Mindspring. In 2001, Mr. Hettinger became the Chief Media Officer at Indiqu, a leading provider of content to 26 mobile telephone carriers throughout North America and Europe.

Charles Tyson, Co-founder

Charlie Tyson is the financial manager for Icarus Studios and a co-scripter of Fallen Earth. Born in 1963 and raised in Philadelphia, Charlie graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College in 1985. After college he received his financial training at major Connecticut National Bank in Hartford, but in 1989 he decided to enter small business. He partnered with a long time friend to create a chain of specialty hobby stores in the Philadelphia area.

In 1993 with the emergence of collectible card games, the two partners decided to add role playing games to the stores. Charlie formed an immediate passion for the games and decided to move further in their direction. In 1997 he purchased his game supplier, The Armory, out of Baltimore. It was the third largest specialty game distributor in the country, and as its CFO he spent the next three years taking it to the top. By 2000 it was three times bigger than its nearest competitor.

An entrepreneur at heart, however, Charlie dreamed of taking the step away from sales towards game development. After meeting James Hettinger in 1999, the two began to discuss the possibility of putting together a state of the art on-line cross game category action and role playing game. Confident that James’ game development and production experience fit perfectly with his financial and business management background, Charlie sold the distribution company in 2000. He and James then founded Icarus.

Stephen Gentzler, Chief Finance and Operations Officer

Stephen graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Accounting in 1982, and spent eight years working in the Dallas area as Chief Accountant and Controller for non-profit nursing home chains. He spent ten years working for Hill Rom in the Long Term Care division in various roles, including Long Term Care Reimbursement Consultant and National Director of Medicaid and Insurance Field Documentation. He then spent two years in Charleston, SC as CFO/COO of a local nursing home and assisted living chain before relocating to Raleigh to set up the financials and business processes for a startup healthcare company, Legacy Healthcare. In 2005, Stephen went to work for ProviderLink, a healthcare communications technology company, as CFO/COO, and helped guide the company to a successful merger with Compuware Corporation a year later. After the merger, he served as the Director of operations until joining Icarus.

Brad Lineberger, Chief Technical Officer

Mr. Lineberger is a thirteen-year veteran of the massive multiplayer online game industry, and author of the first graphical MMORPG on the Internet, the Kingdom of Drakkar. Mr. Lineberger first worked with James Hettinger in 1991, when he accepted a position at the Multi-Player Games Network (MPG-Net). He became Vice President of Development at MPG-Net in 1993, and Chief Technology Officer in 1994. While at MPG-Net, he also worked on two 3D MMORPGs, Judgment Phoenix and DragonGard. After the sale of MPG-Net to Interactive Magic in 1998, he joined World Gaming Corporation as the CTO, where he remained until the acquisition by Women.com networks. Brought into Icarus Studios for his unique MMOG development expertise, Mr. Lineberger oversees all technology development and direction.

Jeff Strief, Executive Vice President

Jeff Strief is a media and game industry veteran with over 20 years of interactive and traditional media senior management experience. He spent 5 years in the online casual game market as president of Flipside, a Vivendi Universal Interactive company. The company was one of the largest online destinations for casual games and pioneered new forms of game play monetization with pay for play, subscription and game download offerings. Vivendi Universal Interactive also developed, produced and was the exclusive online distributor for Pearson Television’s line of popular game shows including Family Feud, To Tell the Truth and Name That Tune.

From the late 80s to 1998 Jeff was a senior executive with CMP Media. The industry leading brands he managed included TechWeb, Computer Reseller News, InformationWeek, VAR Business and Network Computing. Jeff also spearheaded and launched a first of its kind go to market strategy for CMP Media called Customer First. The program reorganized all of CMP’s 400 sales staff around the customer vs specific brands.

Phil Hall, Vice President, Production

A veteran of the gaming industry with extensive experience in cost and project management, production, publishing and distribution of both stand-alone and online products, Mr. Hall played an integral role in the successful IPO of game publisher Interactive Magic. While at Interactive Magic, he participated in the release of over 22 stand-alone retail boxed games. In 1999, with the acquisition of MPG-Net he oversaw the operation and development of over 50 online game products including Warbirds™ which was online game of the year for three consecutive years. Mr. Hall was then promoted to General Manager of IENT (formerly Interactive Magic) and oversaw all aspects of operations and production. Mr. Hall was then hired by CDV as general manager of the retail box publishing and oversaw the release of over 20 retail box games. Mr. Hall joined Icarus Studios in 2006 to oversee all aspects of production.

Judah Graham, Vice President, Creative Services and Client Relations

Judah Graham has nearly fifteen years experience managing teams and developing interactive entertainment for cross platform distribution via web, mobile phones, 2D and 3D game environments. Prior to working with Icarus Studios, he worked on various projects including The Matrix Revolution® and Reloaded®. He has plied his creative skills to developing award winning AAA titles on games like Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon®, Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader®, Games Workshop's Warhammer 40K, Chaos Gate® and Hasbro Interactive's Scrabble®. He holds a degree in Advertising Design and Computer Graphics as well as post graduate certificates in creative design and team management.

Media Relations

Media Inquiries

Latest Press Releases

Icarus Studios and Apogee Software Partner to Produce Sam Suede™
March 03, 2010 -

- Sam Suede is Back in Action in Undercover Exposure^©! -

CARY, N.C. & DALLAS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The award-winning Icarus Studios and the legendary Apogee Software today announced that they have joined forces to produce the action comedy game, Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure^©.

“Chemistry is the key to the success of any partnership”

Icarus is utilizing its xScape^TM 3D engine technology developed for the award-winning game, Fallen Earth^TM. “We have been searching for a cutting edge technology to bring Sam Suede to the market,” says Ken Wegrzyn, Sam Suede creator and Executive Producer. “Icarus’ xScape^™ platform not only meets but significantly exceeds our vision for Sam Suede.”

“We see Sam Suede as a big leap forward in the video game experience,” says Jim Hettinger, CEO of Icarus Studios. “We are excited to bring our technology and expertise to this innovative property!”

Known for world-famous legacy properties and industry-first innovations in game design and digital distribution, Apogee has been working closely with Wegrzyn on Sam Suede. “Chemistry is the key to the success of any partnership,” says Dan Lutter, President and CEO of Apogee Software. “In this case, the melding of the creativity, technology, and experience of the partners creates a perfect formula for this comedic twist on the action-adventure genre.”

About Icarus Studios, INC.

Located in Cary, North Carolina, Icarus Studios is a next generation game developer and technology provider. The studio’s xScape cloud gaming development platform enables the production and cross integration of massively multi-player online games, iPhone and Facebook applications and virtual worlds. Icarus Studios’ recent game credits include co-developing the award winning MMOG Fallen Earth, and developing Showtime’s Dexter iPhone game. Icarus Studios provides its partners with a total solution that includes design and content production, monetization, customer support, hosting, and a tightly integrated technology platform. The Icarus xScape technology platform was built from the ground-up on industry standards to accelerate time to market, reduce development and running costs, and enable new revenue streams through 3D, Web, Flash™, and mobile user experiences.

About Apogee Software, LLC

Apogee Software is a privately held Texas company, with a core team of industry experts in game development, publishing, and distribution. Apogee builds franchises around original IP, publishing content for retail and digital distribution on next-generation consoles, the PC, and mobile platforms. Apogee's amazing history includes the original releases of Commander Keen™ (1990), Duke Nukem™ (1991), Wolfenstein 3-D™ (1992), Raptor™ (1993), and Rise of the Triad™ (1994), just to name a few. For more information, please visit www.apogeesoftware.com

Icarus Studios Partners with UNC-Chapel Hill, Integrates Performance Art and Technology
February 09, 2010 -

Icarus Studios, UNC Chapel Hill Present The Virtual Performance Factory

Cary, NC – Local video game developer, Icarus Studios, is pleased to announce its partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill, together developing an original video game and series of virtual works to be used in an interactive live drama performance, The Virtual Performance Factory, set to run February 18–28. Read More

Fallen Earth is a Massively 2009 Award Winner
January 01, 2010 - Fallen Earth won Staff Choice for Best Crafting, Best Studio, and Overall Best MMO of 2009. Read More

Fallen Earth is a ZAM 2009 Award Winner
December 25, 2009 - Fallen Earth won third place for Best New MMO. Read More

Fallen Earth is an MMORPG.com 2009 Editorial Award Nominee
December 24, 2009 - Fallen Earth was nominated for Best New Game of 2009. Read More

Fallen Earth is an IGN 2009 Game of the Year Award Nominee
December 11, 2009 - Fallen Earth was nominated for Best Persistent World. Read More

Fallen Earth Announces Real-Time iPhone Application
November 06, 2009 -

FALLEN EARTH, LLC, and Icarus Studios Inc., developers of the self-titled massively multiplayer online game (MMO), announced today the development of a cross-platform iPhone application, which allows players to connect into the live game server and interact with the game remotely via their iPhone. Read More

FE Makes List of Top 10 Best MMOs Since WoW
October 16, 2009 -

World of Warcraft changed the way people look at MMORPGs when it launched on November 23rd, 2004. Since that time, according to our game list, 174 new MMOs have been launched and survive to this day. Of those launched prior to World of Warcraft, only 63 continue operation. Sure, there are other games we have not listed yet (we’re working on it) and quite a few games have launches and died (I’m looking at you Tabula Rasa). I’m also suffering from some North American bias and only counting the games on this side of the pond. Still, that’s a fantastic number of games in only five years that have either made it or – worst case – not died since WoW launched. Yet, despite the 174 new entries, not one has even flirted with a fraction of WoW’s success, let alone matched it critically or commercially. Read More

TheLedger.com - "Fallen Earth Is Incredibly Fun"
October 15, 2009 -

Ever since I grew tired of "World of Warcraft" I've been trying to latch on to another online role-playing game, but so far, none have held my interest for very long.

"Aion," the latest fantasy-themed online title, debuted late last month but has been working through its share of problems. I'm not quite sure I want to test those waters yet.

But a funny thing happened around the time of "Aion's" launch: a little indie game called "Fallen Earth" (PC, $15 monthly fee; rated Mature) slipped in under the radar.

It's unlike anything currently on the market, both in theme and gameplay.

"Fallen Earth" is set in a post-apocalyptic America in the year 2156. You and other players comprise a population of scientifically-engineered clones living in and around the Grand Canyon.

If you've played any of the "Fallout" games (or have watched a "Mad Max" film), you already have a good idea of what to expect from "Fallen Earth," at least in terms of visual style and tone. Read More

Fallen Earth Announces Commercial Launch Today
September 22, 2009 -

Digital Download Available on Direct2Drive and Steam for Instant Game Play

Raleigh, NC—FALLEN EARTH, LLC announced the commercial launch of its self-titled massively multiplayer online (MMO) game today. The game is scheduled to reach retailers nationwide by September 30. Additionally, fans can download Fallen Earth digitally from Direct2Drive, Steam and the Fallen Earth store for instant access to live service today. Read More

Fallen Earth Available for Pre-Order through Steam
September 18, 2009 -

Downloads through Steam Eligible for Early Access and Special In-Game Item

RALEIGH, NC—FALLEN EARTH, LLC announced today its self-titled massively multiplayer online (MMO) game will be available for pre-order and purchase through Steam®, a digital delivery and management platform for the PC, beginning immediately.

Players who pre-order Fallen Earth via digital download from Steam will receive immediate access to the game and an exclusive Steam® t-shirt for use in-game. When it is worn, the player gains a +5 bonus to the Scavenging, Nature and Geology skills, allowing for easier harvesting of critical components and a higher chance to get rare components from the same harvesting nodes. It also grants a 10+ bonus to the Social skill, enabling the character to get minor discounts from merchants. It is available to players immediately in game. Read More

Open Beta Available for All on FilePlanet
August 19, 2009 -

In an announcement today, the Fallen Earth team revealed that it is opening Open Beta to all members of the general public, beginning on FilePlanet at 1 p.m. ET (GMT-4) today. FilePlanet subscribers were able to view an early glimpse of the Beta beginning Monday, August 17.

"We were excited to welcome FilePlanet subscribers in the early stages of our Open Beta, and now we look forward to extending this invitation to all members of the general public through our partnership with FilePlanet, " said Jessica Orr, product manager for Fallen Earth. "The feedback we have received has been extremely helpful, and we look forward to receiving more from our Open Beta testers."

To register for one of the limited testing spots in the Fallen Earth Open Beta, fans simply need to visit FilePlanet after 1 p.m. ET today.

Battle for Fallen Earth Begins August 17 in Open Beta
August 12, 2009 -

Pre-Order for Early Access, Exclusive Downloads

New York, NY – August 12, 2009 – FALLEN EARTH, LLC announced today that the post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online (MMO) game of the same name will begin an Open Beta program August 17. Players who want to get an early glimpse of Fallen Earth on August 17 need only register on FilePlanet beginning Friday, August 14 at 1 p.m. ET (GMT-4). Read More

Fallen Earth Gameplay Servers are Live for the Stress Test on FilePlanet
June 24, 2009 -

As part of an ongoing promotion with FilePlanet to increase stress testing loads, Fallen Earth will begin its stress test later today. The limited exclusive promotion to paid subscribers of IGN’s FilePlanet and Founders’ Club services is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Stay tuned to www.fallenearth.com for live updates and scheduling information for the Stress Test. For more information on how to join the Fallen Earth Stress Test, visit www.FilePlanet.com.

Read more about the stress test in the news: Read More

Fallen Earth Announces Official Partnership with IGN's FilePlanet
June 23, 2009 -

Stress Test and Increased Beta Mark the Next Phase in Testing for the Highly Anticipated Post-Apocalyptic MMO

New York, NY – June 22, 2009 – FALLEN EARTH, LLC announced today that the post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game (MMO) Fallen Earth will partner with the leading download service from IGN —FilePlanet— to increase the number of participants in the Beta session while allowing the development team to confirm launch capabilities of the network infrastructure. Read More

iPhone was ringing off the hook at game conference
March 30, 2009 -

... Blockbusters. Portables aside, developers are designing blockbusters with new twists. Fallen Earth, due for PCs this spring (fallenearth.com), mixes post-apocalyptic, first-person-shooting action into the usually more sedate massively multiplayer world. You emerge from a compound in 2156 into a Mad Max-like environment to explore the story of a shadowy corporation. "We feel like we have a really unique mix here," says project manager Colin Dwan. "It gives you this feeling of something bigger than yourself that you are participating in." - Read more »

'Dexter': A killer app?
March 29, 2009 -

Why do video games based on movies and TV series somehow suck the life out of the original property they are based on. Bad planning, says Marc Fernandez of Marc Ecko Enterprises. So when Fernandez wanted to create a video based on the TV series Dexter, he opted to start small—with an iPhone game. - Read more »

Big Stage Entertainment Announces Portable You Program; Opens use of Proprietary 3-D Facial Modeling System to Partners
December 10, 2008 -
LOS ANGELES, CA - Dec. 10, 2008 - Big Stage Entertainment, Inc., a media technology company that lets consumers project themselves photo-realistically into the digital realm, is opening its proprietary 3-D facial modeling system to third parties for seamless integration into video games, virtual worlds, Web sites, mobile apps, kiosk-based systems and more. This new program, called PortableYouTM, enables any third party to offer a consumer experience that features an animated, 3-D likeness of a user to enhance everything from entertainment to communications and retail.

A key feature of PortableYou is the ability for partners to enable their own users to easily create a sophisticated 3-D model of their face for free. Through the PortableYou system, realistic facial models can be created in less than two minutes using one to three photos taken with a standard digital camera. Core components of the PortableYou system will include APIs, code samples, methods and reference libraries. Read More

Icarus Studios Selects Live Gamer
November 24, 2008 -

Live Gamer Selected to Integrate Player-to-Player Trading Marketplace Within Icarus Studios’ Virtual World and MMO Game Platform

NEW YORK – Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the $24 million venture-backed developer of the world’s premiere publisher-supported virtual marketplace, today announced it has been selected by Icarus Studios (www.icarusstudios.com) to provide a marketplace for the Icarus virtual world and MMO game publishing platform. The Live Gamer Exchange™ marketplace will be pre-integrated into the platform, enabling Icarus and its multitude of media/publishing partners to seamlessly and easily enable safe and secure real-money-trading (RMT) of characters, coin and items within their MMO games and virtual worlds' titles. Read More

Dexter on iPhone
October 21, 2008 -

There's going to be blood on the iPhone. Today, Marc Ecko Entertainment announced the Showtime drama Dexter is en route to the iPhone. The investigation game, under development at Icarus Studios, stars the forensic specialist that moonlights as a serial killer. Dexter must analyze crime scenes to gather information on troublesome cases. After assessing the evidence, you must choose whether or not to turn the suspect over to the court system… or inflict Dexter's special kind of justice. Read More

Icarus Studios Ports Virtual Worlds Platform to iPhone; First Showing at Austin GDC
September 15, 2008 -

GAME DEVELOPER CONFERENCE, AUSTIN, TX – Icarus Studios, which provides a turnkey solution for creating virtual worlds, MMOGs, and serious games, has announced the expansion of their development platform to the iPhone. Icarus will demo a prototype of their 3D platform running on the iPhone for the first time in booth 316 at the Austin Game Developer Conference where it will also showcase its RealTime™ online development suite and the Icarus 3D and Flash based client software. Read More

Serious Games Joint Venture Power U Formed By Icarus Studios and American Research Institute
June 25, 2008 -

PowerU First Learning Management System to Play 3DI Learning Objects

CARY, NC - PowerU, a serious games joint venture by Icarus Studios, a platform provider for massively multiplayer online games, virtual worlds, and e-learning products, and American Research Institute (ARI), a long-established leader in role-based, results-oriented education and training services, was announced today. The new venture is the first company to offer an integrated learning infrastructure that incorporates 3DI (three dimensional immersive) learning environments for leading organizations to dramatically improve the effectiveness of their workforce development. Read More

The Venue Network Selects Icarus Studios Virtual Worlds Platform for On-Demand Virtual Venues
June 17, 2008 -

CARY, NC - Icarus Studios, which provides a turnkey solution for creating virtual worlds, MMOGs and serious games, today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement to license the Icarus Platform to The Venue Network, Inc., a provider of on-demand virtual venues where presenters can share content and customize unique experiences for online attendees. The Icarus Studios Platform provides a solution for leading entertainment companies, intellectual property owners, and e-learning customers. Read More

Icarus Studios introduces new social, team play, and graphic improvements to its MMOG and virtual world platform
June 13, 2008 -

CARY, NC - Icarus Studios, which provides a turnkey solution for creating virtual worlds, MMOGs, and serious games, today announced that it has added several key platform features to deliver more social and entertaining games and worlds. Read More

Icarus Studios Partners with IBM to Upgrade Performance, Availability for its Online Games
February 18, 2008 -

SAN FRANCISCO - Icarus Studios has completed porting its database systems to the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) 11 for its game and virtual world data storage and retrieval, a critical component for delivering the 3D Internet reliability and performance that consumers demand. Read More

Icarus Studios Selects GNI Games and Digital Media as its Preferred Hosting Partner
October 30, 2007 -

CARY, NC and SAN JOSE, CA - Icarus Studios today announced that it has entered into a long term partnership agreement with GNi Games and Digital Media (formerly Online Game Services Inc.) which leverages GNi's "pay-as-you-grow" high-grade infrastructure services to enhance Icarus' capability to offer customers a complete resource center for the design, creation, and deployment of online initiatives. Icarus Studios helps clients launch online virtual worlds, MMOGs, simulators, and 3D collaborative and educational products, all with a unique combination of next generation technology and services. Read More

Stratics Interview with Icarus EVP David Gardner
August 01, 2007 -

Awhile back, Icarus Studios announced their new platform, and naturally there was a flurry of excitement. Whenever there is something new in this industry, we all want to know everything we can about it. - Read more »

Motion Analysis Corporation and Icarus Studios to Unveil Real-Time Streaming Motion Capture View at SIGGRAPH 2007
July 23, 2007 -

SANTA ROSA, CA - Motion Analysis Corporation, the world's leader in realtime optical motion capture technology, and Icarus Studios, a comprehensive resource center for builders of 3D virtual worlds, MMOGs, and simulation projects, will demo at Siggraph 2007 their new real-time streaming motion capture viewer, the Talon Viewer(TM). Read More

Icarus Platform Interview with David Gardner
June 18, 2007 -

WarCry Network — The Icarus Platform was developed both to power the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMORPG Fallen Earth and as a technology solution for other developers. We got a chance to get a look under the hood from Icarus Studios EVP David Gardner. This interview focuses solely on the platform and not the game itself. - Read more »

Interview with Icarus Studios' David Gardner
June 14, 2007 -

The MMO Gamer — Icarus Studios have been mentioned in our news a few times. The middleware developer, focusing on MMOs and virtual worlds have made a couple of announcements this past few months, the most important one being the launch of their middleware suite. - Read more »

VirginWorlds Podcast with Icarus Studios CEO James Hettinger
June 11, 2007 -

VirginWorlds — In the 72nd VirginWorlds Podcast you'll find some brief MMORPG news followed by a wonderful interview with the CEO of Icarus Studios, Jim Hettinger. He answers a slew of questions related to Icarus's newly announced virtual world toolset which can be used to build MMOGs, simulators and collaborative and educational products. - Read more »

Virtually speaking: Vivox and Icarus announce VoIP for orcs
June 07, 2007 -

INBABBLE.COM — Vivox, who provides integrated voice services for online games and virtual worlds, will begin offering Vivox Precision Studio as part of Icarus Studios' comprehensive Icarus Developer Tool Suite, allowing VoIP to be included easily in new virtual worlds. - Read more »

MMORPG.COM Looks at Middleware and Icarus Studios
June 06, 2007 -

MMORPG.COM —Middleware is everywhere these days when you look at the MMOG industry, and more than that, entire MMOG platforms are available for the budding MMOG studio to build their world... - Read more »

Icarus Studios Selects VIVOX to Deliver Voice to 3D Online Worlds
June 05, 2007 -

Framingham, Mass. - Vivox, the leading provider of integrated voice services for online games and virtual worlds, today announced the integration of the Vivox Precision Studio(TM) with the Icarus Developer Tools Suite. Read More

Icarus Studios Launches Next Generation Platform and RAD Tool Suite for 3D Virtual Worlds
May 22, 2007 -

CARY, NORTH CAROLINA - Icarus Studios, a comprehensive resource center for builders of 3D virtual worlds, MMOGs, and simulation projects, has announced the release of its next generation platform and suite of middleware tools. Nearly six years in the making, the Icarus platform represents one of the largest investments to date in a 3D virtual world platform. Read More

IGN Entertainment Interviews Icarus EVP David Gardner
May 22, 2007 -

IGN.COM — Executive Vice President David Gardner is interviewed by IGN.COM about our virtual world tools - Read more »

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