Flying Lab Software has brought in John "Thalassic" Grimm as the new lead designer for Pirates of the Burning Sea, and he has written an introductory letter to let players know exactly what the change means for the game. Grimm's been with FLS since June and has been involved with the Black Flags and Dread Saints epic mission, and he seems excited about bringing even more new content to the MMO.

Grimm begins his letter by outlining his work experience and explains his responsibilities as lead designer: "My primary responsibility is to guide the team and provide direction towards the overall creative vision for the game. I’m also in charge of coordinating the plans for new features and content so the Dev team has a clear idea of what to code and the Art team knows what new assets to build."

As for the future of Pirates of the Burning Sea, Grimm says we'll "be seeing more strategic and tactical game content for high level players." They also want to improve the new player experience and get a constant stream of new players into the game. You can read his full letter below.

Hey Everyone, I’m John Grimm!

Flying Lab Software has brought me on board as the new design lead for PotBS and Rhaegar has finally decided to let me out of my box to introduce myself to the community! I have been actually here at FLS since June and have been spending all my time getting to know the team and learning about the inner workings of the project. I have always had an interest in working on a pirate game and love the historical genre of the “Age of Sail”, so when I saw the opening I knew I had to jump at the opportunity to work on a project like PotBS. I think I started at just the right time—getting involved with the Black Flags and Dread Saints epic mission over the last milestone has been …epic! And now we’re moving on to even more exciting content, which you’ll be hearing about soon!

To learn about me, a good place to start is with my education and work experience. I received my Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design at Western Washington University. The program was engineering-focused and taught me that form follows function and the best design work involves multiple disciplines working tightly together. The last 10 years I’ve spent building games has reinforced these principles and showed that amazing titles are built on teamwork and communication. Since I have come aboard at FLS, I have united ConCo and DesignCo together into one group and tightened the link between all of us Designers and the Art, Test and Engineering teams. We are already seeing the benefits of this new team structure and I expect you’ll notice it too in the coming months.

Even outside of work, the nautical world is in my blood. When I was younger I worked for the family business, a shipyard here in Seattle that builds world-class luxury yachts. Being around the shipyard allowed me the experience of being a deck hand on a fishing boat, constructing the yachts in the shop and working in the engineering department with the designers and engineers. The other side of my family is actively involved in a yacht club here in Seattle. They own several antique Chris-Craft that I was lucky enough to get to spend my summers on. They even have a real working black powder mini-cannon that we bring out for ceremonies and special occasions. (This thing is awesome, but sadly no pirates were ever dispatched by its mighty roar).

But enough about me. You’re probably wondering what it actually means to have a new Lead Designer on PotBS. Well, the lead designer of any game must be able to wear a lot of hats and be adept at swapping those hats at a moment’s notice. Now I don’t mean that we are fashion conscious (ok, maybe a little) but rather that I have to assume many different roles to take keep the game growing. My primary responsibility is to guide the team and provide direction towards the overall creative vision for the game. I’m also in charge of coordinating the plans for new features and content so the Dev team has a clear idea of what to code and the Art team knows what new assets to build. It is like building a house or a ship; you first must have the blueprints.

Now you might also be asking yourselves, “What are we going to see next for Pirates of the Burning Sea?” It’s a great question. You’ll be hearing a lot about what’s coming next very soon, but I’ll tell you what I can for now. You will be seeing more strategic and tactical game content for high level players. Additionally, we plan to improve the new player experience and make it easier for them to get involved in the conquest system and economy earlier. And of course, we hope to bring a constant stream of new players to the game. Keep an eye out for lots of new promotional events and advertising starting this week.

So that is me for now, it looks like it’s time for me to be dragged into a meeting! I am really excited to be a part of the Pirates of the Burning Sea community. There are great things ahead and I look forward to getting to know all of you on the forums, in game and maybe even at PAX this week!