In Conversation with Christophe Rossignol
What is your role with Reflector Entertainment and what does that entail?
My role with Reflector entertainment is “Level Design Director”. It mostly consists of working with the Creative Director as well as the Game Director to
build a game experience that delivers a flow that our players will enjoy. I’ll be supervising a team of level designers that will build one or more basic versions of the world (we call them “grey blocks” — — because they are mostly made of “grey blocks”). I’ll also ensure that these “grey blocks” support the intended flow and story narrative, as well as staying in line with the art direction. In addition to this, I have to ensure that all these elements technically work within the defined constraints. Finally, I supervise the same team that will build the missions, deliver the narrative experience of the game, while creating the right level of difficulty at specific moments.
How did you get involved with the company?
I was at a point in my career where I wanted a new challenge, I was too comfortable and wanted some kind of electroshock. I was lucky enough to have worked on a lot of projects with very talented people and various creators. One of them was Alexandre Amancio, our CEO and co-founder of Reflector Entertainment. He shared his vision with me and what he wanted to achieve with Reflector, which is to create new worlds that we call Storyworlds. He wants to expose these worlds through various media, pushing the notion of interactive media a step further, having the ability to work with talent from other media industries, working with a smaller experienced team, etc. It is challenging, it is ambitious, it is super interesting and it is super fun. It’s a great adventure that is just beginning. I can’t wait to see what we achieve and mostly how players and fans will react.
You first stepped your foot into the gaming industry in the 90s. How has the field evolved in this time, and what ways have you had to adapt to it?
I joined the industry in the late 90s, December of 1999 to be precise. There’s been a lot of evolution- from the way we work, to the constraints we have due to the constant evolution of hardware and technology.
At the first company I started with, there were no level designers, per se. Layouts were drawn by game designers and dressed by artists, and I was part of a team that was building the mission directly into those layouts. Throughout the years I had to learn some basics in architecture, photography, 3D tools and various game engines, along with learning to place the player in the center of our thoughts. Learning to adapt to different types of games (Adventure game, Fight game, Tactical games, Platforming games, Shooters or Stealth games from first person, third person, fixed camera, top view, side scroller, to name a few) was one way to evolve along with the industry. Through the years, projects have gotten bigger, team sizes have increased, and level designer tasks have been specialized to increase efficiency. Making a video game is a world of constant evolution, but the necessary quality has not changed. You need to be passionate and flexible enough to quickly adapt. You need to be eager to always learn, to be open to trying & failing, and finally you need to be a good communicator.
The user experience is crucial when developing games. In your previous roles, and your current one, how do you keep their potential thoughts, actions and emotions in mind when developing an experience for them? Do you draw inspiration from other games or mediums? Which ones?
We now always place the player in the center of our thoughts. This means that based on the game we have decided to make, we have an idea of the type of players we aim to attract, a kind of “persona”. So for every decision and every question we have, the answer is not about what I like or what the team likes, but what our players like. Of course, a few of the decisions are personal to the team. What it is that we want the player to live, experience, feel? What is it that we want to tell?
But in any case, at some point in the process of making the game, playtests with real players are organized. The team collects their feedback, and we validate our decisions, or we go back on what we decided and try to fix what they do not like, until the next playtest validates those intended fixes.
Being passionate about what we do, helps in making those decisions. We try to stay close to our player: their expectations, what we think they like and what we believe they don’t.
To do so, we read comments online, watch some streams on Twitch.tv, but we also experience being a player by playing a lot of games ourselves. These games range from independent to big studio names.
When I seek for inspirations, I evaluate the project I’m working on and our intention. We all read books, comics, watch TV Shows and movies. It could even involve a visit to a museum, or watching a documentary. Inspiration is everywhere around us, we just need to keep our eyes and mind open.
What has been one of your favourite projects to work on? Which one was the most challenging, but most rewarding to finish? What did you take away from the experience?
I enjoyed working on all my projects, even the ones that got cancelled ( yes it happens, and it happens a lot more than players realize). Each project comes with its own set of challenges and for each, you need to be creative to find the right solutions (some players may not see your solution as the right one). Even on the projects that I worked on and then got cancelled, you always learn something. I could even add that you learn more on a project that got cancelled, than on one that shipped- especially if you are honest and objective with yourself. Finishing a game, any game no matter the scope and size, is rewarding. Even if the game receives a lot of negative critics (which could hurt … a lot).
We try to stay close to our player: their expectations, what we think they like and what we believe they don’t.
But truth is, for a game creator, the game is never finished! You ship the game because you’ve done enough, or any other reasons, but there is always a new idea you would have love to try, something you would have loved to change- so you keep those ideas in your mind, and you move on to a next project. For myself, I always hope to do better, and analyze the feedback I receive.
If there was a different industry you would want to explore, which one would it be and why?
Mmm… interesting question. I never thought of doing something else than creating video games since I was 5 and received my first computer for Christmas (it was an Amstrad CPC from the 80s, if anyone is wondering).
I suppose I was always attracted to the movie industry. Why cinema? To create universes, to play with the camera, work with the actors, the special effects, tell stories and create emotions for the viewers.
What do you hope to accomplish in your position with Reflector Entertainment?
I hope to deliver an experience that players will love and enjoy so much that they will explore every piece of our game, along with all the other media we’ll be creating in our Storyworlds.
What is your opinion on the latest Star Wars movie?
Ouf, tough question … first I have to say that I am a fan of the Star Wars universe, even if I watched Star Wars the last Jedi twice in theaters… I’m divided.
Without going into any spoilers, I can say that there is a piece of the movie that I absolutely love, but also part of it that I don’t “buy”. I believe these parts are too easy, too convenient. Finally, there is some portion that I’m undecided about as I feel that I need to watch the last movie of this trilogy to settle my opinion.
Some characters are a bit disappointing to me, like Captain Phasma, Maz, DJ … I would have also appreciated to revisit some of the planets already seen in previous movies (Dagobah, Hoth, Naboo, Tatooine, The moon of Endor, etc…) which would have grounded all the movies in a same “location / universe”. I don’t feel there is a need for a narrative to always expand to new planets or new creatures with each movie, but they make choices that suit them. I enjoyed the experience overall.
Regardless, I can’t wait to see the Solo movie as well as Episode 9 to conclude this trilogy.
In Conversation With… is a weekly series that features a few of the people behind Reflector Entertainment. The interviews are conducted by M A R I A, a Communications Manager who enjoys creating (and hearing) a good story.
