Editing Harvey Smith (game designer)

{{Short description|American video game designer and writer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Harvey Smith, Seoul 2006.jpg
| caption            = Smith in [[Seoul]], 2006
| name               = Harvey Smith
| birth_date         = {{Birth year and age|1966}}
| years_active       = 1993-present
| occupation         = [[Video game designer]], writer
| employer           = [[Arkane Studios]]
| other_names        = Witchboy
| known_for          = {{ubl|''[[Deus Ex]]''|''[[Dishonored (series)|Dishonored]]''}}
}}

'''Harvey Smith''' (born 1966) is an American [[video game designer]] and writer, working at [[Arkane Studios]].

Smith has lectured in various places around the world on topics such as [[level design]], emergent gameplay, leadership, game unit differentiation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harvey Smith's GDC presentation on Orthogonal Unit Differentiation |url=https://slidetodoc.com/orthogonal-unit-differentiation-harvey-smith-witchboyionstorm-com-intro/}}</ref> future trends and interactive narrative.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}  At the [[Game Developers Conference]] in 2006, Smith won the Game Designer's Challenge: ''Nobel Peace Prize'', for his design featuring a mobile video game that facilitates political social action.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/gdc-the-game-design-challenge-the-nobel-peace-prize|title=GDC: The Game Design Challenge: The Nobel Peace Prize|publisher=Gamasutra}}</ref>

==Early life==
Smith was born and raised on the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Texas Gulf Coast]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Harvey Smith|url=https://www.amazon.com/Harvey-Smith/e/B00C90UEXM?ref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share|access-date=2021-05-11|website=www.amazon.com|language=en-us}}</ref> He grew up playing games like ''[[Pong]]''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gamasutra - The Subversion Game: An Interview With Harvey Smith|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/129975/the_subversion_game_an_interview_.php?print=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509220747/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/129975/the_subversion_game_an_interview_.php?print=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 9, 2012|access-date=2021-05-11|website=www.gamasutra.com| date=October 5, 2007 }}</ref> as well as ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-12-21|title=Building a World with Dishonored 2's Harvey Smith|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/dishonored-2/building-a-world-with-dishonored-2s-harvey-smith/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=pastemagazine.com|language=en}}</ref> He read books by [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], [[William Faulkner]], [[Vladimir Nabokov]] and [[Roger Zelazny]], among others.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Dishonored 2 |magazine=Game Informer |location=[[Minneapolis]] |publisher=[[GameStop]] |date=2016-06-01}}</ref> He served six years in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]], including tours in Germany and Saudi Arabia.<ref name=":0" /> Smith moved to [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] at the behest of a friend to try his hand at video game design.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/10/17/unmasked-dishonoreds-harvey-smith/ |title = Interview: Unmasking Dishonored's Harvey Smith {{!}} Rock Paper Shotgun| website=Rock, Paper, Shotgun | date=October 17, 2012 | first=Nathan |last=Grayson}}</ref>

==Career==
Early in his career, Smith worked in [[quality assurance]] (QA) at the Austin-based [[Origin Systems]], where he became the QA lead for games including ''[[Super Wing Commander]]'' and ''[[System Shock]]''.<ref name=":2" /> In 1995, Smith became an associate producer for ''[[Ultima VIII]]'', working with co-founder of Origin, Richard Garriott. Smith then pitched his own game, ''Technosaur'', a [[Real-time strategy|real time strategy]] game inspired by ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' that would have featured "cybernetically augmented [[Velociraptor|velociraptors]]". The project was canceled by publisher [[Electronic Arts]] after 18 months of work.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McKeand |first=Kirk |title=The History of the Stealth Game |publisher=White Owl |year=2022 |isbn=9781399096911 |location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire |pages=74}}</ref>

After leaving Origin in 1996, Harvey Smith went to work at Multitude where they released ''[[FireTeam (video game)|FireTeam]]''.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2012/9/28/3425300/the-mirror-men-of-arkane|title=The mirror men of Arkane|date=September 28, 2012 |publisher=Polygon}}</ref>

After Multitude, Smith's game development career continued in Austin, Texas working with [[Warren Spector]] at [[Ion Storm]] as lead designer on ''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex]]'' as well as its sequel, ''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War]]''.<ref name=":3" /> After this he unsuccessfully pitched a further game in the ''[[Thief (series)|Thief]]'' series, to be called ''Thief: Modern'', in which central character Garrett lived in modern-day New York.<ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine |last=Peel |first=Jeremy |date=March 2023 |title=Collected Works: Harvey Smith |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |issue=38 |pages=70–79}}</ref>

Smith then left Ion Storm to work at [[Midway Games]], originally to work on a title called ''Criminal'' with "[[immersive sim]] values" inspired by [[Michael Mann]]'s 1995 crime film ''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]'', but shifting ultimately to work as lead designer on ''[[BlackSite: Area 51]]''.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Lane |first=Rick |date=2022-09-21 |title=Harvey Smith is in uncharted territory |url=https://www.nme.com/features/gaming-features/boss-level-2022-harvey-smith-arkane-studios-3312368 |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> On November 29, 2007, Smith came out publicly to announce how unrealistic the ''BlackSite: Area 51''<nowiki/>'s development schedule was and through mutual agreement left Midway a day later. He claimed the schedule caused the low reviews due to the fact they were not able to test the game properly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/news/confirmed-harvey-smith-leaves-midway/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522221743/http://www.1up.com/news/confirmed-harvey-smith-leaves-midway|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 22, 2011|title=Confirmed: Harvey Smith Leaves Midway|publisher=1up.com|date=November 30, 2007}}</ref> 
 
In 2008, Smith became partner and co-creative director of Arkane Studios in Austin alongside the company's president, [[Raphaël Colantonio]].<ref name=":1" /> They went on to release the stealth-action game ''[[Dishonored]]'' in 2012, which won many Game of the Year and Best Action/Adventure accolades including the 2013 BAFTA award for Best Game<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/games|title=BAFTA Awards Gaming 2013|publisher=BAFTA}}</ref> and 2012 SPIKE VGA for Best Action/Adventure Game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bethblog.com/2012/12/07/around-the-web-award-season/|title=Around the Web: Award Season|publisher=The Bethesda Blog}}</ref> Smith also co-directed the sequel ''[[Dishonored 2]]'' and its standalone expansion ''[[Dishonored: Death of the Outsider]].''<ref>{{Cite web |last=McKeand |first=Kirk |date=5 September 2017 |title=Why Dishonored: Death of the Outsider needed new writers, according to Harvey Smith |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/dishonored-2/harvey-smith-dishonored-death-of-the-outsider-new-writers |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=[[PCGamesN]] |language=en}}</ref> Smith is co-director on Arkane Austin's ''[[Redfall]]'', an [[Open world|open-world]] [[First-person shooter|first person shooter]], which released on May 2, 2023.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |date=25 January 2023 |title=Redfall Release Date Confirmed For May 2, As Lots Of New Gameplay Footage Debuts |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/redfall-release-date-confirmed-for-may-2-as-lots-of-new-gameplay-footage-debuts/1100-6510848/ |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref>

Smith's semi-autobiographical novel, ''Big Jack is Dead'', was released on April 2, 2013, by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Futter |first=Mike |date=29 May 2013 |title=Get Big Jack Is Dead By Dishonored's Harvey Smith For Free |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/05/29/get-big-jack-is-dead-by-dishonoreds-harvey-smith-for-free.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608032224/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/05/29/get-big-jack-is-dead-by-dishonoreds-harvey-smith-for-free.aspx |url-status=live |archive-date=June 8, 2013 |access-date=2023-03-18 |magazine=Game Informer |language=en}}</ref> That same year it was on Kirkus Review's list of "Best Indie General Fiction".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/best-indie-general-fiction-2013/big-jack-is-dead/|title=Best in Indie Books 2013|publisher=Kirkus Review|access-date=April 22, 2015|archive-date=March 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327204421/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/best-indie-general-fiction-2013/big-jack-is-dead/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Works==

===Video games===
{| class = "wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
! rowspan="2" | 1994
| ''[[Super Wing Commander]]''
| rowspan="4" | Quality assurance
|-
| ''[[System Shock]]''
|-
! rowspan="4" | 1995
| ''[[Ultima VIII: Pagan]]'' (CD-ROM version)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gillen |first1=Kieron |title=The Making Of: Harvey Smith |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2007/11/23/the-making-of-harvey-smith/ |website=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |date=November 23, 2007 |access-date=April 17, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[BioForge]]''
|-
| ''[[CyberMage: Darklight Awakening]]''
| Producer, designer, writer, voice actor
|-
| ''Technosaur'' (cancelled)<ref>{{cite web |title=Technosaur [PC – Cancelled] |url=https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/07/technosaur-pc-cancelled/ |website=Unseen64 |date=April 7, 2008 |access-date=April 17, 2020}}</ref>
| {{N/A}}
|-
! 1998
| ''[[FireTeam (video game)|FireTeam]]''
| Designer
|-
! 2000
| ''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex]]''
| Lead designer
|-
! 2003
| ''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War]]''
| Director
|-
! 2004
| ''[[Thief: Deadly Shadows]]''
| Designer
|-
! 2005
| ''[[Area 51 (2005 video game)|Area 51]]''
| Designer, writer
|-
! 2007
| ''[[BlackSite: Area 51]]''
| Executive creative director
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2009
| ''[[Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor]]''
| Quality assurance
|-
| ''[[KarmaStar]]''
| {{N/A}}
|-
! 2012
| ''[[Dishonored]]''
| Creative director, designer, writer
|-
! 2013
| ''[[The Novelist]]''
| Quality assurance
|-
! 2016
| ''[[Dishonored 2]]''
| Creative director
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2017
| ''[[Prey (2017 video game)|Prey]]''
| Quality assurance
|-
| ''[[Dishonored: Death of the Outsider]]''
| Creative director
|-
! 2023
| ''[[Redfall]]''
| Studio director
|}

===Book===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Category
! Publisher
! ISBN
|-
! 2013
| "Big Jack is Dead"
| Fiction
| CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
| {{ISBN|1482563657}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.witchboy.net witchboy.net], Smith's personal website
*[https://twitter.com/Harvey1966 Harvey Smith] at Twitter
*{{moby developer |id=4961|name=Harvey Smith's profile}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090415072609/http://www.dperry.com/archives/interviews/harvey_smith_ga/ Harvey Smith interview] at DPerry.com

{{Arkane Studios}}
{{Ion Storm}}
{{Origin Systems}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Harvey}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:American video game designers]]
[[Category:American video game directors]]
[[Category:Artists from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Creative directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Origin Systems people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:United States Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:American video game writers]]
[[Category:ZeniMax Media]]