Hey everyone!
It's been a while since the last Meet the Team! Take a peek inside the studio, learn more about the many careers and paths that led our collaborators to join Amplitude!
If you want to know more about us, or your nephew wants to learn more about the career path of a game developer, or if you're just curious, read on.
We owe him the Endless Space 2 comics project and he's personally drawn the Horatio story, meet Olivier, aka Arkel!
Who are you and what is your job at Amplitude?
My name is Olivier, I am the Creative Marketing Designer here! In concrete termes, this means I take care of a good part of the visual aspects of the studio's PR & marketing: my most important project at the moment is the "Endless Space 2 Stories" series of comics. As lead editor on the project, I coordinate the project, the various stakeholders (writers and our guest artists), the plannings, etc. I am also the artist on the Horatio comics that just came out (as well as an upcoming one). Aside from that, I also create a lot of things for the company, so we can have a cool environment (styleguides, t-shirts, our various goodies, some internal comms visuals, as well as miscellaneous G2G banners, etc.).
What were you doing before you joined Amplitude?
Studies-wise, I followed a bit of an odd path, where I alternated between art and business school. After various odd jobs, I was contracted to do some free-lance work for cartoons. Overall, I did a lot of free-lance work over the course of a year. It was really cool, but work conditions with this status are precarious at best, and it is less than stable. Afterwards, my search led me to Amplitude, where I am lucky to have found a job that fits well with my rather hybrid profile.
What do you like the most at Amplitude?
To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect when I first set foot here! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by a whole bunch of things. I am very grateful to my team and management, for shaping my responsibilities around my skillset, giving me a chance to do something that is interesting and challenging for both the studio and myself. Apart from that, the atmosphere at work is very friendly and easygoing, which is of course a big plus.
What feature have you worked on that you're super proud of?
Hard to answer, I am usually very critical of my own work, and I tend to focus on what isn't working! If I had to answer though, I would say my art work on the Horatio comics, which was a real challenge. Basically, I was given the project with the directions that we were making comics and that I now had to draw in a realistic manner, which is somewhat against my nature. In the end, I am not entirely satisfied with the results, but I think the effort shows!
What are you currently working on?
About 70% of my time is spent managing the comics, notably the next 4 factions we're working on. As a secret information tidbit, we've started working on the comic of the faction that we want to add next! But shhh, you didn't hear it from me!
What's your favorite game of all time?
I am not much of a gamer, to be honest. When I play video games, I just want to make sure I have a good time, and play something fun and accessible, with a solid atmosphere and scenario, while playing a charismatic character. For that reason, I really enjoy the Saints Row games. Especially Saints Row 2.
What’s the game you dream of creating?
As a very occasional gamer, the setting and customization options are the elements I like the most. Therefore, I am fascinated by open world games set in a realistic setting, with a rich and well thought-out gameplay.
Is there anywhere on the Internet where I can see more of your stuff?
Yes, I have a page on behance: https://www.behance.net/oliviermoreno
What's your favorite race or character in our games?
I like the United Empire best. I love their design and I am a fan of the concept of a Space Red Army in the game! The use of the concepts of propaganda, personality cult and everything around it fits them like a glove!
Is there a funny story that happened to you at Amplitude?
Some time ago, I was tasked to produce a picture for internal purposes, for our yearly seminar. The question was to ask the employees whether they preferred going to the beach, the ski resort, sailing, or hiking in the mountains. To illustrate all of this, I doodled a little character I called "Papa Lumeris", and set him against 4 different backdrops in a funny/cute way. In the end, the character became unexpectedly popular! Some colleagues even asked for plush toys!
What are your hobbies in life?
I played basketball for 10 years in a club and I still follow the news daily. In the end, I stopped quite a while ago, and now I'm all fairly rusty. My desk neighbor, Frogsquadron, can tell my scoring average is a bit suspect when I aim at the garbage basket 5 feet away (NDE: nothin but net, except when he misses the whole thing altogether).
What's the next place you want to travel to?
Norwegian fjords over the summer!
That's it for Olivier! We hope you found this interesting. Comments or additional questions, feel free to comment!
If there's a question you would like us to ask the interviewees, let us know!
