When one thinks of a console game, hardly the first thing that comes to mind is "ah the one made by the Italian company."Â
We are used to a profusion of titles coming from overseas, from across the Channel, from places where it is so cold in winter that you literally freeze your tears.
Certainly not from Italy. Yet.
In HR-WARMUP we like to highlight the "unconventional," the reality that you wouldn't have expected to use the same tools as you do, have the same imprinting as the majors, but made up of people who speak the same language as we do and hate pizza with pineapple.
And in two HR-WARMUPs for the gaming world, we met precisely these realities.
The first, an immense one: UBISOFT. It is a long-standing friendship we have with the Ubi Milano office: a wonderful team that is growing by leaps and bounds in recent times and gaining one satisfaction after another. And yes, of course ex-BigRockers work there.
They came to visit us on a Friday in June, in the middle of a techanim delivery for Videogames students, but the time spent with them was obviously magical.
Alexander -head of communications- told how the studio, from being a sidekick for the Paris-based parent company, all of a sudden became the center of attention after a concept proposal for a video game in collaboration with Nintendo that saw Super Mario, untouchable sacred monster, and Rabbids, idiot animals starring in so many successful titles, come together. It could have been the beginning of the end instead...
Well the rest is history. It resulted in two crazy titles still idolized by so many today, all made by Ubisoft. All made in Milan.
After Alexander it was the turn of Raphael, BigRocker Master 29 and RED. He recounted his experience and the steps that led him to animate the main character's attacks in the latest Star Wars-themed title, answered questions from the kids, gave some tips for a good showreel, and answered dozens more questions.
Federica -HR manager- then took the floor to tell about the selection process. Not easy, but they are still one of the biggest game houses in the world, they want to make sure that they hire artists and technicians who will make a difference.
And this was perhaps the biggest piece of advice that the guys from Ubisoft Milan wanted to leave with the students: in an industry that has become huge in recent times, being a game artist is no longer enough. You have to find that quid, that detail, that talent that makes the difference. How they were able to stand out among the many Ubi studios in the world. But the dream remains. Indeed, it is attainable. To work on an Assassin's Creed, you don't need to pick up and move to the other side of the globe.
In July, however, Jyamma came to visit. A completely different size of game house than the majors but one that was able to prove that with commitment, expertise and the right motivation, even a group of friends can pull off an AA console game.Â
On stage were Francesco, former BigRock student and teacher, and Diego, Technical Supervisor, who took turns telling about their experience in making Enotria: a combative adventure involving incredible masks from Italian history to crazy landscapes. All while taking turns playing the game, live in front of us.Â
It was crazy to see them then go into developer mode in the game and open the maps on Unreal, as they told us how during development they decided out of the blue to make the jump from Unity and repurpose the experience to a much more satisfying graphics engine.
They told us the ins and outs of an "indie" project. About how hard it can be to get so many heads and departments to agree, about trying to make it all work when you look around and "we are four cats." But it is by applying the organizational models of large companies, following the example of those, like Ubi, who are used to making big plays.
A beautiful, inspiring conversation for the kids.Â
Making video games in Italy that tour the world is absolutely possible.Â
