Charles Cecil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Cecil
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| Born | 11 August 1962 |
| Education | Bedales School |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
| Occupation | Video game designer |
| Known for | Revolution Software |
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Notable work
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Broken Sword Beneath a Steel Sky |
| Spouse(s) | Noirin Carmody |
Charles Cecil is a famous British video game designer. He was born on August 11, 1962. He is best known as the co-founder of Revolution Software, a company that makes popular adventure games.
Charles Cecil's family lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when he was very young. They moved back to England when he was two years old. He went to Bedales School and later studied at the University of Manchester.
In 1980, while at university, he started writing text adventure games for a company called Artic Computing. After finishing his degree in 1985, he decided to work full-time in game development. He even became a director at Artic.
Later, he started his own game development company, Paragon Programming. He also worked as a software development manager for other big game companies like U.S. Gold and Activision.
Contents
Creating Revolution Software
Starting a New Game Company
In 1990, Charles Cecil decided to create his own game studio. He teamed up with Tony Warriner, David Sykes, and Noirin Carmody. Together, they founded Revolution Software. The company first started in Hull, England, but later moved to York in 1994.
Charles Cecil became the managing director of Revolution. He focused on writing stories and designing the games. They wanted to make adventure games that were fun and had interesting stories.
Innovative Game Design
For Revolution's first game, Lure of the Temptress (released in 1992), Charles Cecil and his team created a special game engine. They called it Virtual Theatre. This engine helped them make the game world feel more alive.
Charles Cecil was very interested in making games feel like movies. This idea became very clear in their later games, especially the Broken Sword series.
Popular Games and Series
The Broken Sword Adventures
The Broken Sword series became one of Revolution Software's most famous creations. The first game, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (1996), was a 2D point-and-click adventure. Players would click on objects to solve puzzles and move the story forward.
As technology changed, Charles Cecil moved Revolution into making 3D games. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon (2003) was a 3D adventure game. It allowed players to control characters directly.
The Broken Sword games have been very successful. The first two games alone sold over 3 million copies worldwide. They also earned more than US$100 million. In 2011, new versions of these games were downloaded over 4 million times.
Other Successful Titles
Besides Broken Sword, Revolution Software also created other popular adventure games. These include Beneath a Steel Sky (1994) and In Cold Blood (2000).
Beneath a Steel Sky is often called a "cult classic" by fans. Charles Cecil even worked with famous comic book artist Dave Gibbons on its design.
Revolution's Evolution
Adapting to Changes in Gaming
Around 2004, the gaming industry changed a lot. Revolution Software faced challenges, and Charles Cecil had to make tough decisions. He decided to focus Revolution more on game design rather than full production.
He started using a "Hollywood model." This meant that for each new game, a team would be put together just for that project. For example, for the fourth Broken Sword game, Broken Sword: The Angel of Death (2006), Revolution worked with another company called Sumo Digital.
The Digital Revolution
Towards the end of the 2000s, new technologies like broadband internet and digital stores changed everything. This was great for Revolution Software. They could now publish their own games directly to players.
In 2009, they released Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut for the Wii and DS. They also brought their classic games like Beneath a Steel Sky to mobile devices like the App Store. Charles Cecil has said that the digital revolution helped save Revolution Software.
In 2011, a magazine called Develop ranked Revolution Software among the top 50 most successful game studios in the world. In 2012, Revolution used Kickstarter to fund a new Broken Sword game, Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse. This allowed them to control the game's development directly.
Beyond Revolution Software
Working on Other Games
Charles Cecil has also worked on games outside of Revolution. He was a consultant for The Da Vinci Code (2006). He also helped design a game based on A Christmas Carol for Disney.
He was also an executive producer for the BBC's adventure game series, Doctor Who: The Adventure Games (2010). One episode, The Gunpowder Plot, even won an award.
Industry Contributions
Charles Cecil is a respected figure in the video game industry. He often gives talks and interviews about game design and the business side of gaming. He also mentors young game designers.
He helped start Game Republic, a network for game developers in Yorkshire, England. He has also been part of advisory groups for major gaming events and organizations like Screen Yorkshire and Skillset.
In 2006, he was given the "Development Legend" award by Develop magazine. In 2011, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award recognized his important contributions to the video game industry.
Revolution's Game List
Revolution Software has created many successful adventure games. Here are some of their notable titles:
- Lure of the Temptress (1992)
- Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)
- Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (1996)
- Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror (1997)
- In Cold Blood (2000)
- Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado (2000)
- Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon (2003)
- Broken Sword: The Angel of Death (2006)
- Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars – Director's Cut (2009)
- Beneath a Steel Sky – Remastered (2009)
- Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror – Remastered (2010)
Personal Life
Charles Cecil is married to Noirin Carmody, who also works with him at Revolution Software. They have two children, Ciara and David. Their children have even been credited in some of the Broken Sword games.
The family loves games, and their work and home life are closely connected. They even visit historical places on holidays that might inspire new game ideas. Charles Cecil enjoys history and science, and he also likes sports like rowing, football, and tennis.
Thoughts on Game Design
Charles Cecil believes that designing games is different from writing a regular story. He says that game designers need to think about how the game will be played and its background story first. Then, they can develop the characters.
He also takes research very seriously for his games. He often visits the real-world locations that appear in his games to make them feel more authentic. He once mentioned that the name "Broken Sword" might be a symbol of peace. He also found it interesting that a statue of Constantine the Great in his hometown of York sits on a broken sword.
