Born a games geek and design nerd, Dan Bernardo has degrees in Anthropology and Graphic Design. Working as a creative for over 17 years for a range of start-ups and large businesses, most recently with Unruly Group where he was instrumental in developing it from a one-room startup to a global company with 20 offices in 4 continents and sold for an excess of $150m. He then decided to use his experience creating talented teams and efficient products in pursuit of his childhood dream of creating games.
Bernardo joins us for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Digital 2020 where he will be discussing how different cultures create different narrative structures for media and entertainment. He will explore how games can use unusual storytelling templates to create new game mechanics and experiences.
Before the event takes place next month, we caught up with Bernardo to see what’s changed in the games industry since he joined, and what trends he expects to see over the next 12 months in the industry.
PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about Playtra
Dan Bernardo: Playtra is an independent game studio which quickly grew into a team of nine diverse staff members, winning the ROKiT Global PitchFest and Silver medal in the IndieBooster Competition in 2020 where they came up at first place among more than 400 game projects. Playtra's mission is to create the games that define a generation, pushing the boundaries of genres like strategy and RPG while exploring new trends in gaming with deliciously fun game mechanics. Playtra is currently working on its first Nintendo Switch and PC game called Grid Fight - Mask of the Goddess, a fast-paced action/strategy game where you control a squad of powerful heroines in the all-female universe of Gora. Grid Fight was nominated to Best game at Game Connection America 2020. Pre-alpha is playable on https://playtra.itch.io/grid-fight
What does your role entail?
I think mobile is finally maturing into its own medium apart from free to play titles
As the founder of Playtra, my main duty is to make sure our team is as diverse, talented, efficient and happy as possible. I normally create the concepts of our games but the process is quite open and democratic. I make sure that good ideas are listened to, regardless of where they come from. I'm also the Game Director for our first PC and Nintendo Switch game, called Grid Fight.
Why did you want to work in the games industry?
I've been creating games in my head since I was five years old. I had the luck to develop many different interests as a kid and my career went from Anthropology, to graphic design and creative direction before I decided it was time to make those game ideas a reality.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?
Listen and learn from people who made it. Today it's easy to find them online. The gaming industry is ever-changing. Six months is enough to get you out of the loop. Try to join smaller studios. They tend to expose you to many more areas of game development then big ones. They are also more forgiven if you have talent but not necessarily a degree.
What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?
Games take time to be made. What we see today, like more female leads in games, is an emphasis on watching games more than playing them and LGBTQ+ representation are products of what happened to the industry a couple of years ago. I'm curious to see how the current epidemic and social unrest will bring to us in the years to come.
What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?
What I see is an awakening from industry insiders about the need to bring more diversity to the table
Watching games is big and I think it will continue to be. I think mobile is finally maturing into its own medium apart from free to play titles. Also I can't wait to see how the big console names are embracing indies. I think Switch created the template that everyone wants to replicate.
How has the games industry changed since you first started?
I’ve not been in the industry for very long but what I see is an awakening from industry insiders about the need to bring more diversity to the table. It's a wonderful thing but very challenging for many reasons.
Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?
The panels. Love to see clever people talking about their takes on incredible diverse challenges the industry faces.
