Mark Surfas

Mark Surfas is a Canadian-American game developer and author who founded GameSpy, a gaming media company, online multiplayer platform, and middleware provider.[1][2][3] He also launched and currently leads multimedia communications company GroupFire and software company Robots and Rockets.[4] He is also the author of the instructional books Running a Perfect Web Site with Windows,[5] Using Intranet HTML,[6] and Creating Your Own ActiveX Web Pages.[7]

Mark Surfas
NationalityCanadian-American
Occupation(s)Game developer, author
Years active1990-present
Known forFounding GameSpy

Career

In the early 1990s, Surfas served as director of on-line communications at Coldwell Banker.[8][9][10]

Through Que Publishing, Surfas wrote and published the technology books Running a Perfect Web Site with Windows and Using Intranet HTML in 1996.[5][6] He also published the book Creating Your Own ActiveX Web Pages in 1997.[7] Surfas also founded and organized the Costa Mesa-based gaming event The Beatdown in 1998.[11]

Surfas initially formed GameSpy in 1995[12] as a website called PlanetQuake, which was dedicated to the video game Quake.[13][14] Surfas licensed the software known as QSpy, which allowed users to list and search for servers for online multiplayer matches of Quake. Initially renaming his service QuakeSpy, he eventually settled on the name GameSpy.[15][16][17]

In 1999, he launched Mp3spy, a software that searched for computer servers broadcasting music on the Internet.[18]

He wrote an op-ed concerning video game ratings for the Los Angeles Times in 2000.[19]

Surfas became chief strategy officer when GameSpy merged with IGN in 2003.[20]

Surfas would also go on to invest in companies such as RealNetworks,[21] Mob Science, OGPlanet, and GeekChicDaily.[22]

As of 2022, Surfas leads GroupFire, Robots and Rockets[4] and weatherlovers.org [23]

Bibliography
  • Surfas, M. (1996). Running a Perfect Web Site with Windows: United States: Que Publishing.
  • Surfas, M. (1996). Using Intranet HTML. United States: Que Publishing.
  • Surfas, M. (1997). Creating Your Own ActiveX Web Pages. United States: Que Publishing.

References
  1. "This Job Involves Some Fun, Games". Wall Street Journal. 2003-12-23. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  2. "Glu Mobile loses $3M, buys GameSpy for 600,000 shares". bizjournals.com. 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  3. "Before the Angel Comes the Mechanic". Los Angeles Times. 2010-05-10. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  4. Russell, Ronald (2017-10-14). Mark Surfas: Biography. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1-9782-2444-5.
  5. Surfas, Mark; Chandler, David M.; Anthony, Tobin (1996). Running a Perfect Web Site with Windows. Que. ISBN 978-0-7897-0763-5.
  6. Surfas, Mark (1996). Using Intranet HTML. Que. ISBN 978-0-7897-0852-6.
  7. Creating Your Own ActiveX Web Pages. Que. 1997-01-01. ISBN 978-0-7897-1077-2.
  8. "House Hunts by Computer Saving Time and Tedium". Los Angeles Times. 1994-12-11. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  9. Rao, Leena (2011-01-25). "Fanboy Email Newsletter GeekChicDaily Raises $1.5 Million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  10. Woodard, James (1995-03-05). "Real Estate Brokers Join the Internet". The Times. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  11. "Sleep is for weak at computer game raves". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  12. "Gamespy". The Los Angeles Times. 1999-07-29. p. 224. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  13. "GameSpy to Buy Mplayer Web Site for $20 Million". Los Angeles Times. 2000-12-21. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  14. "New Sequel to Quake Beefs Up Blood, Guts to Spur Bigger Sales". Wall Street Journal. 1997-12-09. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  15. "What Ever Happened to GameSpy?". TechSpot. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  16. "25 companies (and other things) Shacknews outlasted". Shacknews. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  17. "Before the Angel Comes the Mechanic". Los Angeles Times. 2000-05-10. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  18. Graser, Marc (1999-06-03). "Spying opportunity". Variety. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  19. "la times op-ed authored by mark". The Los Angeles Times. 2000-10-26. p. 172. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  20. "IGN And GameSpy To Merge". Game Developer. 2003-12-05. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  21. Fritz, Ben (2006-10-30). "Vidgame venture liftoff". Variety. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  22. Fleming, Mike Jr. (2011-01-25). "Major Showbiz Players Invest In Geek Chic". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  23. https://www.weatherlovers.org/mark/
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