Pascal Debroek is a long-time Player Experience professional who has worked at some of the hottest mobile gaming startups Helsinki has to offer, including Supercell and Next Games.
He is currently Head of Customer Service at Rovio’s cloud gaming subsidiary Hatch Entertainment. In his current role he strives to provide a safe, fair and frictionless environment for all players, combining his experience from the past with the technology of the future.
We caught up with Debroek to talk about cloud tech and the future of mobile game streaming.
PocketGamer.biz: Can you tell us a bit about Hatch Entertainment?
Pascal Debroek: Hatch Entertainment is Rovio's cloud gaming subsidiary. At Hatch we aim to bring people together to play games in new ways.
Cloud gaming and streaming tech are on the rise yet Hatch is one of the few players ready to deliver mobile-first experiences.
What does your role entail?
My role entails all things Player Experience, from basic customer support, to moderation to user expectations and the customer journey.
Why did you want to work in the games industry?
The classic answer: I have been a gamer all my life and wanted to be involved in the creative process one way or another.
In the end I did manage to combine my professional experience with a passion.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into it?
Be true to yourself, find what makes you special or sets you apart; be it a skill set or huge passion. Understand the industry and the landscape. Then find out how you can use your "superpower" to contribute to the overall picture.
That should provide you with a compelling reason to get at least asked over for an interview.
Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?
I know the event is bigger than the one hosted yearly in Helsinki, but my biggest pull is the fact this would be my first presence as a guest speaker at a Connects event.
At Pocket Gamer Connects London 2020, Pascal Debroek will be part of two discussion panels: "The toxic content dilemma - Is live game chat a lost cause or can it be saved?" and "How do we deliver experiences that matter through streaming?" For more info on the show, and to buy your tickets, click here.
