Mike Capps (executive)
Michael Capps was the President of Epic Games, based in Cary, North Carolina from 2002 - 2012. He stepped down from the post in December 2012. In 2018, he co-founded a new artificial intelligence company called Diveplane Corporation. Early life. Mike Capps attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in math and creative writing. He also earned his MS in Computer Science from UNC-CH. Capps then went on to complete a SM in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by a PhD  in Computer Science from the Naval Postgraduate School. Career. Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to entering the game industry, Capps served as a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he specialized in defense and entertainment collaboration, virtual reality and computer graphics. For his work in these areas, he was one of 50 graphics pioneers interviewed for the ACM SIGGRAPH documentary, "The Story of Computer Graphics." While at the Naval Postgraduate School, Capps was the producer, designer and lead programmer of the America’s Army computer game. Epic Games. Capps has been a game designer, executive producer, head  writer, lead programmer, research professor, and studio executive. He is best known for his decade as the president of Epic Games, makers of the mega-hit Gears of War, Infinity Blade, and Fortnite franchises and the award-winning Unreal Engine. Under his leadership, Epic was named Studio of the Year at the 2006 Spike Video Game Awards. Awards. In 2009, Capps was named NCTA's Technology Executive of the Year. In 2012, Capps was named CEO of the Year for the WRAL Tech Wire Full Steam Ahead Awards. Mike was also an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. In  2016, Capps was awarded the Beacon Award for Lifetime Achievement from NCTA. Board Service. Capps currently serves on the board of the Sphero entertainment robotics company in Colorado and is the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Lonerider Brewing Company. He also serves as an advisor to the Video Games track and is a frequent speaker at Dragon Con. Capps is co-owner of Autarch LLC, responsible for award-winning tabletop role-playing games, such as Adventurer Conqueror King. He formerly served on the boards of directors for the Entertainment Software Association, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS ), the Game Developers Conference (GDC), and Remedy Entertainment in Finland. He was the Treasurer for the Board of the IGDA and was a member of the Entertainment Software Review Board. Television appearances. Capps has been featured as a technology expert and futurist on multiple documentary series on the Discovery, Military, and Science channels, such as Combat Countdown, What on Earth?, and NASA's Unexplained Files.