Welcome to the first in a series of articles where we take you inside Lunar Great Wall Studios and talk directly with the talented team bringing our videogames to life!
We will also be talking about how each role in the team works, providing tips on how to get into the games industry as well as talking about some of our favourite gaming inspirations and memories!
This week, we sit down with Filippo Franco from Lunar, so sit back and enjoy.
What is your name and job title?
Filippo Franco, Producer
What does your job involve?
Being a producer means to be a lot of things: a problem solver, a communicator, a leader, a negotiator, even a psychologist sometimes! I can say that if Lunar was a music band, and the project our music, the producer would be the drummer. You dictate the production rhythms and if you go out of time mostly all the other musicians will play bad music. It’s a big responsibility.
What made you want to pursue a career in making videogames?
I have a Management background and after my degree I looked in the mirror and said: I want to follow my greatest passion. I don’t want to find myself with regrets when I will be old, it’s something that I wanted to do. I’d rather to try and fail than never try.
Do you have any tips for those looking to get into the industry in your job role?
Study and deepen the Project Management, since this will be your main technical skill. After that, since you will interact with all the team, it’s important to acquire as many other technical knowledges as possible in all the fields of production, from art to QA, etc. : as more you are able to speak developers language the better you will be able to take wise decisions.
What is the best thing about being in your role?
If videogames are your passion, this role will give you the possibility to be involved at 360 degrees in production, from a prime point of view. Moreover, I can ensure you that in this role you will never have one day like the other. If this happens, be worried! Therefore, if you are looking for a peaceful life this is not the role for you 😊
Which other aspects of game development do you find interesting?
I like all the aspects of videogame development but what I like the most is the way so different disciplines combine and work together to create an “olistic result”, that means something whose result is more than the simple sum of its parts. This is really fascinating and magic someway!
Which is your favourite game and why?
Actually, I can tell you about a saga that I love: Metal Gear Solid. I think it is the highest point of narration through this media and I do not refer only to the cutscenes but also to design, gameplay sound and art, this saga is a continuous narration, it’s a complete piece of art.
Which games do you look at as inspiration to your job role? What do you see as excellence?
For me excellence is to be able to bring experiences to the player that stimulate their culture, their thoughts and morale. I think videogames have this power, they are able to connect you with other worlds and let you see things differently. Developer must be aware of this, get rid of the inferiority complex in relation to other forms of art, explore this extraordinary media and find the new and original ways through which videogame can communicate and connect to people.
Keep your eyes fixed for more developer talks coming soon!