Elan Lee
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Elan Lee is an American game designer, developer, and creator. He has designed games for the
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
; helped create the world’s first Alternate Reality Games; and with Matthew Inman created the card game '' Exploding Kittens'', whose
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign was the most-backed of its day. He and Inman founded the Exploding Kittens company in 2015.


Biography

Lee began his career as a character designer at Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked on several movies, including the computer special effects for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Lee was then hired by Microsoft Game Studios as Lead Game Designer, designing and directing games for PC and
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
. While working for Microsoft, he was the Executive Producer and Lead Designer for '' The Beast'', one of the world’s first Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) used to promoted the
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Lee has co-founded several gaming start-ups. In 2003, he co-founded 42 Entertainment, whose alternate reality games include '' I Love Bees'' to promote the Xbox game ''
Halo 2 ''Halo 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox console. ''Halo 2'' is the second installment in the ''Halo'' franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclai ...
'' and ''Year Zero'' to promote the Nine Inch Nails album '' Year Zero''. He, Shane Small, and Dawne Weisman later co-founded EDOC Laundry to produce ARGs using clothes as the primary platform. Consumers deciphered codes hidden within garments and entered the results into the game's main website to reveal pieces of a distributed story. EDOC laundry is the world's first interactive apparel line. In 2007, Lee founded Fourth Wall Studios to create entertainment experiences. Lee developed a new form of interactive programming that engaged audiences across multiple platforms via new technology he created. Projects such as the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
-winning series “ Dirty Work” brought viewers into the show with interactive elements such as “integrated phone calls, texts and emails” as part of the viewing experience. In addition to his work in interactive media, Lee helped create one of YouTube's most viral videos, '' Where the Hell is Matt?''. He traveled the world with Matt Harding, serving as the cameraman for a video that became the second-most popular on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
at the time, cementing its place in internet history. This project not only provided Lee with valuable experience in social media and viral content creation, but it also led to his introduction to Matthew Inman, with whom he would later co-found the popular card game '' Exploding Kittens''. Lee returned to Microsoft as the Chief Design Officer for Xbox Entertainment Studios soon after the launch of the Xbox One game console in 2013. By 2014, Lee had left Microsoft to build a new technology-based TV studio; he raised about $5 million, assembled a team, and built a prototype.


Exploding Kittens

In 2015, Lee, Matthew Inman ( The Oatmeal), and Shane Small created the card game '' Exploding Kittens''. Originally called ''Bomb Squad'', it became the most-backed campaign on
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
at the time, raising $8.78 million from 219,382 backers. “When ''Exploding Kittens'' launched, I thought it would be a side project on the weekend. It’s so weird when the side project dwarfs the scope and scale of the main project. And so I decided to return the money I raised 5 million for the "main" project, a "technology-based TV studio" I realized that if I didn’t turn all my attention to this, it would become the biggest regret of my life.” Later in the year, Lee and Inman founded Exploding Kittens Inc. The company released its second tabletop game, '' Bears vs. Babies'', in 2017, after raising more than $3 million from 85,000 Kickstarter backers. In 2018, the company released ''You’ve Got Crabs''; in 2019, it released '' Throw Throw Burrito'' after another Kickstarter campaign and ''On a Scale of One to T-Rex'' exclusively on
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
. In October 2019, the American businessman and investor Peter Chernin, CEO of The Chernin Group, invested $30 million for a minority stake in Exploding Kittens Inc. Inman said the company planned to use the funds to mount a live gaming convention, Burning Cat, inspired by the Burning Man festival; hire more artists; and produce three and five new games a year.


Credits

With Microsoft: * '' The Beast'': Lead Designer (2001) With 42 Entertainment: * '' I Love Bees'' Lead Designer (2004) * ''Last Call Poker'' Lead Designer (2005) * ''The Vanishing Point'' Lead Designer (2007) * ''Year Zero'' Designer (2007)


Acclaim

Lee and his projects have won several industry awards for both design and marketing. In 2005, ''I Love Bees'' won an Innovation Award from IGDA, and a
Webby Award The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...
. In 2008, ''Year Zero'' won the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Grand Prix Award for "Viral Marketing" and a Silver Award for "Integrated Campaign". The game also won a bronze
Clio Award The Clio Awards, also simply known as The Clios, is an annual award program that recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design, and communication, as judged by an international panel of advertising professionals. The awar ...
, and two Webbys: Peoples Voice Award (Branded Content) and Peoples Voice Award (Integrated Campaigns). In 2012, Lee won a Creative Arts Emmy for Original Interactive Programming for the web series '' Dirty Work''. The same year he won the Trailblazer Award from IndieCade. In March 2022, ''The Beast'' received a Legacy
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
for Interactive Journalism.


References


External links

*
Ignite Talk

Gamasutra: Elan Lee's Alternate Reality

Joystick Interviews Elan Lee of 42 Entertainment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Elan American game designers Living people Designers from Los Angeles Rochester Institute of Technology alumni Year of birth missing (living people)