Hundreds of millions play video games made in Bay Area

LUTZ (FOX 13) - Welcome to Artix Entertainment - a Bay Area online video game creator where fantasy is reality and reality is perhaps nothing like you've seen where you work.

The CEO Adam Bohn has created a relaxed workplace where mock sword fighting in the hallways is commonplace, and workers are encouraged to come to work dressed as their favorite video game characters. 

But this is no fly by night operation.

"Over 200 million accounts have been created for our games over the past 15 years," Adam told us.

But in the beginning, it was a business model built on, well nothing.

"We started the company out of a spare bedroom in my house and it wasn't even a company, we were just building a game for free for everyone to play," Bohn explained.

So how much is Artix worth today? Adam wouldn't reveal that but said a few years ago Artix turned down an $84 million buyout offer from an undisclosed company.

You may have heard of some of Artix's products; Adventure Quest, Adventure Quest Worlds, even a game called BioBeasts. Players play for free, then can upgrade their characters for fees ranging from two dollars up to fifty dollars.

For millions of members, these are more than video games. They're a way of life.

But why? What makes these games so popular? Bohn reveals the secret.

"Why are people really drawn to these games? Why not movies? You are not the main character in the movie. They try to make the main character in the movie someone you can relate to, but in the game you are the main character," he explained.

And that keeps players coming back for more.

"The company grows with the games. And we're hoping that happens with Adventure Quest 3D," Adam told us.

Adventure Quest 3D is the newest offering from Artix. And the sword fighting CEO has high hopes.

"This game is among the first true cross-platform games. That means we've built an online world that you can log-on to on almost any device, and we're going to add more," Adam said.

Artix Entertainment - a Bay Area business cashing in on fun and games.

To learn more about Artix Entertainment, and see the release of Adventure Quest 3D, visit  https://www.artix.com/