Westwood Studios Part 1 : 1993 : A Barnsley lad in Las Vegas

In December 1993, just before Christmas, we arrived in Las Vegas after a flight from Heathrow with a connection in Seattle. Taking time off from my job at Electronic Arts UK, Elsbeth and I were visiting my former business partner from Eldritch The Cat Ltd, Mark McCubbin. Mark had moved to Las Vegas earlier that year to work at Westwood Studios on games like Hand of Fate and Lands of Lore. He would kindly host us in his apartment for the duration of our visit. While the main purpose of our trip was to visit Mark, see Las Vegas, and attend Winter CES, I also had a tentative interview for an engineering leadership role at Westwood Studios. Although this wasn’t the primary reason for our visit, I was both excited and nervous about the opportunity.

By the time we had collected our bags in McCarran (now Harry Reid) airport it was already dark, past 10:00PM. Mark collected us at the airport in his Chrysler LeBaron and suggested, “Let’s go to Walmart and get some bedding,” and so we did that, traipsing around the Walmart store on Rainbow Blvd, exhausted, jet-lagged. I’d experienced the feeling on prior trips to the US that everything was larger than life somehow, and that was definitely the case here, shopping after 10:00pm in the bedding section of this cavernous Walmart. Bedding acquired, we headed to Mark’s apartment at Buffalo Highlands on West Charleston.

Mark generously offered us the use of his LeBaron, which we gladly accepted. I had driven a bit in the US before, including navigating San Francisco's twisty Lombard Street, so I felt fairly confident behind the wheel. We visited Mount Charleston, which felt more remote back then, untouched by the Las Vegas metro sprawl that hadn’t yet reached the Kyle Canyon exit off US95. We also explored Lee Canyon in the snow, Lake Mead, and the Hoover Dam. This was late December, and we had no real sense of how scorching Las Vegas summers could be. But in December, the weather was pleasant, with even a slight chill in the evening air.

Chrysler LeBaron in the black and white 90's

   
We had no idea what to expect from Las Vegas, and it turned out to be nothing like I imagined! I somehow pictured a dim, underground casino in Manchester that I visited once during college, where I felt completely out of place in my green army surplus jacket, jeans, and Dunlop Green Flash tennis shoes. Vegas, as it turned out, was not like Manchester!

At this time, I still had flowing blond locks. My scheduled interview with Westwood was coming up, and I really had no idea what to expect, but I thought I ought to make myself presentable and decided to get a radically … normal haircut. And so, on the eve of my interview, I found myself at a place called Hair Force (I think, a SuperCuts type of place) on Rainbow Blvd (it was walking distance from Mark’s apartment) asking for ‘everything off!’ My barber was very concerned that I was cutting off my ‘lovely hair’ and would repeatedly ask me, ‘Are you sure?’ but I had made the decision; it was all to come off, and so it did.

I generally looked like this at that time

The Interview

On the day of the interview, I drove the LeBaron to the Westwood Studios office, which at the time was located at 5333 South Arville, near Tropicana Blvd. It was early evening when I headed into the office, and as I recall, the sun was already setting. I was driving along Rainbow Blvd, headed south toward Tropicana Blvd, when something took me by surprise - the southbound 3 lanes of Rainbow were suddenly 1 lane, with the 2 vanishing outside lanes turning into a dirt lot! I recall that both the signposting and the street lighting were poor, and I was probably preoccupied thinking about the upcoming interview; anyway, I managed to avoid any incident, though I did give the brakes on the LeBaron a workout! I later found that this situation with vanishing lanes was common in Las Vegas; at times, lanes would come and go as you drove from block to block, especially around new development, which was everywhere in 1993 Las Vegas.

Command & Conquer was made here at 5333 South Arville

I must admit that the exact sequence of events that followed is a bit of a blur. Things moved very quickly, and while I can remember certain events very clearly, the chronology is a little difficult to piece together. If anyone reading this post spots any errors or omissions, I'd be very grateful and will update the article accordingly.

It may have been a weekend, or perhaps it was during the Christmas holiday break, but I remember very few people being around when I arrived at the Westwood Office. Incidentally, the office struck me as unusual for reasons I’ll mention in a bit. I remember hanging out in Mark’s office for a while and then being shuttled off to another room to meet with a sequence of people, including Rob Povey (Lion King, Sega Genesis) and Phil Gorrow (many Westwood credits). I don’t believe I interviewed with Chris Yates (VP of R&D) on this round, and honestly, I don't recall if Chris was at the office. I don’t specifically remember the outcome of the interview, but evidently, it had gone better than my interview at Microprose in Baltimore a few years earlier because they wanted me to do a follow-up interview with Chris!

I didn't get a full tour of the unusual office layout, but I noticed corridors connecting oddly shaped spaces unexpectedly. A narrow staircase with sharp turns led to the second floor, strangely positioned. It felt like the building's areas had been pieced together as an afterthought, as if they had once been separate units—perhaps they had.

Follow-up Interview with Chris Yates

While I don't recall the exact sequence of events, I was scheduled to meet with Chris for a follow-up at some point after my interview at the Westwood office. I have to say that Chris was exceedingly gracious and generous with his time. I have a lot to thank him for. I don't know if I ever really said it directly to Chris, but he is directly responsible for my transition to the US and for the course of my career from that moment, 30+ years ago. Of course, I am getting ahead of myself! The first thing I remember about the follow-up meeting with Chris is riding shotgun in his white Eagle Talon; Chris talking about the various upgrades he was doing (he had new brake calipers in the car, waiting to be installed!), interspersed with interview questions about my previous work, how I had approached things, how I thought about problem-solving, etc. The second thing I remember is Chris continuing the interview at Ricardos Mexican Restaurant. In the years to come, this would be a staple location for lunch and dinner, both for business meetings and for pleasure. A true Las Vegas classic, sadly shuttered permanently in 2020. I thought my meeting with Chris went well, but it is always so, so difficult to tell. And I still had a week or more of time on the ground in Las Vegas while I waited to hear; lots of sights to see!

Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant at Rainbow & Flamingo

New Year’s Eve Party

I recall parts of New Year's Eve 1993 very vividly. Elsbeth and I were invited to attend a New Year’s Eve party hosted by Mike & Maria Legg at their house in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas as guests of Mark. I am sorry for truncating your name Maria, but I could not figure out how to structure that sentence without doing so! Mike was one of the main programmers at Westwood and had previously completed Legend of Kyrandia on the Amiga and Hand of Fate on the PC. Maria was also a coder but did not work at Westwood. Not yet. Maria would go on to become the coding wizard behind the famous Command & Conquer installer (and practically every other Westwood installer), But I’m getting ahead of myself again! Mike and Maria were very gracious hosts, and Elsbeth & I enjoyed getting to know them. There were lots of other people at the party, many of them from Westwood. I do recall having a lengthy conversation with Dave Pokorny about the definition of the word ‘cheesy,’ I think we reached a definitive conclusion, but I don’t remember what it was.

Chris was at the party but arrived late because he’d flown in from out of state. 

The other important person I was to meet at the party, another person who would have a major impact on my future career, was one Brett Sperry, who was, of course, president and co-founder (with Louis Castle) of Westwood Studios and co-creator (with Joe Bostic) of Command & Conquer, though nobody outside of Westwood Studios, myself included, knew that latter fact yet! I had the chance to have a good chat with Brett (over the noise of the party), who was aware that I was interviewing with the company: in between casual party conversations were a few more probing questions, but it was all very relaxed.

Midnight at the Las Vegas Strip

At some point during the evening, someone had the idea of driving to the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd, the centerline of the major casinos in Las Vegas) to experience the midnight NYE celebrations. Making our farewells, Mark drove Elsbeth and me to the Strip, but as you might have guessed, it was rather busy, and it took us a while to find parking. I think we kinda missed the strike of midnight, but I remember walking along the Strip in the wee small hours with thousands of revelers of varying sobriety. All very good-natured for the most part; it got real a couple of times, with police moving the throng along and the occasional altercation. A glimpse into another side of Las Vegas life.

Dinner at Lombardi's Restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace

It seemed that my interviews with the Westwood team and with Chris, plus my various interactions with Westwood Studios folks at the New Year's Eve party at the Leggs', had gone well, and I had somehow managed not to blow it. Things had gone so well, in fact, that Chris had invited Elsbeth and me to dinner at Lombardi's restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace with himself and his girlfriend at the time. Similar to Caesars Palace itself, the Forum Shops had a Roman theme throughout. The mall was adorned with marble and featured several fountains both inside and outside. The interior boasted sky-painted ceilings that transitioned from day to night.

Elsbeth and I had explored some of the casinos on the Strip, including the MGM Grand, Luxor, and Excalibur, which were all practically brand new in late 1993—glamorous yet surprisingly casual. When Chris asked if I had a jacket, I was a bit concerned since I didn’t, but it turned out not to be an issue. We dined at Lombardi's at the Forum, and it was an unforgettable experience. The restaurant, serving Italian-American cuisine, was located by the Fountain of the Gods. We sat in the 'outdoor' area under a simulated sky that transitioned from day to night every hour, complete with stars at night. The overall effect was dramatic, and the food and service were top-notch.

Lombardi's (later Trevi) Restaurant at the Forum Shops By Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0

At this stage, it seemed likely that I would receive a job offer from Westwood Studios; this filled me with a sense of excitement, tinged with a little bit of fear. Of course, I'd thought about some of this stuff over the past few days, but now it seemed like it would start to become real. We'd have to leave our lives behind and move to a new country, thousands of miles from home! What was I getting us into? What about our little flat in Cippenham? Our families? The cat? The Land Rover we'd just purchased! And what was the visa situation, given that we were not yet married? The practical realities started to sink in, along with a healthy dose of imposter syndrome. What made me think a lad from a council estate in Barnsley could move to America and do this?

Winter CES

Time for a couple of quick anecdotes. In the final few days of our stay in Las Vegas, I finally made it to Winter CES. It was crowded and mostly featured new electronic devices (TVs, audio gear, etc), but over on one side was a games pavilion. Making my way over to the games area, I turned a corner and bumped almost literally into Mark Lewis, managing director of Electronic Arts UK (which is where I was currently employed). As our eyes met, I saw Mark distinctly do a double take. The last time I'd seen him, a couple of weeks before, 6,000 miles away, back in the Langley office, I'd had long hair, which I usually wore tied back. Now, I had a short back and sides cut for my Westwood interview, and I think Mark probably didn't immediately recognize me. "Steve!" said Mark, "I didn't expect to bump into you here! What's going on? You have short hair!!" "I'm visiting my friend," I replied truthfully, sheepishly, "and checking out Winter CES." After a little small talk, we went our separate ways. A little bit awkward.

Arriving at the game section, I learned that Steven Speilberg was on site and visiting the games area. "Wonder if I'll see him?" I thought to myself. As I meandered through the various exhibits, I suddenly felt a prod in my back. Turning around, I found myself face to face with a burly-looking fellow who, while not quite in uniform, had a blazer and slacks and clutched a walkie-talkie. Startled, I started to say, "Hello ..." The burly fellow ignored my utterance and simply said, "Sir, Mr Speilberg is visiting this area." I waited. "Sir, you're in the way. Would you please move?" And that, dear reader, is how I didn’t meet Steven Speilberg.

Back in the UK

Back in the UK, we settled back into business as usual. It felt like we had awoken from a dream as I tried to get back into the routine at Electronic Arts. In the evenings, I had a couple of phone calls with Chris, terms were discussed. An offer would be forthcoming!

One evening, while staying late at the EA office, I waited by the communal office fax machine. I hoped I wouldn't be disturbed, but I needn't have feared. The pages of the offer letter from Westwood Studios emerged from the machine, and I grabbed each one as it fluttered into the tray, hoping not to be discovered.

I took the offer letter home. It was a fantastic offer. We agonized about the potential move. I talked to Chris about our concerns. He did a great job allaying our fears about the move itself, the visa process, and the fact that, yes, we could bring Jupiter, our cat. I talked to Mark. We agonized some more. A few days went by, and revisions of the offer were made.

Eventually, I called Chris and told him, "Chris, I am so sorry, but I can't accept the offer."

To be continued ...