In the world of video and computer games, Sperry was co-founder and President of Westwood Studios[6] where he created the Command and Conquer[7] series, among other titles. During this time, Sperry was named the sixth most influential person in the history of video games.[8] Westwood Studios would later receive the 2015 Industry Icon Award,[9][10] presented by 2015 Game Awards host Kiefer Sutherland.[11]
Background and educationedit
Brett Sperry moved from his native Connecticut to the Las Vegas Valley in 1979. He later spent a year at Arizona State University, where he studied Psychology and Architecture.[12] A self-taught programmer, he began his professional work with video and computer games in Las Vegas, Nevada where he performed for-hire contract work with Imagic and others.
Video and computer gamesedit
Westwood Studiosedit
From a suburban Las Vegas garage in 1985, Brett Sperry and business partner Louis Castle created Brelous Software, with Sperry as president and Executive Producer. The pair changed the company name to Westwood Associates two months later, and in 1992 they again changed the name to Westwood Studios, reflecting their studio-like approach to the business.[13]
As the company became more successful, Sperry and Castle entertained full buyout offers from both Sierra Entertainment and the Richard Branson satellite Virgin Interactive (a division of Spelling Entertainment Group[14]). In 1992, Sperry and Castle sold Westwood Studios to Virgin despite a higher offer from Sierra, citing issues of greater freedom and autonomy.[15] As Westwood evolved into one of the most successful video and computer game entities ever created,[16] Sperry remained President and Executive Producer. However, in 1997 he took a larger role within the companies as Virgin Interactive's President of Worldwide Development, an internal attempt to turn Virgin's otherwise struggling video games divisions into a profitable enterprise.[17][18]
In 1998, the Westwood library and assets were purchased outright from Spelling/Virgin by Electronic Arts.[19][20]
Jet Set Gamesedit
In early 2009, Brett Sperry announced the collaborative launch of Las Vegas-based software publisher "Jet Set Games",[21] a computer gaming company focused on mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones. The company's first successful release was the Highbornstrategy game.[22][23]
Las Vegas arts developeredit
Since 2007, Brett Sperry has been a central figure in the development of the Las Vegas arts community.[24]
Brett Wesley Gallery and Artifice Loungeedit
Starting with a 2007 Downtown Las Vegas land purchase, Brett Sperry built and designed the award-winning[25] Brett Wesley Gallery,[26] becoming host to a succession of notable art installations, exhibits, and international artists.[27] In 2016, Brett Wesley Gallery was named the "Best of the City".[28]
Sperry then acquired additional parcels nearby, and with development partner Trinity Schlotmann created the Artifice Lounge, a multi-use "art-inspired" bar and lounge that Sperry designed from what was formerly an empty 1950's warehouse.[29][30][31]
Art Squareedit
Sperry made a sizable economic and architectural investment in the creation of adjacent Art Square, a 20,000 square-foot site with retail and professional spaces, desert gardens, a performance arts theatre, and a restaurant, all of which---apart from the restaurant---Sperry conceived and designed.[32][33][34][35][36]
The Art Square complex was sold to Las Vegas Arts District Development in 2015[citation needed].
The Modern Contemporary and Luminous Parkedit
In 2009, Sperry became the spearhead and Chairman of a proposed $29-million international-class Las Vegas-based arts museum called "The Modern Contemporary". The museum and its grounds are part of a conceptual entity known as "Luminous Park".[37][38][39][40][41]
Sperry's tenure as Chairman was contractually completed in 2014. Since then he has been an active member of the board of directors.[42]
Referencesedit
^"Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Making Of". YouTube. 5 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Brett Sperry Builds His Own Vegas Gallery". ArtIntern.net. 5 September 2009. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Brett Wesley Gallery Shares Unique Power of Art". Las Vegas Weekly. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Downtown Dreams". smallTALK. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Brett Sperry, Arts District Developer". Las Vegas Weekly. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Grownup Gameboys: A Look Inside Westwood Studios". The Las Vegas Sun. 7 October 1996. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"A Good Ol' Fashioned Q&A With Brett Sperry". MOD DB. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"The Most Influential People in Computer Gaming of All Time". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 February 2005.
^"Westwood Studios to Receive Industry Icon Award at The Game Awards 2015". The Game Awards. 30 November 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"The Game Awards 2015 Will Honor Command and Conquer Studio Founders". CinemaBlend. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"The Game Awards 2015: Industry Icon Award". YouTube. 3 December 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"In the Beginning". GameSpot UK. Archived from the original on 7 May 2001.
^"A New Dawn: Westwood Studios 15th Year Anniversary". GameSpot UK. Archived from the original on 15 May 2001.
^"Spelling Entertainment Group, Inc. - Exhibit 21: Subsidiaries of the Registrant". US Securities and Exchange Commission (Edgar). 31 December 1997. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Beyond the Hard Core". GameSpot UK. Archived from the original on 10 January 2002.
^"Westwood Studios". Home of the Underdogs. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^"Virgin Interactive Appears Behind in Game Plan for IPO". Los Angeles Times. 1 December 1997. Retrieved 12 January 2016.