Projects

The new AAA arena fighting game in the Bleach universe after 14 years without a new console entry in the series. The game focuses on intense combats and the original BLEACH story with the highest quality graphics for a game in the franchise.

My role

As EMEA Producer, I work with an internal team (localisation, testers, release managers, marketing, customer support) and the studio in Japan on a daily basis. 

My goal is to do everything possible to ensure that the game is released on time and in the best possible conditions in the EMEA region. I've been working on this title for a year and a half now, and we're now in the final months before release. 

To manage this project, I'm using Agile methodologies and Kanban systems to give everyone as much visibility into the game as possible.

My contribution

• Production schedule assessment and risk management

• Manage a cross-functional team (QA, localisation, release management, customer support, marketing, game reviews, printed materials) (~10 people)

• Set up and manage a Jira environment

• Define a workflow for the team within Jira

• Provide quality feedback to the development team based on the latest market trends in the arena fighting game genre

• Prepare and manage submissions to EMEA rating boards (PEGI, USK, ACB, FPB, MRO, GCAM…)

Sifu is a AA beat'em up game where the core mechanic is focused on a die and retry system. Each time you're dying, your character, a martial artist, becomes older and stronger.

My role

As Producer, I was in charge of the team (programmers, artists, QA, technical artists) responsible for the Nintendo Switch port of the game. 

My main goal was to deliver the Nintendo Switch version of the game in ten months under the supervision of Sloclap, the main studio behind the game.

For this project, I used the Agile and Scrum methodologies to work with the whole team in an iterative process.

My contribution

• Manage a highly technical and cross-functional team (~10 people)

• Deliverables to the client (the main studio) at each milestone 

• Redefine schedule and deliverables 

• Manage client relationship 

• Nintendo Switch submission management

Main challenges

• Deliver a faithful 30 fps experience to Nintendo Switch players

• Maintain beautiful graphics quality on a portable console

• Manage resolution switching (between handheld and TV mode) 

• Change project management tool in the middle of development

Outcomes

• Understanding the whole process of porting to Nintendo Switch

• A strong understanding of the client relationship in the video game industry 

• Identify and assess the risks associated with porting a game

• New contract with Sloclap to manage the porting of post-launch content to Nintendo Switch

A social deduction game where your goal changes depending on your role in the game (killer or inspector). Death Note is a very popular IP in Europe that hasn't seen a new game release for over 15 years. The game is a competitor to Among Us and has a much more complex gameplay.

My role

As EMEA Producer, I oversaw the development of the game from concept to release. With the main studio based in Japan, I was responsible for the day-to-day communication between them and my team in Europe. 

The goal was to deliver a more complex experience than Among Us in the social deduction genre in less than two years. 

For this game, I mainly used the Waterfall project management methodology to fully plan the project and carefully follow each phase.

My contribution

• Manage a cross-functional team (QA, localisation, release management, customer support, marketing, game reviews, printed materials) (~10 people)

• Manage daily communication with Bandai Namco in Japan and the studio

• Set up GANTT for the project

• Set up and maintain a Jira for the team

• Provide quality feedback to the development team to improve the in-game player experience

• Prepare and manage submissions to EMEA rating boards (PEGI, USK, ACB, FPB, MRO, GCAM...)

Main challenges

• Stay true to the Death Note IP with the game

• Bring something different enough from Among Us to keep it attractive to social deduction genre amateurs 

• Establish a post-launch roadmap for the game

Outcomes

• Manage a non-worldwide launch (the game was not released in Japan due to unauthorised licensing)

• Manage post-launch content with live service and quality of life management

A digital version of the famous board game Terraforming Mars. The game was originally developed by another studio, which promptly shut down and left the game in a critical state: at the moment the game was rated "Mostly Negative" on Steam. Twin Sails, the game's publisher, contacted us to help them on their journey.

My role

As a Producer, I led a team of programmers, artists, game designers and QA for 10 months. 

The main challenges were to fix the game to change the Steam review trends to at least "Mostly Positive" and to create the future DLC for the game: the Venus Next expansion. 

I used several project management methodologies and tools for this project, such as Waterfall, Agile and Kanban.

My contribution

• Define timelines and deliverables for both live service management and new DLC creation

• Budget Management

• Build a cohesive team and choose wisely who will handle live service management and DLC creation (~10 people)

• Define the QA workflow for both Artefacts Studio and Twin Sails

• Create a consistent Jira backlog and manage weekly sprints

• Manage external game design vendor for DLC creation

• Reworked the community Discord to increase contact with the development team and add an efficient ticketing system

Main challenges

• Inform top management of the risks associated with the project and how they will be managed

• Provide the publisher with a summary of the major issues and the plan to resolve them

• Address and resolve the various network issues in the game

• Provide a quality of life update

• Regain player confidence

• Redefine priorities based on player feedback

• Create a faithful DLC based on the board-game version

Outcomes

• The game is now rated "Mostly Positive" on Steam

• A new DLC with a faithful adaptation of the board game

• Networking more stable than ever

• New exclusive features such as the Compendium to view all the cards in the game

• An efficient Discord ticketing system to chat directly with the community and clearly identify players' main expectations

• A better understanding of managing a game with live service and quality of life aspects

A 2.5D fighting game set in the famous Dragon Ball franchise. Released in 2018, the game has been praised by both the press and players for its unique graphical style and its amazing fighting style with many references to the anime.

My role

After a huge success on the 8th generation consoles, we are planning to bring this great fighting experience to the next generation consoles (PS5 and XSX). 

As EMEA Producer, I was responsible for organising the porting of the game by managing a cross-functional team in Europe and liaising with the Bandai Namco office in Japan. 

For this port, I used the Waterfall methodology to plan the entire production and a Kanban tool for the day-to-day management.

My contribution

• Manage external QA and localization vendors (~10 people)

• Set up GANTT for the project

• Prepare and manage submissions to EMEA rating boards (PEGI, USK, ACB, FPB, MRO, GCAM...)

Main challenges

• Oversee quality checks after game release

• Create the next generation version of the game of the game with all DLCs and make sure everything works as it did on previous generation consoles

• Liaise with customer support to ensure the free next-gen upgrade is available to players

Outcomes

• Manage a game port from a publishing perspective

• Work with IP licensors

• Organise post-launch patch to increase game stability

Let's Sing is a French karaoke game series that has been released for over a decade. Voxler, the main studio behind the game, contacted us after signing a contract with the famous band Abba to help them develop the game.

My role

As Producer, I was in charge of a team of artists (concept, 2D, 3D, environment, characters), riggers and animators. 

Our goal was to create several characters for the game based on Abba's most popular show outfits. I also manage the communication between my team and the client to get feedback on the team's weekly work and adjust it accordingly for the next week. 

I chose to manage the project mainly using Kanban to improve the overall speed and quality of delivery. I also used the Scrum project management methodology to make the team more self-managing.

My contribution

• Manage a mainly artistic team (~10 people)

• Reorganise the team and schedule after an unexpected request from the client

• Manage multiple artist vendors

• Budget management

• Manage the relationship between the client and the main studio

• Define the GANTT and milestones for the project

• Deliver each deliverable to the main studio on time and to the expected quality level

Main challenges

• Report the unexpected events and associated risks to top management

• Provide a contingency plan for unexpected events

• Understand and define the art production pipeline

• Create team cohesion between the team and vendors

• Build trust between the team and the client

Outcomes

• A better understanding of the art production pipeline from concept to in-engine integration

• A game released in line with Abba's wishes

• A clear understanding of the artistic constraints associated with game art direction

• Voxler contacted us again to work on another Let's Sing game.