The Ghostbusters series has given us some of the most enduring characters in pop culture. And while it’s been almost 20 years since the last film in the series was released, the franchise is about to make a long-awaited return to screens this fall, thanks to a new video game being developed by Terminal Reality for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Helping bring the series to a new generation is a pair of Full Sail Computer Animation graduates – Nathan Horne and Geoff Smith. At Terminal Reality’s Lewisville, TX studio, Nathan’s work as a Rigger/Scripter and Geoff’s work as Associate Animator have helped create the character models and environments you’ll face when the game hits shelves this fall.
“Coming in I was pretty psyched,” Nathan offers about his first step into the industry. “I was definitely a fan of the series, and going straight from being a student to having a position like this, you’re like ‘Alright!’ It was a lot of pressure at first, but the work was very similar to what I’d been doing at school. They had just switched over to using Maya, the same program that we had used at Full Sail, so I just did it the way I had done in class.”
Creating a new adventure for the classic Ghostbusters characters might seem like a big challenge for your gaming debut, but these grads also had the advantage of their shared experiences throughout the Computer Animation program. Having worked through the same curriculum they still find themselves referencing old school projects when tackling bugs that come up in production.
“Knowing someone like Nate there are all those old experiences that you can call on,” Geoff explains. “You know where they’ve come from, and you can project what they’re thinking based on previous classes you’ve had. It’s almost like playing sports with somebody since you were 10. You know their patterns and habits and routes, and can run with them.”
And while you won’t be able to see Nathan and Geoff’s work for another few months, the buzz surrounding the new Ghostbusters title has gamers excited to step back into that familiar world once again. Which is exactly what’s driving these Full Sail grads as they enter the hectic last months of production.
“We’re definitely going for a higher standard than most people are used to,” Nathan shares. “And it’s going to be fun when the game comes out to see how all my friends react to it.”
“I’m just really excited for people to play it,” Geoff adds. “I’ve been in some Gamestop stores that have empty pre-order boxes up, and seeing that is just awesome. You step back and it’s like ‘Oh man, I’m working on Ghostbusters!’ It’s not something that I put into perspective every day, but you realize it when you’re in a place like that and know that so many people are waiting for it.”
