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BONUS CONTENT: Interview with Shawn Kittelsen, SVP, Creative for Skydance Interactive

Jan 8, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Shawn Kittelsen, SVP of Creative at Skydance Interactive, shares his journey in the gaming industry and his influence on titles like Behemoth. He explores the future of VR gaming, including expansive environments and the technical hurdles of 360-degree rendering. The conversation delves into balancing game mechanics post-launch, overcoming player motion sickness, and the unique design philosophy that drives Behemoth. Kittelsen emphasizes the importance of community feedback and emotional connections within the development team.
48:58

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Skydance's Behemoth distinguishes itself in VR by exploring vast open-world designs that enhance epic gameplay experiences through immersive landscapes and significant boss fights.
  • The development process for Behemoth illustrates the importance of player feedback in refining VR mechanics, balancing accessibility and challenge to improve overall engagement.

Deep dives

The Ambitious Vision of Behemoth

Skydance's Behemoth embraces a vast and open-world design, setting it apart from other narrative-driven VR games that typically confine players to tight corridors. The developer aimed to explore the sense of scale, incorporating large environments that players can traverse toward menacing behemoths, rather than restricting gameplay to smaller, intimate spaces. This concept was pursued to create a sense of epic, grimdark fantasy, allowing for engagement in both massive boss fights and expansive landscapes that evoke feelings of awe. To accomplish this vision, the team had to overcome significant technical challenges, focusing on maintaining a native frame rate across platforms to ensure fluid gameplay and responsive physics.

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