The Initiative Hires Former Kojima/Sony Santa Monica God Of War Level Designer And More

karmakid

RIP Cheems ❤️
Super Mod
Forum Mod
Sep 11, 2013
46,409
18,850
3,529
in front of your screen
https://www.windowscentral.com/god-...itiative-studio?amp&__twitter_impression=true


However, it seems like the hiring spree isn't over yet. Today, many gamers noticed that God of War's Chris O'Neill LinkedIn page was updated to reflect that he was now working with The Initiative. O'Neill has previously worked at Sony Santa Monica and Kojima Productions. He was the Senior Staff Level Designer on 2018's God of War, a position he retained for four years.
 
I'm betting new. Something that gives a great introduction and sets the tone for a new studio jam-packed with exceptional talent. I dont think there's another development studio with as many star devs under one roof, is there?
 
5a9aJvZ_d.jpg


Ben Diamand Resume:

My job is writing software that flies rockets! Some of it is more mission critical - parts of systems which keep the rocket in the air. Some of it is more business critical - parts of systems which feed the company's bottom line in ways less directly tied to command / control. All of it is heavily focused, with a ton of attention to detail, and involves a huge amount of design, testing, communication, teamwork, and dedication.

Experience:
- Cross team collaboration
- Real-time
- Embedded
- Hardware bringup
- Prototyping
- System design
- Testing
- Deployment
- Fault tolerance
- Optimization
- Drivers
 
What has me most excited is that many of these staff members worked on 3rd person action games. I am very hopeful that they create something in that vein with a focus on melee combat, a genre I think Xbox is severely lacking in...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dno69 and karmakid
https://www.windowscentral.com/play...oins-initiative?amp&__twitter_impression=true


Today, many gamers noticed that PlayStation's Victoria Miller was now working for The Initiative. She's been with the studio since January 2019 according to her LinkedIn page. Miller helped ship acclaimed games like Detroit: Become Human, Hidden Agenda, The Inpatient, Until Dawn, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, No Man's Sky, Alienation, LittleBigPlanet 3, and Beyond Two Souls.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dno69
https://www.windowscentral.com/play...oins-initiative?amp&__twitter_impression=true


Today, many gamers noticed that PlayStation's Victoria Miller was now working for The Initiative. She's been with the studio since January 2019 according to her LinkedIn page. Miller helped ship acclaimed games like Detroit: Become Human, Hidden Agenda, The Inpatient, Until Dawn, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, No Man's Sky, Alienation, LittleBigPlanet 3, and Beyond Two Souls.
This team is a ton of talent and a ton of labor dollars. Better be worth it.
 
5a9aJvZ_d.jpg


Ben Diamand Resume:

My job is writing software that flies rockets! Some of it is more mission critical - parts of systems which keep the rocket in the air. Some of it is more business critical - parts of systems which feed the company's bottom line in ways less directly tied to command / control. All of it is heavily focused, with a ton of attention to detail, and involves a huge amount of design, testing, communication, teamwork, and dedication.

Experience:
- Cross team collaboration
- Real-time
- Embedded
- Hardware bringup
- Prototyping
- System design
- Testing
- Deployment
- Fault tolerance
- Optimization
- Drivers


Reminds me of when 343 got Corrine Yu, she worked with NASA, her husband is at 343 or Turn10 (might be mixing her up with Kiki and her brother), anyways...think she’s with Amazon at the moment.
 
Reminds me of when 343 got Corrine Yu, she worked with NASA, her husband is at 343 or Turn10 (might be mixing her up with Kiki and her brother), anyways...think she’s with Amazon at the moment.
I thought she went to work for Naughty Dog and did engine work for Uncharted 4.. kinda the same thing...
 
I thought she went to work for Naughty Dog and did engine work for Uncharted 4.. kinda the same thing...

She left for amazon a year later, she seems to move around a lot as her wiki now says she's left Amazon for GM.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dtwice
What does systems designer mean? Like the type of gameplay the game has? It is pretty exciting to see so much talent under one roof, but I wonder if they can all agree to the same vision etc.
 
What does systems designer mean? Like the type of gameplay the game has? It is pretty exciting to see so much talent under one roof, but I wonder if they can all agree to the same vision etc.

Systems designers work closely with programmers, producers, and other disciplines within game design to develop specific game functions, from the missionsystems to fluctuating gameplay variables like experience points and player inventories.

Their duties may be too many to list, but that’s only because they are some of the most versatile employees in the realm of game design. Systems designers are involved from the earliest stages of a game’s design to the end, creating and tuning specific features such as fighting systems, artificial intelligence, scoring rules, matchmaking, lobbies, and community features, as well as different game modes. Systems designers often take primary ownership of the design, prototyping, and fostering of both single-player and multiplayer games. They also lead, coordinate, and participate in teams within the pipeline with the responsibility of implementing and balancing game features from the initial design to the final stage. Not only do systems designers author internal design documentation, but they’re also responsible for revisions when needed and provide feedback throughout the entire process; systems designers work closely with quality assurance and other design teams to ensure that gameplay features are continually balanced and tuned according to this feedback. Sometimes, a systems designer will also be responsible for scripting the system as well as creating the initial design. Toward the later end of the design process, they organize and facilitate game testing sessions and compile reports and action items based on the testers’ feedback.

Source: Getinmedia
 
Last edited: