Feature: Zoo Tycoon 2 Week Begins! Subscribe to this RSS feed

With Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species drawing ever-closer, we thought it might be fun to devote a whole week to unraveling the coolest features to this eagerly-anticipated simulation game.

With Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species drawing ever-closer, we thought it might be fun to devote a whole week to unraveling the coolest features to this eagerly-anticipated simulation game.

Aren't Koalas cute? Just watch out for the claws!
Komodo dragons are another one of the endangered species in the expansion

Today we'll start by taking a behind-the-scenes peek at the folks of Blue Fang Interactive, the developers behind the award-winning (and surprisingly popular) Zoo Tycoon series.

Blue Fang Games is an independent game developer dedicated to creating compelling, emotionally engaging games focused on the animal kingdom that set the benchmark for broad-based family entertainment. Blue Fang's "Zoo Tycoon... franchise, published by Microsoft Game Studios, has established itself as one of the most popular PC gaming franchises and has sold over 5 million units worldwide.

Adam Levesque

Adam Levesque is the Creative Director and CEO of Blue Fang Games. Adam leads the development process of the Zoo Tycoon products and is integrally involved in all design aspects of the company's games. Adam began his career as a game tester and later became the producer and designer for top-selling "NASCAR Racing... and "NASCAR Racing 2... from Papyrus Design Group. Adam left his role of General Manager at Papyrus in 1998 to start Blue Fang.

Adam recently completed work on the expansion pack Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species(releasing Fall 2005) and is now working on a new development project for the next generation of gaming platforms.




Jay Dee Alley

As Art Director, JD is responsible for setting and maintaining the overall artistic vision for Blue Fang and its development projects. He also manages the Art Department to ensure that artistic quality meets Blue Fang's standards as one of the industry's leading independent game developers.

Prior to joining Blue Fang, JD was Creative Director for the Xbox® Entertainment Network. He also served as Managing Art Director for Dynamix (of Tribes and Tribes 2 fame) where he was responsible for implementation of core technology and tool sets for the department, including creation of their motion capture studio.

Alley's career has ranged from film, including Mr. Holland's Opus, to commercial television, as one of the principal creatives for the California Raisins campaign, as well as publishing and illustration. A frequent speaker at professional conferences, Alley has been instrumental in driving the national discussion on emerging forms of content designed to attract a broader demographic to a wide variety of devices.


Linda Currie

Linda Currie is a Producer at Blue Fang Games, where she manages the development of a yet-to-be announced title. She is also the Lead Designer on the upcoming Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species and was the Senior Game Designer on the best-selling Zoo Tycoon: 2.

Previous to joining Blue Fang, Linda was co-founder of the former Sirtech Canada. While at Sirtech she was the Project Lead on the award-winning RPG Wizardry 8 and Co-designer of the award-winning Jagged Alliance strategy role-playing series. Linda Currie is an industry veteran dating back to the early 1980's and has extensive experience creating and working within teams of various sizes and functions.

On Tuesday: We take an exclusive look at the animals behind Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species!