October 22^nd, 2003 (12:00am) - The creators of the massively popular computer game franchise "Diablo" announced today the formation of their new entertainment software development company, Flagship Studios.

Flagship Studios has been founded by David Brevik, Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, Bill Roper and Kenneth Williams, all former executives at Blizzard North. David Brevik served as President while Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer and Bill Roper held Vice President positions within the company. Ken Williams was Blizzard North’s Director of Business and Operations. Together, the management and executive team for Flagship Studios represents over 45 years of game development experience.

Joining them as additional co-founders are David Glenn, Peter Hu, Philip Shenk, and Tyler Thompson. David Glenn and Philip Shenk served as art leads on the games in the "Diablo" series, with David focusing on background artwork and Philip leading the character artists. Peter Hu and Tyler Thompson were senior programmers at Blizzard North and held lead positions on "Diablo II" and the "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction" expansion set.

"Success in our industry is really about the people who make the games," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder. "And we are extremely excited to be starting a new company. We have a unique and compelling game concept, and have formed a team we feel is among the best in the business"

Known for their individual work on some of the best-selling computer games of all time, including the "Warcraft(r)," "StarCraft(r)," and "Diablo" series, this core team of experienced artists, programmers, designers and producers have worked together for close to a decade. Notably, they created and developed the wildly successful "Diablo" franchise that has sold in excess of 13 million units worldwide.

"Our desire is to build a focused development house comprised of the very best individuals in the industry," said David Brevik, Chief Visionary Officer and co-founder. "Everyone here is intent on creating great games and compelling worlds where players from all over the world can gather together for endless hours of fun."