In a surprise press release today, 38 Studios announced two new additions to the Copernicus team: Audrey Hodges and Irena Pereira. Audrey is joining the team as the Director of Audio which is exciting given his work on Kings Quest. Now Irena brings a great deal of experience to the team joining as a Senior UI Designer, which is exciting news for 'UI modders'. Her most recent projects included World of Warcraft expansions The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. She also worked at Verant back in the early EverQuest days. Below is the full 38 Studios press release:

Aubrey Hodges and Irena Pereira Join 38 Studios' team of expert game designers

Maynard, MA – November 4, 2008 - 38 Studios, a pioneering entertainment company dedicated to delivering a broad spectrum of immersive products, today announced that Aubrey Hodges and Irena Pereira have joined 38 Studios as director of audio and senior UI (user interface) designer, respectively.

With his music and sound design heard in more than 180 video games, Composer and Sound Designer Aubrey Hodges is an audio pioneer in the video and computer game industry.  Hodges is credited as among the very first to use MIDI in a video game, the first to use sound effects in an online game and among the first to use General Midi in a video game. He also is cited as the innovator of ambient music design for games with his groundbreaking work on the Doom and Quake series. Before joining 38 Studios, Hodges spent five years as an audio director at EA-Tiburon, home of the popular Madden franchise; and before that as audio director, composer and sound designer for Midway Home Entertainment for ten years. Hodges began his career in audio for videogames at Sierra Online in 1991.  His music and audio credits span classic series such as King's Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, and Conquests of the Longbow to some of the most popular video game series including NFL Blitz and Madden NFL.  In his new role, Hodges will report directly to 38 Studios CEO and President Brett Close.

Senior UI Designer Irena Pereira comes to 38 Studios from Blizzard Entertainment, where she spent over two years working on the interface design and development for World of Warcraft and its expansions The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.  Pereira also worked at game studio Artifact Entertainment where she was responsible for interface design, technical documentation, tools development, and web site design; and at Verant Interactive. Her experience extends beyond MMOG development to include interface development and web design for online companies Hollywood Stock Exchange, Homestore Inc, and LowerMyBills.  Pereira will report to Design Director Jason Roberts.

"38 Studios has been able to attract phenomenal talent, and these hires continue that trend," Close said. "Smart interface design and rich audio are key components of the 38 Studios product vision, and Irena and Aubrey have extensive records of exceptional success in these areas."

About 38 Studios
38 Studios, a media and entertainment company founded in 2006 by Curt Schilling, is in pre-production on an original fantasy IP driven by the creative and artistic visions of pop-culture icons R. A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane. Entertainment products will include a massively immersive online entertainment experience that transcends the traditional MMO genre, novels, comics, toys, movies, TV, and more. For more information, visit http://www.38studios.com.