Ian Milham has been in the gaming business for twenty years, including time as an environment artist, the art director for the Dead Space games, and the creative director of Battlefields Hardline. In 2016 he became Game Director for Crystal Dynamics directing the Tomb Raider Series.
Ian and I had a fantastic talk covering some of the big turning points in the Dead Space franchise, how to cultivate the feel of a game, the role of "rip-o-matics" and more. If you've ever wondered a team of hundreds manages to work together towards a common aesthetic, this is the interview you need to listen to!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Connect with Ian
Selected Links for the Episode
Naughty Dog
Dead Space
LucasArts
Grim Fandango
Tell Tale
Ubisoft
TitanFall
Battlefield Hardline
Bethesda
Featured Show Highlights
It’s imperative to ensure clear communication when working on large game development teams.
In a AAA process, your plan needs to appeal to everyone in the market
The key is to make people “feel” something with your game trailer
The best alignment or reference for chi is real world
The role of a director is to draw a treasure map for the team and then creating faith for those who do not see it.
My career as an Art Director was not spent improving people’s art, but rather aligning there are to make it look as if one person created it
They key in game maker audience is focused and presents a powerful promise to the player
Ripomatic Demo Reel - Chris Weakley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7y5YmTvSGk