Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
I studied Computer Graphics in both France and Japan, before then moving to London where I worked for a short time at a VFX company. However, I then quickly progressed into the gaming industry where I have recently worked at Splash Damage for three years.
Why d3t?
I wanted a fresh start and had heard that d3t had a great working environment!
Plus, I also like the idea of working on a variety of projects thanks to d3t being a co-development studio.
What do you love about games?
I love the variety of stories games can tell and the many ways that they are told. I also love how the interactivity of games makes these stories even more compelling and emotional.
I’m also a big fan of how AAA games keep pushing the limits as to how beautiful their games can look. Whilst on the flip side, I love how indie games always find creative ways to work with their limitations to continue to create visually stunning looking games.
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
Recently I just finished the Submerged sequel, and I’ve been (re-)playing the Witcher 3 which is my favourite game that I’ve spent way too much time playing.
Other games that I’ve loved playing are Spider-Man (PS4), Undertale, Life Is Strange, and Sea Of Thieves.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
I’m a big fan of K-Pop dance, and I spend a lot of my free time (and money!) dancing and filming K-Pop dance covers with friends!
I also love doing cosplay and making my own costumes when I have time (which admittedly isn’t often because of K-Pop…). However, my latest project has been Ciri from The Witcher 3!
Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
My most recent job was as a Receptionist at the Village Gym. During my time there I was responsible for stock counting, emailing, managing all of the Microsoft and Google documents, answering the phone and making phone calls, cleaning, and stocking the fridges.
Why d3t?
I chose to apply at d3t because when I read the job description, I thought this role was 100% for me! As I am able to adapt my current skillset to this job role, plus I am also going to be working in an environment where I will be learning a lot new things as well as being constantly busy which is something I love.
What do you love about games?
I love the fact that some games can teach you things as well as improving your knowledge!
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
I’m currently playing a game called Gardenscapes, so I would say that’s my favourite.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
My hobbies include going to the gym five times a week as well as walking my dog.
Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
I graduated in Music Technology from Leeds Beckett University, where during my time I undertook various audio production projects. One of which was a game audio module where I designed and implemented all audio for a horror game level. Since completing my degree, I have been working as a QA Tester at Universally Speaking in Liverpool for the past year and a half.
Why d3t?
d3t has worked on a lot of amazing titles with some of the industry’s biggest names. The studio itself also puts people’s wellbeing and work-life balance at the top of its priority list which is a massive thing for me. Because if everyone loves going to work to produce something they’re passionate about, then it doesn’t really feel like work.
What do you love about games?
I love games because escapism through well thought out and developed game worlds are some of the best experiences you can have. I also love the fact that games are so multi-faceted, as they involve every discipline of media to create a piece of interactable art. This is one of the reasons that it’s amongst the biggest industries in the world.
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
I’m currently playing Ghost of Tsushima, Starfield, and Slay the Spire. However, I’d have to say that my favourite games are either The Witcher 3, and Frostpunk.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
I’ve been playing drums since I was 10 years old and I also make my own music in my spare time.
Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
After finishing my university degree in Design & Development for Video Games in 2016, I was lucky enough to join elite3d – a great outsourcing studio which I considered a family for more than 5 years. While working there, I had the opportunity to work on more than 12 AAA games, such as Metro Exodus, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, 3 titles from the Call of Duty franchise and 3 more from The Dark Pictures Anthology by Supermassive Games.
In addition to my role as an Artist, over the years I evolved into positions such as Supervising Artist, Lead Artist and eventually 3D Director (this last one at Saber Interactive). This has given me the opportunity to grow, share my knowledge with other colleagues, learn from them and guide teams by giving them support, not only technically, but also motivationally.
Furthermore, I’ve also been working as an online tutor and mentor since 2020, to guide other artists on how to approach the props/environments creation for video games in a technical proficient way. I have published an intermediate level online course partnering with Domêstika on how to create realistic props for AAA games and I also contribute to The Mentor Coalition on a monthly basis to mentor artists from different parts of the world to improve their artistic skills. In addition to this, I conduct multiple masterclasses in different Video Games/Art Universities every year, to share my knowledge with students and aspiring 3D artists.
Why d3t?
The reason why d3t has been winning the prize of “Best Places to Work” 5 years consecutively already is not a coincidence. The studio is well known for their great working culture, nice vibes, and project quality.
Everybody was incredibly nice to me during the interviewing process, which makes me think it is a place I could easily end up considering home.
In addition to this, the variety of high standard projects they have, plus the different clients, will allow me to keep improving my knowledge really fast. Also, the fact that the Art department is relatively new, makes it a perfect place to keep growing over the years.
What do you love about games?
I love how art is mixed with technique when it comes to making a video game. The fact that you not only need to ensure a nice final artistic quality, but a good performance, makes it in my eyes a challenging but rewarding duty.
Being an Artist for video games forces you to train your eye, capture reality in a different way and makes you become a freak observant of the world that surrounds you, by paying extra attention to tiny details that, otherwise, you might have missed.
The industry is always in constant change, which makes it impossible for you to get stuck or bored as a professional. Every year you need to learn new things, get used to new pipelines or additional software, and it’s this endless race for knowledge that makes me never get tired of it.
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
I am a huge fan of action-adventure games as well as story driven ones and every now and then I try to test a new Tomb Raider, some of the Quantic Dream or Supermassive games, Horizon, God of War or Spiderman (as examples).
The first game I have ever played at home was Jak & Daxter and it was in that moment that I fell absolutely in love with the industry. I must confess I have to point out all the Naughty Dog games as my favourites, because of their outstanding artistic and plot quality, but also because I grew up with them.
If I had to choose one, Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 4 would definitely be my selected ones.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
I really enjoy nature, which makes me escape from the city quite often for a long hike, as well as to travel to different countries in the search of breathtaking landscapes to memorise.
I am also a huge foody. I must admit this started back in the day simply because I loved eating, but over the years this has generated into me enjoying spending hours in the kitchen creating my own original dishes. I confess following recipes is a bit boring for me, so I use cooking as one more creative and artistic way of expression, trying to be original while balancing ingredients, tastes, and textures.
In addition to this, writing has always been a quite important hobby in my life. I remember myself at 9 years of age writing one-page long stories, which evolved into long novels and poems when I became a teenager. Nowadays it is a bit more difficult for me to spend time on it, but every now and then I try to keep it alive by creating poems to reflect what I’m feeling or thinking at that moment.
And of course, 3D could not be missing in this list. Since I started in the industry, I always try to have a personal project at home to make sure I keep improving my skills and up to date with the new technology that comes along.
Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
Before getting into the industry I was always tinkering around with map editors and mod tools, as well as drawing. My professional journey in games started over 8 years ago, and since then I have also worked for theme parks and virtual productions. I’m a Concept Artist at heart but throughout my career I’ve done everything from lighting to VFX to modelling. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked with many talented artists on many diverse projects.
Why d3t?
Besides the super good vibes I got during the interview process, I was drawn to the opportunity to work with an experienced team on some of the world’s biggest games. In an industry where co-development is becoming more crucial than ever, it’s very exciting to be working at one of the best places to do it in.
What do you love about games?
What I love most about games is the process of their creation. Many different disciplines coming together at a single point, with so many fun and colourful personalities. Being at the fulcrum of that creative energy is one of the best things in life. As a player I really enjoy being immersed in the environment of the virtual world. The grass swaying in the wind, the clouds racing across the sky, the music in the background. It’s in the little things that I can see the hand of a developer, spending just a bit more effort.
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
I’m currently playing through some older games on my PS4 like The Order: 1886, Mad Max, and Shadow of Mordor. I really enjoyed The Last of Us Remastered, it’s just great to revisit a modern classic again after seeing the show. Artistically, not many games can beat Destiny 1. I have a real soft spot for that game’s art direction. I could never choose a single favourite, but some of my best gaming memories are with friends playing World of Warcraft, Command and Conquer, and Battlefield. I can’t pull all-nighters like I used to but with those games I frequently saw the sun come up. I also really enjoy the older Need for Speed games as it was my childhood dream was to become a drift racer in Japan.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
When I was a teenager I would mod everything I could get my hands on. Replacing tanks with teapots in Command and Conquer, building stunt parks for my San Andreas multiplayer server, or designing custom weapons for the World of Warcraft server I ran for my classmates on my parents’ computer. I didn’t know it at the time but this would set me on the path to becoming a game developer.
I’m also a big sucker for video game soundtracks: in 2020 I was in the top 0.1% Spotify listeners for Gareth Coker with 5250 minutes of listening time!
Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
I have just graduated from Falmouth University, completing the Computing for Games course. Throughout my time there I enjoyed learning both C++ and C#, with Unity and OpenGL.
During my final year, I had an amazing time developing my team game project. This was because everyone was so enthusiastic about the project, but also because I could fill the game with as much programming as I wanted. On top of this, I also pushed myself technically, completing a dissertation comparing rendering performances of a fluid-dynamic smoke simulation, in C++ and OpenGL.
This position at d3t will be my first professional programming role, and I’m very excited to get started.
Why d3t?
There are many reasons why I chose d3t, their impressive portfolio definitely caught my eye, but a further look into the studio’s culture and general atmosphere really convinced me. Everyone I’ve spoken to up to this point was incredibly nice, and passionate, which is exactly the kind of people I want to be working with. I feel that I can learn so much from working at d3t, and also contribute my share as well.
What do you love about games?
I love the creativity of games; you have the ultimate freedom to tell any story and create any experience for the player. And as a programmer, I really enjoy developing those unique and interesting mechanics which push the creative boundaries.
Another aspect that I love about games is the fun you can have with others, either as part of a team developing them or with friends playing them. Some of my best memories of games are with others, whether playing gang beast with my mates or developing Penguin Village with my Uni team, games are great fun together.
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
I like to slowly play through large open-world games, taking my time to explore the map and complete most side quests, currently it’s Assassins Creed Valhalla. But the best game I’ve played like this has to be Red Dead Redemption 2 – an absolute marvel.
I also have a love for strategy games and often play Civilisation VI, mostly on an easier difficulty in an attempt to relax, though for something more exciting I will play a real-time strategy game, my favourite being Warcraft III.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
I love watching sports, mainly football, usually catching a couple of Premier League games a week, and I always look forward to getting out my England shirt for the Lions and Lionesses. I also try to follow F1 and cricket as much as I can.
Other than sports I enjoy going for walks, playing a bit of chess, and watching old movies.
d3t is delighted to be one of the founding members of the Game Changers initiative launching today (21st September 2023).
Working alongside other Liverpool based games studios and in partnership with the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub and All About Futures, we are proud to be committing to help develop and support local games talent within our region.
Speaking on the announcement, Head of Engineering at d3t, Phil Owen, said: “Across our region, so many institutions, organisations, and games studios are doing such great work to help nurture and develop the next generation of games developers. However, this initiative brings together all our efforts together, which will allow us to only improve our support and the quality of employment opportunities that up-and-coming talent can receive.
“I look forward to seeing other organisations, whether it be educational, or industry side, join us and the founding studios in taking the pledge, so that we can continue to support the future of the games industry across the Liverpool City Region.”
To find out more about the initiative, click here.
This July, our Technical Director, Lyndon Jones reached a monumental landmark of being at d3t for ten years! To mark this achievement, we caught up with Lyndon to talk about his time at the d3t studio.
How did your career begin and how did you get your job at d3t?
After completing my Masters degree in Physics, I was at a crossroads of deciding between entering the workforce or continuing academia and getting a PhD in Nuclear Physics. I saw an advert for a small start-up studio named d3t and realised that my STEM background had a lot of crossover with games programming. I was interviewed by the whole studio (all 4 people at the time!) and started working right after my graduation.
How has d3t changed during your time at the studio?
Our fundamental offering has not changed, we continue to work with clients on their games and assist them to deliver their vision. d3t has grown enormously over the last ten years, from 5 members of the team to now over 200 in my 10 years here. Initially we as a studio focused on Engineering, but we have now grown to also include Production, Art, Design and QA. In doing so this has allowed us to get involved with larger projects with the biggest named IPs in the industry.
During my time, d3t has also had four different offices, from a small, single room to our current state-of-the-art three storey building with hybrid working capabilities. The results of which has created quite a different working environment compared to 10 years ago. Since 2020 we’ve embraced remote/hybrid working, which has honestly been a fantastic addition to everyone’s work-life balance.
What is it like working at d3t?
d3t is such an amazing place to work. A lot of people have talked previously about the great benefits such as flexitime and clubs/activities, but as a Technical Director I’m much more persuaded by working on interesting projects, which we certainly have and is the main reason as to why I have been here ten years!
Work-for-hire means that we aren’t tied in to a single franchise or genre. Whether it’s Puzzle, Racing, FPS or RPG, we get to be involved with all types of projects!
What has been your most memorable moment working at the studio?
For me it was the first time d3t held a studio garden party since Covid. It was excellent to see so many people face-to-face for the first time in two years!
What was the first game that you worked on?
Lemmings Touch
What’s your favourite game to date that you’ve played/worked on?
Burnout Paradise Remastered or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
How has the wider games industry changed during your time at d3t?
A lot has changed in the ten years. We were at the tail end of the PS3/Xbox 360 generation with exclusively boxed products, now we are in the digital and XSX/PS5 generation…the rise and fall of Stadia, the resurgence of portable gaming via Switch/Steamdeck, VR, Raytracing, Live Service/Battlepasses…a lot of change!
Do you have any tips for people looking to get into the games industry?
Be Curious! Whatever your discipline, keep on top of industry trends/news, demonstrate your passion in an area, play games from a game developers’ viewpoint, pick a studio that allows you to thrive, and get your foot in the door!
The awards ceremony which took place on Friday 16th June 2023 at the DCBL Widnes Stadium, saw businesses from across the borough of Halton come together to celebrate organisational success and exceptional business performance.
This is the third consecutive time that d3t has been announced as Employer of the Year, which recognises that the studio excels in offering the most comprehensive work environment, through the implementation of a strong learning, development and inclusive culture, staff incentive schemes, recognition/remuneration and retention packages, along with a growing list of health and wellbeing initiatives.
Speaking on the award, Richard Badger, Head of Studio at d3t, said: “We are extremely humbled to have been announced as Employer of the Year. Our team are at the core of what we do, and we focus our primary efforts on growth, retention, and job satisfaction.
“Since d3t’s inception, the studio has been built on creating an atmosphere in which people feel valued, and without the overshadowing cloud of ‘crunch’ that the industry is renowned for. It is this focus that has seen d3t win multiple Employer of the Year awards, not only from our colleagues within the games industry, but also from our peers outside the industry. Both of whom have recognised the long lasting and supportive commitment that d3t has towards its team.
“We know however, that we cannot rest and that we have to continuing improving. This is why we are investing further into our studio’s facilities, as well as our team’s benefits, so that we can continue meet their needs and ensure that a healthy work-life balance is struck.”
Now a team of 190+ talented developers, d3t has also been a recent winner of the GamesIndustry.biz Best Places to Work Award for 2022 and has been recognised for its commitment to its studio culture and wellbeing.
Want to work at d3t?
Want to find out more about working with our award-winning team? We are regularly looking candidates across a wide range of roles. Take a look here to find out more!
Speaking on the announcement, Head of Engineering at d3t, Phil Owen, said: “Across our region, so many institutions, organisations, and games studios are doing such great work to help nurture and develop the next generation of games developers. However, this initiative brings together all our efforts together, which will allow us to only improve our support and the quality of employment opportunities that up-and-coming talent can receive.
After completing my Masters degree in Physics, I was at a crossroads of deciding between entering the workforce or continuing academia and getting a PhD in Nuclear Physics. I saw an advert for a small start-up studio named d3t and realised that my STEM background had a lot of crossover with games programming. I was interviewed by the whole studio (all 4 people at the time!) and started working right after my graduation.
“Since d3t’s inception, the studio has been built on creating an atmosphere in which people feel valued, and without the overshadowing cloud of ‘crunch’ that the industry is renowned for. It is this focus that has seen d3t win multiple Employer of the Year awards, not only from our colleagues within the games industry, but also from our peers outside the industry. Both of whom have recognised the long lasting and supportive commitment that d3t has towards its team.