What an adventure we’ve had, eh? In the summer of 2010 I had a conversation that changed my life. I had wrapped up my job at Webkinz to stay home and take care of our daughter, and work on my writing, when KingsIsle invited us to move down to Austin.
The idea of working on Wizard101 was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. We packed up to move south from Toronto, Canada, to Austin, Texas.
And what an adventure Texas was! We saw hipsters & cowboys, hippies & ranchers, tarantulas & fire ants (ugh), and longhorns & horses! Sadly, we never saw an armadillo. Luckily, we never saw a scorpion.
When I joined KingsIsle, Wizard was exploding in popularity – it was (and remains) a remarkable game, full of myriad possibilities. The team had built this incredible world and this wonderful community. And they were asking me to learn from them and step in to take over the story of Wizard101.
It was an honor, a pleasure, and a great challenge to try to make it even cooler. The Wizard team was a well-crafted machine when I started, and we just got better. And we told some fantastic stories. We crossed the Savannah and explored the Drum Jungle of Zafaria; we traveled to chivalrous Avalon and restored the king and the land; we met wild Aztecosaurs and proud Avians, and bore witness to Azteca’s great tragedy; and we stormed the gates of the Shadow Palace and stood bravely against the Shadow Queen Morganthe, ending her threat to the Spiral once and for all.
With Morganthe’s story well told, and Old Cob freed, and infinite options opened to the Spiral, the universe decided it was time for a change. On the home front, our circle expanded by one, with a son, but the rest of our family – grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins – were all still back in Canada, “North of the Wall.”
It was a season of endings... and beginnings. It was time to go home.
I have moved back to Canada, saying fond farewells and tearful goodbyes to the team and our friends in Texas. Now it’s time to say farewell to you, Wizards, who have been so kind and appreciative of our work in the Spiral. You are one of the most joyful communities I’ve known, and it’s been a terribly hard decision to move on.
However, in addition to Mike “The Thundersnake,” my associate writer, who has become an invaluable member of the team, I’m pleased to pass the BOOK OF SECRETS on to our new Wizard writer, Rob “Zander.” Rob did great work at Zenimax and Bioware, and we’ve been working together in the deepest & darkest parts of the Spiral to craft Wizard101’s next adventure. With Zander and the Thundersnake working with the whole team on the next arc, I’m confident you are in excellent hands. I can’t wait to see what strange and awesome ideas they come up with in the future.
Keep your wands ready, your mana full, and your spells from fizzling!
Jesse "King Artorius" Scoble
We missed you and you have hard work on it. There are awesome change look like 3d. But I honest joined 5 yrs ago, I can't remember my old username long time. I was played long time ago and stop and focused my family come first since now. I finally joined new username. My eyes are open and my jaw opened, here are new things design and that imagine. I lovely games. I missed my old friends were played in W101 long time ago. Also you moved back to Canada and focused ur family come first.
I noticed new Wizard people seem teenage and teen and adults are most age. But I am older than all and I love all people are my children of Wizard. I really enjoyed play to the game.
I hopefully there the future will keep continue to new things and more active and new chat and also everything will change better than 5 years ago.
