I’m incredibly excited to announce that I have joined Bungie as Head of Art. This is an unbelievable opportunity to be a part of a world class organization, not to mention join a studio I’ve been a fan of for so many years. Happy to be making games with this group of people.
11 yrs ago, we showed off an odd and unexpected game at E3. What should have been the most offensive cash-grab of all time (EA takes beloved tower defense game, makes a shooter!?)ended up being a project driven by heart and an engaged dev team. Fond memories. Thanks for playing.
Doodling with my kids this morning, I imagined a ridiculous children’s book all about the
@DestinyTheGame
baby hive worm eventually becoming a projectile…
#golittlerockstar
I am hiring an Art Director for a project at Bungie. Sure I am looking for experience, but more importantly I'm looking for a fun art style, leadership ability, and a passion for joyous games. I strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented groups! Reach out!
Happy 15th birthday, Plants vs. Zombies! To celebrate, I've unearthed(yes, unearthed!) a whole slew of early plant concepts. I thought it'd be fun to compare my crude pixel art designs to
@rich_werner
's awesome finished product. I'll do a few of these a day for a week or so
Looking at old photos for reference. If you ever wonder what Creative Directors do in games, look no further than the whiteboard. Lots of big sweeping notes, crazy ideas, and badly drawn images. Sometimes, you make rules for a universe, other times you misspell your name.
I have been reviewing hundreds of creative resumes and portfolios over the past few weeks, and if you are an artist thinking of applying for a video game studio art role, I can give you a few quick tips that will greatly increase your chances for success. Here we go...
Wishing everyone a happy
#N7Day
and remembering when I helped put
@PlantsvsZombies
Easter eggs into The Mass Effect universe, and vice versa. A career highlight for me, since Mass Effect is my favorite gaming franchise. Can’t wait to see where it goes next.
@bioware
@EA
Today was my last day at Bungie. It was a privilege to be a part of this studio, and I can't wait for everyone to see what these teams have been working on. I came here a fan of Bungie games, but I leave an even bigger fan of Bungie people. Thanks to my team for everything.
In honor of
@PlantsvsZombies
birthday (May 5th) I will be posting a bunch of behind the scenes photos from my time working on the series. These are candid shots that filled the phone of someone who was ALWAYS thinking about plants and zombies, and where they could go next. Enjoy!
We are looking for an Art Director on one of our Incubation projects at Bungie. "Something comedic with lighthearted and whimsical characters" If this sounds cool and interests you, contact me! I am happy to talk about the role and add context.
It pains me to say this, but everything that I’ve seen regarding PvZ3 makes me really sad. A good example of not understanding what makes the game good while pursuing the holy grail of monetization. No offense to the team on the ground. I know what hoops they are jumping through.
Making a game is hard. It's damn near impossible. Your team works on the design, art, code, and all of the other magic bits that make a game for YEARS. So when an unfinished game trailer leaks early, and you miss that chance for the perfect first impression... that kinda sucks.
This is really early, unfinished art. You should have seen where it was headed! The most excited I have ever been about a PvZ game. So much amazing work was done by an absolutely incredible team. Would have been special and different. Ahh well.
A heartfelt congratulations to the
@PlantsvsZombies
team for launching a beautiful game this week. Seeing the zany world that I love so much built out in such amazing detail warms my heart. I know how hard you all worked, and it shows. I am forever a fan.
#PvZBfN
#Vancouver
Well, now it is out there... our latest project at Magic Leap Studios, which I was lucky enough to write and direct, is going to World Premiere
@sxsw
. I am really proud of this story and my team. More soon.
@magicleap
It is
@PlantsvsZombies
10th birthday tomorrow. Just wanted to say thanks to
@thegeorgefan
for kicking the whole thing off. My time working on the series was so much fun, and I still love it. Will try to post a few special tributes if I can.
Magic Leap went through a company changing round of layoffs today. One of the premiere teams making cutting edge XR content, Magic Leap Studios was shut down. These are world class creative people who are available now. Reach out. I can tell you about all of them.
#XR
Friday is my last day at Magic Leap. It’s been an incredible ride, and I’ve grown so much from the experience. Making things that you’re proud of with people that you genuinely admire is a life goal, and I was lucky to have had the chance. I’ll forever appreciate my time here.
Ok, hear me out. A 4 player party game featuring the
@PlantsvsZombies
zombies. Set in Dr. Zomboss' lab with mini-games set up as experiments to test their abilities/reflexes. Rolling, balancing, fighting, racing, dancing, puzzles, etc. All the while being berated by their leader.
I have started keeping pieces of old boxes in my office to doodle on. No real goal, no deadline, just whatever comes to mind. The drawings aren’t that great, but something about sketching with ink on cardboard soothes the soul. More shots of the last image.
Making games is hard, and some days it honestly grinds you down a little bit… but today I had the privilege of being in an Art All-Hands meeting where some of the Bungie Art Team shared what they are working on. BOOM. So good. Energy levels back at full. Happy Wednesday.
Five years ago we went live from our PopCap studio for the first time. We built that studio in the basement so we could speak directly to PvZ fans. Had a blast with my pals
@damascus111
and
@TheJuiceMasta
and we learned so much.
We spent so many hours in the small meeting rooms down in Magic Leap Studios, working on The Last Light story and constantly testing everything on device. This is a quick phone pic through the lens looking at an early build, while Producer
@bvazquez35
looks on.
#SIGGRAPH2020
@FactsPvZ
When we recorded the voice, the deal was we wouldn’t name the actor. But it was a pretty perfect fit. We discussed using RB extensively in the cancelled adventure game. We also gave Zomboss a “voice thingamajiggie”on his jacket to justify his newfound communication skills.
I am very excited to announce, as part of
#SIGGRAPH2020
that The Last Light experience is now live in the Magic Leap World Store. This means if you have a Magic Leap device, or have access to a device you should definitely check it out.
We are looking for an experienced Art Manager here at Bungie. This is a big role on a great team, and a huge opportunity for the right person. Apply on our site, or tell your friends. Reach out to me with questions!
Proud to work with this talented team. We aren't the biggest, or the loudest. We don't believe in smoke & mirrors or faking it. We come to work every day to learn by doing. We believe if you put in the time, you will make good things. I am made better by this crew.
To any developers using the
#MagicLeapOne
to play around in the
#Create
experience, please listen up. You can snap blocks together! To make whatever you want! Please build cool stuff. Then attach rocket engines. Or wheels. I speak from experience, this is fun times.
#MagicLeap
Dropped off my laptop and ID yesterday at HQ. It is officially over! So many memories inside Magic Leap Studios. Appreciative of my time there. Excited about the future.
My 13yr old daughter got a new art desk today, and as I removed the old one, it struck me what an amazing piece of art the desk itself has become. Years of painting, drawing, sewing, and sculpting have created a piece that shows off the frantic energy of creativity. I love it.
I sat down to play classic Plants vs. Zombies this morning with my daughter, and we had to watch five ads before we reached Level 2. I absolutely understand the need to make money, but you can’t completely sacrifice player experience for a buck.
Reminds me a lot of the development on
@PlantsvsZombies
Garden Warfare. First builds had Battlefield weapons attached to plants and zombies. Someone approached me and said said "My daughter broke down in tears after seeing Sunflower get shot in the face."
I can confidently say that if you are a person who refuses to wear a mask on a plane or in a store, and then yells and fights with people who ask you to do so, I don’t ever want you on my team making a video game. This job is all about working together and supporting each other.
Ok let’s just say that a young mythical mushroom ninja trained with a mysterious metal mushroom ninja and they became like brothers. Little did they know that they would eventually fight for opposing causes and become mortal enemies.
#leaf
#ztech
#plantsvszombies
#copicmarkers
The final wall when E3 closed. We were exhausted, but the team crushed it and we had gotten them some attention.
@damascus111
and I in this pic had been awake for a few days straight. We were but a small part, but it felt huge to put the team in a spot to succeed.
Dug this up after watching the History of
#PopCap
video. This was after our E3 reveal of
@PlantsvsZombies
Garden Warfare, and the now infamous Peggle 2 jump. I was SO proud. The team worked their butts off. Also relief that John didn't land on the zombie head and break his neck.
My 11yr old son who is doing school from home is always trying to respectfully communicate with me knowing that I am working from home and often on calls. I get notes likes this slipped under my door at least once a day.
Today is
@PlantsvsZombies
10th Birthday! I am sharing some of my memories from when I worked on the series. These sketches were done by the amazing
@RDsketch
showing what kinds of things the Zombie might (or might not) bite. :)
@FactsPvZ
Aha! This concept came from early efforts at PopCap to make PvZ a big franchise. It was before there were many rules established and the ideas were really out there.
I am building a brand new Game Studio Art Department. We have an opportunity to create something special, and I am genuinely excited. First hires: Concept Artists (Sr & Mid) and Art Director. Reach out if you want to talk, or pass this on to someone who might! More info soon!
Happy to announce that The Last Light is now available in the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, & the UK. If you are in these areas, and have access to a ML Device please check it out in the Magic Leap World store and let me know what you think.
#SIGGRAPH2020
EXCLUSIVE: In 2016, a team of developers at EA were hard at work on a new direction for the Plants vs. Zombies franchise. Unfortunately, it was canceled to support Visceral’s Star Wars game… which was then canceled.
IGN Investigates, by
@duckvalentine
:
I’ll post this every time it comes up on my timeline. 9yrs ago, this crew revealed
@PlantsvsZombies
Garden Warfare to the world at E3 with a very unexpected Battlefield spoof and live gameplay. Great moment. (Also the
#Peggle2
jump) What a good group of humans.
#gamedev
It's
@PlantsvsZombies
birthday and I am posting memories from my time working on the series. These are "draw over" images where I would work back and forth with
@RDsketch
as we were putting together the style guide. We worked hard to make sure these guys looked good everywhere.
I have opened a Sr. Game Designer role on my team. This team is part of Magic Leap Studios, staffed by smart talented people, and making cool stuff for our device. I want to build a diverse and inclusive team, so please help me spread the word!
My 12yr old daughter Sophie donated some of her hair last week to benefit kids who are battling cancer. Somehow in the process she became 25yrs old in front of my eyes and it is crushing me. I am so proud... but OMG stop growing up. 😭😭😭
You will probably get a few of these from me today. Very excited to announce the new studio and talk a little bit about what we are planning. Also, we are hiring! Come join a wonderful team taking a real shot at building something amazing.
#TheBelieverCompany
The Believer Company, founded by game veterans from Riot and other companies, has raised $55 million to create a new game studio.
#TheBelieverCompany
#A16z
#RiotGames
A blast from the
@PlantsvsZombies
past. For
#PvZGW2
@damascus111
and I had talked with
@JA_Wiebe
about getting a talking hat in the game. His response was “If you record the VO maybe. No promises” So we did. Some of the most fun we ever had. And I love the Everlasting Crown!
Hey everybody. We are hiring a Game Designer at Magic Leap Studios! Do you want to work with an amazing group of people making cool things for a brand new platform that's going to shake things up? If so, apply now. Or hit me up and I will answer questions.