Randy Pitchford

Overview

Randy's professional career in the games industry started in the production and design of games including work on 3D Realms's Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition, and Shadow Warrior.He left the company, along with many co workers, in May 1997 to work on Prax War at Rebel Boat Rocker. But EA cancelled the project less than a year into development. Rebel Boat Rocker was closed down as a result. After that, he founded Gearbox Software with Brian Martel, Stephen Bahl, Landon Montgomery, and Rob Heironimus in January 1999, where he is currently the President and CEO.

Randy accepted the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences award for best PC Action Game in 2000 for his production and direction of Gearbox’s debut title, Half-Life: Opposing Force. Since then, Randy directed or produced, and/or was executive produced on Half-Life: Blue Shift, Half-Life (PS2), Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Halo (PC), 007: Nightfire.

In 2005 he served as Co-Director and Executive Producer on the original franchise Brothers in Arms.

Randy is also is a fierce deathmatch enthusiast who has earned a reputation since the days of Doom with the handle “DuvalMagic”. Before becoming a full-time game developer, Randy was a professional magician in Hollywood occasionally performing at the famous Magic Castle between classes at UCLA. He once performed a card trick for Stephen Totilo at DICE in 2010.

He was parodied in IGN's "IGN Originals" series, which portrayed him as a loose cannon, violent PR junkie.

Trivia

• During E3 1996, George Broussard met Randy after seeing the strip club level that Randy had created for Duke Nukem.
• Before becoming a game designer Randy spent several years following his first passion, being a professional magician.
• In high school, Randy and his friends formed a rap crew, tributing the artist Jazzy Jeff, called "The White Boys".