21 episodes
Devoted Speakeasy Devoted Studios
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Every day we see shiny headlines about games making gazillions, but nothing to help us do our jobs better or support each other's growth. Devoted Speakeasy is a podcast hosted by Ninel Anderson for inspiration and as a practical guide for leveling up within the game industry. Let’s get real!
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Crafting Immersive Gaming Environments | A Conversation with Minoh Kim, Art Director at Riot Games | Devoted SpeakEasy Ep. 26
Welcome to Devoted SpeakEasy Episode 26! 🌟 This month, we're thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with Minoh Kim, the brilliant Art Director of League of Legends maps and modes at Riot Games! 🎮✨
In this episode, Minoh Kim dives deep into his incredible journey in the game development industry, sharing insights from his early days at Cryptic Studios to his impactful role at Riot Games. Discover how he led the art direction for iconic maps and modes in League of Legends and contributed to the character designs for the acclaimed game Valorant.
🔥 What's Inside:
- 🚀 Minoh Kim's inspiring career path and industry experiences
- 🖌️ Behind-the-scenes of art direction for League of Legends maps and modes
- 🎨 Insights into character design for Valorant
- 🎮 Expert tips on game development and design
- 🌟 Valuable advice for aspiring game artists and developers
📣 Don't Miss Out! -
Legendary Call of Duty Maps: How They Were Created | SpeakEasy #25 with Shaun Bell
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Timecodes for your convenient navigation:
0:00 Intro
1:42 Shaun’s Journey: From a Small Studio to the Big Leagues
4:15 Top 5 Skills Learned from the Call of Duty Franchise
5:24 Building Maps for Call of Duty
10:36 Strategies to Speed Up Map Creation
13:20 Learning to Fix Production Pitfalls
16:37 Maps for CoD BO 4 and the First Battle Royal Map
18:29 How the Blackout Map was Developed
21:15 Iterating Small while Pitching and Developing New IPs
21:46 Cinematics for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Specifics
23:12 The Gear and Weapons in Call of Duty
26:13 Pitching Your Ideas in AAA Studios
27:39 Multiple Experiences in the Same Environment: How to Make Them Universal?
28:54 Diversity in the Video Gaming Industry
31:50 Ending
Welcome to Devoted SpeakEasy Episode 25! Join us for an insightful conversation with Art Director Shaun Bell as he shares his experience working within the expansive Call of Duty franchise.
Listen in as Shaun provides invaluable insights into the art of map creation, learning processes crucial for game development, and the essential considerations every Art Director in the gaming industry should know.
🔗 Follow us on Social Media:
🎨 Artstation: www.artstation.com/devoted-studios
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/mycompany
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/devotedstudios
🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/devotedstudios_
💻 Visit the website: devotedstudios.com
#DevotedSpeakEasy #GamingIndustry #ArtDirector #CallOfDuty #ExclusiveInterview #StayTuned 🎮🔥 -
How Live Service Games Are Engineered. Ex-Riot Director Reveals| SpeakEasy 24 with Serge Knystautas
Timecodes for your convenient navigation:00:00 Intro and guest presentation01:59 Key things to know about developing live service games07:22 Release process and release managers11:58 Building the culture of engineering teams
16:26 About the Palia experience: how to grow the team efficiently
18:18 Working at Gardens: what is Serge’s role in the project19:45 Collective performance: what it means22:06 Tech debt. Examples of how to deal with it27:36 Riot experience: what Serge did good and bad30:38 AI tools for engineers
In today's episode, we delve into the intricate engineering world with our guest, Serge Knystautas. With a solid background as a software entrepreneur in the gaming industry, Serge has held pivotal roles such as Director of Software Engineering at Riot Games, Head of Engineering at Singularity 6, and currently serves as the head of engineering at Gardens Interactive.
Gardens Interactive gained significant attention last year for securing $31.3 million in funding to develop a fantasy action role-playing game. Join us as we explore the complexities of live service games, navigate their releases, and delve into the future landscape of AI and engineering environments. Don't miss out on this insightful episode! Tune in now.
🔗 Follow us on Social Media:
🎨 Artstation: www.artstation.com/devoted-studios
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/mycompany
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/devotedstudios
🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/devotedstudios_
💻 Visit the website: devotedstudios.com
#devotedstudios #speakeasy #liveservice #gaming #riotgames #leageoflegends #engineering -
Valorant, Halo Reach, and Overwatch: Building Successful Game Art | Speakeasy 23 with Artem Volchik
🎙️ Welcome to SpeakEasy Episode 23! Watch the video version on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/T-CiGIReBxE
Join us for an incredible journey through the world of game art development with our host Ninel Anderson and his guest, Artem Volchik. Artem, a self-taught game developer, has over 16 years of experience in the industry and has worked on iconic titles like Valorant, HALO Reach, and Overwatch while at renowned studios like Riot Games, Blizzard, and Bungie games.
In this episode, Artem shares his journey of becoming a game art director without traditional training and discusses his transition from creating 3D art assets to leading art teams on major game projects. You will find out how to become a game artist!
Artem offers valuable insights into balancing artistic vision with game design development and shares his expertise in shaping stunning game environments, characters, and props.
Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from one of the best in the field!
🔗 Stay connected with us:
🔹 Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/devoted-studios
🔹 LinkedIn: htps://www.linkedin.com/company/devotedstudios/mycompany
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devotedstudios
🔹 Twitter: https://twitter.com/devotedstudios_
🔹 Visit our website: https://devotedstudios.com/ -
Licenses, Brands, and IPs in Video Games: Tips from LEGO Art Director Emmanuel Valdez | SpeakEasy 22
🎙️ Welcome to SpeakEasy Episode 22! 🎮 Watch the video version on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/HaEPtlDfYkc
Timecodes for your convenient navigation:
0:00 Intro.
0:41 Emmanuel Valdez Introduction
2:16 Working with licenses in video games
6:38 Working with the Lego License.
10:10 Where High Moon Studio came from.
10:45 How to be an Art Director and a Co-Founder.
13:20 A Good Professional Artist.
14:19 Lego Masters anecdote
16:08 The importance of Research on working with Licenses.
18:42 Building a production Pipeline on working with different Brands.
24:45 Mixing Lego with the Real World.
28:00 Feedback sessions with Licensors.
31:00 Ending.
In this electrifying episode, our host Ninel Anderson engages in a riveting conversation with Emmanuel Valdez, a seasoned Art Director with over 30 years of gaming industry mastery. Emmanuel's illustrious career spans from directing AAA console games to founding and leading game development studios. Currently serving as the Art Director at Visual Concepts (2K Games), he brings his artistic genius to life in titles like the Lego 2K Drive. 🚀🎮
Join us as we unravel the secrets behind working with gaming giants, exploring Emmanuel's experiences with renowned franchises. Emmanuel Valdez shares his journey, insights, and the creative forces that drive the industry's most iconic titles, from the intricacies of creative direction to shaping entire gaming landscapes. 🌟
🔗 Stay connected with us:
🔹 Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/devoted-studios
🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/devotedstudios/mycompany/
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devotedstudios
🔹 Twitter: https://twitter.com/devotedstudios_
🔹 Visit our website: https://devotedstudios.com/Stay Devoted!
#SpeakEasyPodcast #GamingIndustry #Licensing #branding #Storytelling #DevotedStudios #LEgo -
Viral Content for Apex Legends and Star Wars | ex-EA Creative Director Neel Upadhye | SpeakEasy #21
🎙️ Watch the video version on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/UN6vrhy0yXc
Timecodes for your convenient navigation:
00:00 Intro + the guest’s presentation
01:21 Neel’s career journey and the job at EA
04:27 Creating storytelling content for Apex Legends. First steps
06:30 What is transmedia? Neel’s explanation
07:58 Short films for Apex Legends. How were they created?
18:52 Storytelling content for Battlefield 2042
21:38 How Neel produced shorts for the Star Wars franchise
25:39 Work at start-ups vs working at big studios: different approaches to the storytelling content
28:44 Social media channels (TikTok) to promote content for games
In this episode, our CEO Ninel Anderson engages in a captivating conversation with Neel Upadhye, a visionary Creative Director and Writer renowned for his expertise in transmedia and storytelling. Neel brings his creative brilliance to the table, having left his mark on legendary franchises such as Apex Legends and Star Wars. 🌌📝
Join us as we unravel the secrets behind crafting immersive narratives that transcend gaming experiences. Neel shares his insights into the art of transmedia storytelling, offering a behind-the-scenes look at his journey shaping some of the most iconic worlds in gaming and beyond. 🎮📖
🔗 Stay connected with us:
🔹 Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/devoted-studios
🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/devotedstudios/mycompany/
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devotedstudios
🔹 Twitter: https://twitter.com/devotedstudios_
🔹 Visit our website: https://devotedstudios.com/
#SpeakEasyPodcast #GamingIndustry #Transmedia #Storytelling #DevotedStudios #EA