Ron Gilbert joins Hothead as creative director

Vancouver-based Hothead Games has announced that Ron Gilbert is joining the studio as creative director, following a successful relationship between the two working on the upcoming Penny Arcade downloadable title.

Gilbert will now work at the Candian studio on all of the team’s games, including his long-in-the-works Deathspank, which will now be published by Hothead.

Gilbert famously designed The Secret of Monkey Island series and is a famed adventure game designer. His new title is described as "Monkey Island meets Diablo" and will be released in episodic format.

He quipped in the announcement: "I’ve spent over four years trying to find the right publisher for this strange little game. Now that I’ve done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up."

"We’re all huge fans of Monkey Island and we love Ron’s unique vision and sense of humor," added Joel DeYoung, COO of Hothead Games. "Ron shares Hothead’s goal of bringing much-needed humor and innovation into games, so having him here in Vancouver as our Creative Director is an excellent fit."