Timeline: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:54, 18 January 2026

1998 May 13 – Kingpin Announced

On May 13, 1998, Kingpin: Life of Crime was officially announced as Xatrix Entertainment’s next first-person shooter, developed using an enhanced version of the Quake II engine. The announcement came shortly before E3 1998, where the game was scheduled for its first public showing.

Interplay confirmed it would publish the title, highlighting Xatrix’s shift toward a darker, crime‑themed setting. Early details emphasized:

A gritty, urban world inspired by noir and gangster fiction
Puzzle‑solving and clue‑gathering elements
Planned vehicle segments (including a gyrocopter)
A projected Q1 1999 release window

Blue’s News reported that the project was the game designer Ridah had been hinting at in his .plan updates. His notes described:

A setting influenced by 1930s gangster films
A focus on AI and gameplay systems
Research into vehicle physics for new engine features
The working title Kingpin

Sources

1998 August 25 – Xatrix Welcomes John “Dr Sleep” Anderson

On 25 August 1998, Xatrix Entertainment announced that John “Dr Sleep” Anderson had joined the studio after leaving Ion Storm. Anderson, known for his level design work on Doom, Heretic, and Hexen, was brought onto the Kingpin development team to strengthen the project’s level design and overall creative direction.

Xatrix stated that Anderson’s experience would significantly enhance the already established team working on Kingpin.

Sources

1998 May 28–30 – Possible First Trailer Shown at E3

Kingpin was announced shortly before E3 1998 with confirmation that the game would be presented at the show. A promotional trailer survives today, but no contemporary documentation confirms whether this specific video was the one shown during the event.

Given the timing of the announcement, the presence of Xatrix and Interplay at E3, and later previews referencing early footage seen “earlier that year,” it is considered likely that an early version of the trailer or similar gameplay reel was shown during E3 1998.

Surviving promotional video

Kingpin – Life of Crime Official Trailer

Notes

No hard evidence confirms this exact trailer was used at E3.
It may represent the same or similar footage shown at the event.

Sources

1998 May 13 Announcement
E3 1998 dates: 28–30 May 1998

1998 September 6–9 – First Screenshots Shown at ECTS 1998

The earliest confirmed Kingpin screenshots appeared during the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) 1998, held from 6–9 September in London. Interplay presented an early build of the game at the event, and several gaming outlets published screenshots taken from the show floor or from press materials distributed during ECTS.

These images represent the first publicly available look at Kingpin, showcasing early versions of the game's urban environments, character models, and lighting. The screenshots published by Blue’s News and GameSpot UK’s ECTS coverage match the material shown at the event, making ECTS 1998 the most likely source of the first public screenshots.

Sources

1998 October – First Magazine Coverage

October 1998 marks the earliest known appearance of Kingpin in print magazines. Two publications featured preview coverage of the game, providing the first substantial mainstream exposure outside of trade‑show reporting.

PC Accelerator (USA) included an early preview highlighting the game’s gritty tone, urban environments, and Xatrix’s use of the Quake II engine. Around the same time, the French magazine Joystick (Issue 097) also ran a feature on Kingpin, presenting similar early impressions and screenshots from the in‑development build.

These October 1998 previews represent the first confirmed magazine coverage of Kingpin.

Sources

1999 February 4 – Second Drew Markham Interview

On 4 February 1999, Next‑Generation Online published a follow‑up interview with Drew Markham, offering additional insight into the ongoing development of Kingpin. Markham discussed the team’s progress since the previous month’s interview, including refinements to the game’s AI, world design, and narrative direction.

He also elaborated on the studio’s goals for creating a more immersive and reactive urban environment, as well as the challenges of balancing realism with fast‑paced shooter gameplay. Blue’s News reported the release of the interview, helping to bring wider attention to it.

Sources

1999 February 4 – Second Drew Markham Interview Published

On 4 February 1999, Stomped published a follow‑up interview with Drew Markham, offering additional insight into the ongoing development of Kingpin. Markham discussed the team’s progress since the previous month’s interview, including refinements to the game’s AI, world design, and narrative direction.

He also elaborated on the studio’s goals for creating a more immersive and reactive urban environment, as well as the challenges of balancing realism with fast‑paced shooter gameplay. Blue’s News reported the release of the interview, helping to bring wider attention to it.

Sources

1999 February 11 – Drew Markham Interview Published

On 11 February 1999, Blue’s News published another interview with Drew Markham, offering further insight into the development of Kingpin. Markham discussed ongoing refinements to the game’s world design, AI behavior, and narrative tone, as well as the team’s goals for creating a more grounded and atmospheric shooter.

This interview continued the steady flow of pre‑release information released throughout early 1999, giving players a clearer picture of Xatrix’s design direction.

Sources

1999 February 15 – Dan Koppel Interview

On 15 February 1999, Rust published a short interview with Dan Koppel, one of the key programmers and technical coordinators on Kingpin. Koppel discussed the technical side of the project, including enhancements to the Quake II engine, improvements to lighting and rendering, and the challenges of implementing the game’s interactive NPC systems.

He also touched on editing tools and level‑creation workflows, noting that Xatrix planned to ship Kingpin with its level editor. Blue’s News reported the release of the interview, helping to bring wider attention to it.

Sources

1999 February 16 – Interplay Press Kit Art Created

On 16 February 1999, Interplay produced a set of official press‑kit art assets for Kingpin. These files, preserved in the Interplay Product Presentation archive, include early promotional renders, character artwork, and logo materials intended for use by magazines and distributors.

The file creation timestamps confirm this as the earliest known date for finalized promotional art distributed outside Xatrix. These assets were later mirrored on various fan sites and remain one of the few surviving pieces of pre‑release marketing material.

Sources

1999 February 21 – Drew Markham Interview Published

On 21 February 1999, Blue’s News published another interview with Drew Markham, providing further insight into the development of Kingpin. Markham discussed the team’s continued progress on world‑building, AI behavior, and the game’s mature thematic direction. He also commented on the challenges of refining the game’s atmosphere and interactive NPC systems as the project moved deeper into production.

This interview added to the steady stream of early‑1999 developer commentary, offering one of the clearest looks at Xatrix’s evolving design goals.

Sources

1999 March 10 – “Ganghit” Kingpin Movie Released

On 10 March 1999, Blue’s News reported the release of a new Kingpin promotional video titled Ganghit. The clip showcased early gameplay and cinematic elements, offering one of the first substantial looks at the game’s violent tone, character interactions, and urban environments.

File metadata from the surviving archive indicates that the video itself was created on 9 March 1999, one day before its public release. This makes Ganghit one of the earliest confirmed pre‑release gameplay videos distributed for Kingpin.

Sources

1999 March 16 – John W. Anderson Interview Published

On 16 March 1999, PlanetKingpin published a new interview with John W. “Dr Sleep” Anderson, focusing on his level design work and his experience at Xatrix after leaving Ion Storm. Anderson discussed his creative approach, the atmosphere within the studio, and the challenges of building dense urban environments within the Quake II engine.

Blue’s News reported the release of the interview, helping to circulate it more widely, but the original publication was hosted by PlanetKingpin.

Sources

@@ Line 107: / Line 107: @@
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-=== 1999 February 15 – Dan Koppel Interview Published ===
+=== 1999 February 15 – Dan Koppel Interview ===
 On 15 February 1999, Rust published a short interview with Dan Koppel, one of the key programmers and technical coordinators on ''Kingpin''. Koppel discussed the technical side of the project, including enhancements to the Quake II engine, improvements to lighting and rendering, and the challenges of implementing the game’s interactive NPC systems.