Five Minutes With Blair Renaud
REWIND sits down with Blair Renaud, CEO and Lead Designer, IRIS VR.
“Five Minutes With” is a regular feature that gives you an insight into some of the greatest minds in the immersive industry, all within the time it takes to grab a cup of coffee.
Blair Renaud is CEO/Founder of VR game studio IRIS VR; co-founder of Quantum Capture and Occupied VR, one of Canada’s leading VR client service companies. He is currently working on a title named LOW-Fi, the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed TECHNOLUST (available now on Oculus Home). LOW-Fi is a next-generation virtual reality simulation in which you as the player patrol the streets (and the skies above them) solving mysteries, fighting crime, or giving in to corruption.
2021: What are you looking forward to within the immersive industry?
To be honest, I’m a little bummed out by where it is right now. I’m mainly focused on high-end immersive experiences for PC and next-gen consoles, so the rise of mobile headsets and the decline of the Rift has left me a little worried. Don’t get me wrong, I love what the Quest family has done for the profile of VR, it’s just not really where I was hoping we would be right now.
That said, I look forward to welcoming many new users to PC using their link cables. I really look forward to more focus on high-end VR experiences, closer to the Holodeck programs we were all promised.
How has the pandemic impacted your business?
It’s had its ups and downs for me. I have a young daughter, Quinn, in grade 2, and my wife’s job has been deemed as essential, so when schools are closed, that means I’m a part-time teacher.
She’s actually learning to code right now with a site called Scratch, which is super fun to watch, but it means that I’ve had a full day before my workday even starts. So things have slowed down quite a bit. Luckily, even when I’m helping code underwater unicorns with Quinn, Noah Rayburn and Mark Schramm (the other main IRIS VR team) are still working away in their respective time zones.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Never give up, never surrender. Mercy is for the weak. Sweep the leg.
I kid. Sort of. I mean, I was working at Rockstar Games when I was 18, living what I thought was the dream. I only lasted about six years there, the anxiety became too much. I was burnt out by 23 and they ended up firing me. In retrospect, I’m glad for the experience, it was both amazing and terrible (more the latter by the end). I learned a lot though, both about the games industry and about development. I also learned that working for a big game studio is not the “dream”. I guess I would just whisper to myself “get through this and go indie, it’ll all be fine.” Also maybe “carbs are bad”. haha.
What and/or who is your source of inspiration?
Wheew. That’s a big list. As a kid, more as, general life inspiration I would say Bruce Lee and LeVar Burton. For work and art, it’s mostly film and directors. Blade Runner / Ridley Scott, Robocop / Paul Verhoeven, John Carpenter.
I was also big into the BBS scene and hanging out in arcades before the internet age, so I think I draw a lot of inspiration from that kind of gritty nerd subculture. Everything cyberpunk.
What is your favourite thing about what you do for a living?
That’s easy! I love creating. Capturing a perfect mood and seeing someone else experience it. Hearing gushing stories about people falling asleep with their HMD on because they were just chilling in the world I created (and waking up in that world disoriented) really make my day. When someone says “I want to live in this world!” I want to hug them.
And some just for fun!
What are you reading/listening to right now?
I’m a bit of an audiobook addict. Right now I’m listening to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, Hate Inc. by Matt Taibbi, and The Case for Keto by Gary Taubs.
If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be?
I’d love to do what Adam Savage does. Not sure what you call it. Professional maker? I feel like it’s the perfect counterpoint to what I do now. Physical vs. digital. I love modding things and building things with my hands, but I just don’t have the time or the tools to do it. Maybe when (if) I retire.
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