Interview

Speaker Spotlight: Unbound Creation’s Jakub Kasztalski set to host talk on how to mix third-party assets without your game looking terrible

Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2019 will take place on May 13th to 14th.

Speaker Spotlight: Unbound Creation’s Jakub Kasztalski set to host talk on how to mix third-party assets without your game looking terrible

Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2019 will take place on May 13th to 14th. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

For more details on PGC Seattle and to book a ticket, head to the website here.

In today's Speaker Spotlight we're talking to Jakub Kasztalski founder and creative director at Seattle-based games developer Unbound Creations.

Kastalski has lived all over the world while he made games, worked on storytelling and even dipped into the world of cinematography briefly. He studied humanities and ethnic conflict, all of which have inspired his creative works.

Unbound Creations next title will be NoviNews, a game about controlling the news and how each choice made affects society.

At PGC Seattle, Kasztalski will host a talk entitled 'How To Mix Third-Party Assets Without Your Game Looking Terrible'.

PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about the company

Jakub Kasztalksi: Unbound Creations is an award-winning, independent game studio focusing on social-impact games and making players question their own biases. We craft research-based, believable worlds and strong narrative experiences.

What does your role entail?

As the founder and leader, I wear many hats. My main roles include design, writing and hiring/managing the team of talented artists. I also focus on promoting and representing our games at events, such as PAX or Comic Con.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

Games by the virtue of interactivity, have an amazing potential for affecting the players, more so than other art forms. They're a great form of expression for everything I've learned in my studies and traveling the world. Lastly, the indie game community is one of the most fun and supportive work environments I've been a part of.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

Finish things, learn from them, and move on. Don't waste five years on a dream game. Make five good-to-great games in that time. You will learn a lot faster and develop adaptability to a constantly changing market.

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

The store wars will go into full swing and we can expect further triple A migration towards the Epic store - especially with their aggressive techniques.

There are several upcoming platforms such as TurboPlay, that are showing potential for supporting more indies and closing the inequality gap. ‘Netflix for games’ will become a viable funding/publishing model.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

Every year feels different. When I got my first game internship working on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 titles, you could not make games unless working for a publisher.

I went indie a few years later when my first game passed Steam Greenlight - back when it actually "meant" something. Today the market is really open and anyone can publish, which also makes it much harder to get noticed with a good game.

Back in the day, you needed a lot of money to support a team and distribute the games. Today, you need a lot of money to market the game and attend events. I feel that in a way we've come full circle.

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

Putting my own name out there via my talk and networking with others. It's critical to be part of the indie ecosystem if one wants to not just survive, but grow and thrive.

Find out more about Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2019 on the website.