Denny Thorley - AIAS Secretary
Day 1 Studios
An industry veteran with more than 17 years experience, Denny Thorley is currently the President of independent game developer, Day 1 Studios. At Day 1, Thorley is credited with securing a first-party development relationship with Microsoft and with recruiting quality, experienced managers and developers to successfully enhance Day 1's staff.
MechAssault, Day 1's first title, shipped for the Xbox in Q4, 2002. The fast action 'Mech game quickly became the darling of Xbox "Live" and helped Microsoft launch its strategic, on-line initiative for the Xbox. MechAssault's numerous awards, including best action game and best on-line game for the Xbox, also generated notoriety for Day 1 when the studio was nominated as Rookie Studio of the Year at the 2003 Game Developers Conference.
Prior to joining Day 1 Studios, Thorley was the CEO and co-founder of FASA Interactive Technologies where he executive produced MechCommander for the PC and assisted in the development of Alien Invasion, a location-based, multi-person game experience for Walt Disney's DisneyQuest facility. Through a 1999 acquisition, FASA Interactive joined Microsoft Game Studios, becoming FASA Studio.
