NYU Game Center Lecture Series Presents Warren Spector

DEUS EX VS MICKEY MOUSE: How I learned to stop worrying and love working with IP
Using two of his videogame titles - Deus Ex and Epic Mickey - as case studies, Warren will take a close look at how working with an existing intellectual property like Mickey Mouse is similar to and different from inventing a completely original IP. Along the way, he'll be looking at the design and production of both games, in order to better understand AAA development under very different kinds of narrative constraints. Join this industry legend to help celebrate his retirement from games - and gain a rare peek into what it's like to work in the high-stakes commercial development world.

Warren Spector has been making games since 1983, first in the tabletop gaming world and, beginning in 1989, making video games at seminal studios Origin / Electronic Arts, Looking Glass, Ion Storm / Eidos (where he directed Deus Ex) and Junction Point / Disney where he led development of Epic Mickey. After creating a game development program at The University of Texas, he joined OtherSide Entertainment as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. He retired from game development in 2026. Among honors he has been awarded are an Honorary Doctorate by Columbia College of Chicago and the Game Developers Choice Lifetime Achievement award.
Poster art by Basil Lim