{{Short description| British video game designer and entrepreneur (born 1969)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{BLP sources|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Nick Bruty | birth_date = 1969 | known_for = Video game designer | notable_works = Earthworm Jim, Earthworm Jim 2, MDK }} '''Nicholas Anthony Bruty''' (known as '''''Nick Bruty)''''' is a British video game designer and entrepreneur, known for work on video games such as ''Earthworm Jim'', ''Earthworm Jim 2'', and ''MDK''.
== Biography ==
=== Early career === Bruty was born in 1969, in Longfield, Kent,<ref>[http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&qf=nick&qmi=&qn=bruty&qs=CA&trackit=74&focusfirst=1 Report on Nick Bruty at Intelius.com]</ref> and was raised and educated in Livingston, Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.armchairempire.com/Interviews/nick_bruty.htm |title=Interview with Nick Bruty by Armchair Empire, May 7, 2001. |access-date=February 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707162321/http://www.armchairempire.com/Interviews/nick_bruty.htm |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He made his first step into video games when he was 15, working for company SoftStone with his friend David Quinn, completing some projects before SoftStone went bust in 1984.
In 1987, Bruty joined Probe Software, where he met another notable industry figure: David Perry. Together they formed a team, with Bruty as artist and Perry as programmer, making arcade classics such as ''Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper'', ''Savage'', ''Overlord'' and ''Dan Dare 3''.<ref>[https://zxspectrumgames.blogspot.com/2010/09/spectrum-games-programmer-interview.html Nick Bruty gives an interview to ZXSpectrum Games.com, 13 September, 2010.]</ref> In 1992, Perry and Bruty both joined the American division of Virgin Games, where they worked on ''Global Gladiators'', ''Cool Spot'', ''Aladdin'' and ''The Jungle Book''.
=== Shiny Entertainment === In 1993, David Perry formed Shiny Entertainment in California, and Bruty, along with some other members of Virgin Games, followed having completed ''The Jungle Book''. While at Shiny, Bruty led the art direction on cult platformers ''Earthworm Jim'' and its sequel. In the Special Edition of ''Earthworm Jim'', the level "Big Bruty" was named after him.
Shiny produced the hit shooter ''MDK'' in 1997. Bruty was responsible for the idea of the game itself, the characters, and its humorous style.<ref>[http://www.nowgamer.com/print/feature/297 Nowgamer's interview with David Perry about making of MDK.]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>[http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/mdk/credits MDK's credits on MobyGames.]</ref>
=== Planet Moon Studios === After ''MDK'', Bruty left Shiny<ref>{{cite magazine |title=NG Alphas: Messiah |magazine=Next Generation|issue=33 |publisher=Imagine Media |date=September 1997|page=57 |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_33/page/n58}}</ref> and formed video game company Planet Moon Studios with other ex-Shiny employees Tim Williams and Scott Guest. The company made ''Giants: Citizen Kabuto'', ''Armed and Dangerous'' (influenced by ''MDK'') and ''Infected''. In 2011, Planet Moon closed, and the company's staff were acquired by online games developer Bigpoint Games.
=== Rogue Rocket Games === In March 2011 Bruty and ex-Planet Moon Studios lead programmer Richard Sun formed a new game company: Rogue Rocket Games. In March 2014, Bruty and Rogue Rocket Games announced ''First Wonder'', a spiritual sequel to ''Giants: Citizen Kabuto''. They started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for it on September 25, 2015;<ref>[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roguerocket/first-wonder Kickstarter page for First Wonder]</ref> however the campaign did not meet its funding target and the project was canceled.<ref>[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roguerocket/first-wonder/posts/1383913 Update 8: The Future of First Wonder]</ref>
== References == <references/>
== External links == * {{IMDb name}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruty, Nick}} Category:1969 births Category:British businesspeople Category:British video game designers Category:Living people Category:People from Longfield