in 1994, rignall transitioned from magazine publishing to software development, joining virgin interactive entertainment in irvine, california. as vice-president of design, he was responsible for product design and licensing acquisitions from other game developers and publishers. while at virgin, rignall contributed to such titles as "agile warrior f-111x", "nanotek warrior", "the lion king", "the jungle book" and the highly anticipated, but never published, "thrill kill".