Aaron Contreras

Imagendary Studios, founded by former Blizzard artist Wei Wang, has unveiled a cinematic trailer for their project. Astropulse: Reincarnation is a single-player sci-fi third-person role-playing shooter, set in a distant future on a war-torn Earth. Additionally, the developers plan to release short films and comics based on their game, which will expand the Astropulse universe. The release date for the game is currently unknown. In my opinion, the trailer looks really cool! It's very much in the style of Blizzard's projects. Let's see what awaits us in the game. #Astropulse #VideoGames #Games #Gaming #GameDevelopment #Blizzard #GameTrailer

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12 things that destroy a game voice recording session: 1. Not allocating enough time to casting 2. Not working with a casting director 3. Not sending clear instructions (call sheets) well in advance 4. Not sending scripts & character bios well in advance 5. Not having an experienced voice director 6. Trying to record too many lines in a session 7. Not taking notes / having a note taker during the session 8. Not testing a remote talent's home studio in advance 9. Having too many people on the call / in the session 10. Giving the actor a "read" 11. Having a negative attitude (cast or crew) 12. Not working collaboratively / as a team Avoid these at all costs. Genuinely would love to hear what you would add to this list.

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UX in video games can make or break the title. When it's great, everything is greater. When it's not so great, the whole experience gets taken down. This is an important role with a major remit. https://lnkd.in/gRNwyVgH #hiring

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TOP NEW CREATIVE “STAR WARS: HUNTERS” BY ZYNGA The competition for IPs remains fierce in the mobile games market. The latest initiative comes from Zynga, with the Star Wars franchise. 🌌🎖️ The game is a hero shooter focusing on player versus player (PvP) combat, featuring 3D stylized art and a core gaming experience. ⚔️ The game includes various Star Wars characters, allowing players to engage in strategic team-based multiplayer battles. It features multiple game modes and leverages the Star Wars license to create an immersive environment that appeals to fans of the movies and the shooter genre. 🤩 Two weeks ago the game began its growth stage and has reached 2.5MM downloads and US$740k in IAP revenue so far. 📈 It's no surprise that to achieve this result, the Star Wars IP is central to the UA strategy. 🎯 Drawing on a stylized cartoon, the flagship creative video does not make direct reference to the gameplay. So much so that one wonders: is this an ad for a game or a movie? 🤔 Created on June 6, the creative video has achieved over 6.7MM impressions to date. Of these 48% are in 🇨🇦 and 40% in the 🇺🇸 . The source of the impressions is 100% Mintegral. The apps with this creative are "Paper .io 2" by Voodoo (15%) and "Piano Tiles 2" by Kooapps (9%). 👇 Take a look below and I'll show you the creative video and some information about it. 👇 For this research, we have used the following AppMagic tools: Top Soft Launches, Ad Intelligence, and AI Magic Helper. - X - This research was supported by Cost Center. Cost Center is a tech company that offers a powerful suite of tools for Mobile Publishers to optimize UA campaigns. 💪 Its portfolio includes amazing clients such as Amanotes and Lihuhu. 🏆 Do you like it? 🤩 Call my friend Yi Ting Ho. She'll show you a demo. 😉 #marketing #gaming #gamedevelopment #HypercasualByCarlosPereira

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Maya Attribute Options tool.! Newest addition to my personal tool set. Took me a few days to write it on and off. This tool helps me to re-order attributes without having to re-do the incoming/outgoing connections. Some options are still a work in progress... #reorder #attributes #mel #maya #tools #rigging

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Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

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Game producers, more meetings lead to better games. Said no one, ever. Producers, we get it. You want the best games. You can't afford delays. Ever thought: "How can I spend less time in meetings?" You're not alone. Many producers are realizing meetings eat up creative time. Here's the thing: You can't afford not to create. Creating isn't just fun. It's crucial. We all know about endless meetings. They take time, sure. But there's something even better: Time spent directly on your projects. If you meet too much... It backfires. Creativity drops. Studies show producers who create more: → Boost productivity → Get more involved → Control quality better → Unleash untapped potential → Understand the gaming landscape In the gaming world, you always have 3 options: Create, delegate, or delay. You chose to create and be hands-on. Here's what you can do instead: 1. Focus on Quality: Directly oversee game development. 2. Limit Meetings: Only meet when necessary. 3. Innovate: Stay ahead in the gaming world. 4. Collaborate: Work closely with your team. 5. Create: Dive into your projects more. 6. Enjoy: Have fun creating. If you must have meetings, keep them short. Plan them well, and make them count. In the world of game production, who's ready to trade some meetings for more game creating time? Best case, you'll create the next blockbuster game. Worst case, you’ll have fewer meetings to attend. That's a win-win. PS. Who is your favorite game producer?

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Hello friends. Last month, I was looking for more work and finally secured some on Reddit from a guy who needed help with preproduction on his Tabletop RPG / Card Battler. After a meeting with him, he showed me what he had and it was quite impressive. He had a prototype of a card-battler using a tabletop RPG battle system, but he had little to no documentation or planning—he's been chiseling away at his game for a few months in his spare time after work. I suggested that before I dive into art, we flesh out the game design and the rest of the game up to around an 80% mark and let the last 20% be changes, additions, and that sort. As your game evolves, it'll come into it's own and you'll find things that need changed or added, this accounts for that. He agreed and I asked if I could work on all this since I did that with my game Alligori and lead the team from start to finish with our vertical slice, and I know tabletop RPGs very well. He agreed and we did the whole song and dance with paperwork, and he sent over a retainer and I began work the following Monday. Three weeks go by and we're working great together. I'm fleshing out his game, adding some meat to the backbone of his prototype with classes, abilities, etc. My goal was to write out as much as possible and then trim content to fit it into a 1-year development cycle. So I flesh a bulk of his game out, and then categorize it more into a game design document that clearly conveys concepts, ideas, and mechanics. Catching up, last week was the final week of my first month and payment was due. He just up and disappears like a fart in the wind, I have no idea if he's alive, incarcerated, on vacation, or what. He didn't remove me on Discord, so I don't entirely suspect malicious intent, but he gave no notice. That's the risk you run with working 1-on-1 with a client remotely, one day they can just up and disappear. I do have paperwork, so I may pursue legal action. If he doesn't log on by Friday, I'm going to publicly release all my documentation and the GDD I wrote on here.

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Mini Gear Grinder... not a crazy one, just a mini one... Candidates: when replying to Posts that have jobs listed, multiple companies / Games Studios, etc. within them. A comment of "I am interested" does not do you much good. A comment of "I am interested in the following role at XYZ company" is however helpful. Seeing so many of these & I love that you're interested in the roles posted, but which ones? Help the Recruiter or the people out that are putting the resources in front of you & let them know what you're interested in. ⚙ The job? Which one, we have 5+ listed. ⚙ The company? Which one, as some of these posts list 5+ organizations. ⚙ The person posting? Let's keep it PC / PG here people, I'm not advocating for weirdness 😝 I'm referring to a conversation or asking for help where you need it potentially. Don't be creepy, please do not be creepy! ⚙ The products they make? Etc., etc. Identify a bit deeper... Help them help you! 😁 Keep fighting the good fight everyone! Enjoy the weekend & wishing you best out there! #'s for the #'s #TheMattBarney #OneLove #TheMeatballs #GearGrinder #VideoGames #PirateRecruitersUniteUnderOneBanner

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The Video Game industry is ruled by Fear And people on Linkedin are terrified to speak out Fear of what/who exactly? Upsetting "special interest groups" That should be placated. An interview with Marty O'Donnell Known for his talents in sound design at Bungie Goes into why executives fear pushing against DEI Things mentioned that are common discussion already: C-suites are only concerned about profits They lack a backbone and creative prowess Morals and values are very absent Seems about right The industry (AAA specifically) is creatively bankrupt Way I see it, there are two major problems I'm sure you've heard this before... Forced DEI practices Incompetent Leadership Running a business is hard, no doubt about it But running it into the ground is much easier

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Staying true to its form 😅 this much anticipated DLC is locked behind one of the toughest optional Boss from the main game. This lock works and is indeed required as part of the game's story. Pretty interesting to see how this develops and how it will tempt players into defeating Mohg now. According to current data on Steam <40% of players have beaten the optional boss. Glad to say I'm one of those! Plus, staying true to what they have always been doing, the DLC will be ~x% more difficult in general than the base game. For fans of the souls series, this is exactly what they want and usually FromSoftware always delivers! Have you already defeated Mohg? #eldenring #dlc #storylock #exciting #minimumrequirements #fromsoftware

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Don't want to bum you out but I know I'm not the only one who has noticed the same layoff cycle on LinkedIn over and over. I can tell your future... 1. Studio is shut down, all the devs become active on LinkedIn maybe for the first time in years and do their looking for work posts. People reach out with connections and support emojis. 2. The outpouring of thanks to the wonderful gamedev community. Amir Satvat and other full time LinkedIn influencers are tagged. 3. Nothing comes of all the LinkedIn support. Devs post frustration posts about how hard it is to be laid off and the injustice of the game industry. Many people will later delete these posts when they start to realize studios still aren't hiring them. 4. The reality step. Months pass and prominent veterans are still unemployed, let alone those "juniors" with a mere 5 years experience. At this point, people either give up and disappear, get a job and disappear (rare), or become a chronic disillusioned LinkedIn user. This last one either requires wearing a mask or ranting about capitalism more and more. 5. The laid off devs watch this cycle repeat for a whole swath of suffering people every couple weeks/days. And that's the step I've been on for a few months. But hey I've been working hard on my family and my solo projects. Magehunter coming soon, and AAA Simulator devlogs will be in production even sooner! Make art for yourself and those you love. Don't make my mistake - look for happiness outside this Microsoft product called LinkedIn.

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My take on why it's hard to make a story trailer for a game based on backstory and lore. Also, hi I'm back making YouTube videos! (We'll see how long this lasts, haha 😅) #gametrailer #gametrailers #gamemarketing

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Why do we need to keep accepting this. My stay and Microsoft was one of the most negative I have experienced in my career. I am still unsure if it was the studio I worked with or the Microsoft problems that went into these studios. I would like to think it was a mix of both… But either way I have massive mistrust to how Microsoft has done things. My wife was at Blizzard and we thought the acquisition might be good for Activision. We all know how that went. I use to like Phil, but idk anymore. What Microsoft is doing to these studios is immensely damaging not just to the people within these studios, but all other support studios around them like co devs that now have zero to work on. At this point I would not sign a deal with Microsoft because it could be a death of your company moment. We cannot be in this state of being that every game has to be insanely successful where if it is not like Fortnite, Minecraft, or any other insanely successful title it is not deemed successful and thus needs to be shuttered. Like Larain Studios said and I have always believed you need to build teams not products. If you build good teams you can trust, good products will come. If I was under Microsoft shadow I would be very scared for my long term well-being especially if you are part of the newer studios that were bought. This is just not the way. Do not put blame on these studios own up to it and say we have royally messed up. People will be more receptive if high ranking people just take the blame directly and yes maybe not give them bonuses for a couple years. Affect them in the wallet for a bit. Make them understand the worth of money again. #layoffs #microsoft #bethesda #blizzard

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🎮 Want a job in the video game industry? 🎮 📅 It's July. We made it through the first half of 2024. Are you looking at your resume/skills/experience for the second half of the year and 2025? Are you bookmarking your favorite career sites in case the perfect job opens up and you're ready to apply? *cough* https://lnkd.in/gmapUg36 *cough* What skills are needed in your line of work for your next role? Are you taking any classes/courses or applying to tangentially related roles (i.e. not the dream job yet) to build those skills? In your last interview, was there a skill could you not explain to the best of your ability or are you unsure of that you could learn more about? Your dream job won't always come tomorrow, but are you preparing in case it opens in a week? A month? January 2025? Any questions? Put them in the comment section and we'll see what we can do to help. #startpreparingnow #Letsgetyouhired

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🎙️ Thrilled to share that I joined a podcast on Energizing Teams for Success through Creativity and Collaboration in the gaming industry! We tackled challenges in leadership, mentoring, and the game-changing role of AI. Catch the insights and join the conversation! #Leadership #Gaming #AI #Mentoring #Innovation

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I strongly agree with Shawn Laydens comments in this article - Games Industry please be patient. The tendency to abandon promising new concepts in favor of established AAA franchises stifles creativity and growth. As Layden commented, “Building more of those experiences will not get [new players] in.” It’s through innovation and new experiences that we can attract and engage a broader audience. He also highlighted the overexcitement during the pandemic years, leading to unsustainable growth expectations. The need for patience and a long-term perspective is crucial, especially when smaller studios bear the brunt of hasty financial decisions. The future of the industry lies in supporting fresh, creative projects that can drive true growth and evolution. Let’s champion innovation and have the patience to see new ideas flourish. #GameDevelopment #Innovation #Creativity #GamingIndustry #Leadership #ShawnLayden #GamingCommunity

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Somewhere along the way the game producer role became a project manager role for many game studios, and no one really noticed. So what's the key difference between producer and PM? A core difference between Producers and Project/Program managers comes from the types of projects being worked on. - Soft work (creative, artistic, entertainment based) - Game content, co/full games dev - Hard work (IT, engineering based) - Optimisation, ports, eng solutions It’s common for creative teams to be motivated differently to IT and engineering teams. So accomplishing and delivering a project / product that’s primarily soft (creative) requires a different approach compared to a project that’s primarily hard (IT/engineering). Creative work more often involves non linear logic and process, where IT and engineering involves more linear/alphanumeric logic and process. Ultimately there are people who can do both, though more commonly I see people who have a preference, and what I see in the industry now is a disproportionate number of people with a preference for project management, believing it's production. Did you know Trip Hawkins (EA founder) is cited to have invented the game producer role? You can read an interesting post from his upcoming book here: https://lnkd.in/edDPzciE If you're in games, I hope you work with great producers! If you're thinking about becoming a game producer, remember it's not all about agile, scrum and the linear/alphanumeric logic that traditional PM work thrives on. #videogames #gamesindustry #innovation #bestadvice #careers

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