Hey everyone!
TL;DR: I've quit my job at Ubisoft, I am stepping away from my duties at Polycount indefinitely, and I am working on my game,
Astroneer, full-time until it ships.
A couple of years ago I was sharing some low poly art I was making to Paul Pepera and began to spitball an idea for a game, based on the image.
Fast forward to now and he and I, along with 3 other friends, are working on Astroneer. Most of us full-time, with the plan to have it release to Early Access this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv7xbHkLdGwTo do that, though, will require the full attention of everyone involved and it is because of this that I have decided to dive right in to working independently on the game. I've left Ubisoft and, as of this month, will be transitioning my responsibilities at Polycount over to Drew (r13) and the moderators. (I'll still be posting my art and joining in discussions here!)
My time as the community manager of Polycount will be something that stays with me forever. I joined when I was 16 and am 32 as I write this.
That's half of my life. To see it go from a niche Quake skin community to an industry standard amongst 3D video game artists has been extremely fulfilling. In those years not only did Polycount grow, but so did I. I went from an unemployed, self-taught "artist" to an Asst. Art Director at one of our industries largest developers shipping games for some of the largest franchises. It's been a trip and in more ways than I can ever truly explain, I owe most of that drive and passion to the artists of Polycount. Organizing all of those contests, events, and projects and talking with you guys both here on the site and in person at events was a real pleasure and I have every one of you to thank for it.
In addition to sharing here, I'll be posting a lot of cool Astroneer and personal artwork on
my Twitter.
Adam
Replies
I imagine there's some excitement, and fear, mixed together right now. I wasn't clear, at what point you became involved with the project, until you posted this. I know you had been posting some cool shit, about Astroneer, and I figured you were just excited about a new game. Then, when you mentioned the move, I thought you had discussed things, with the devs, and made a move. I didn't realize it was your own project. Very cool.
What are you using for code? If you weren't north of me, I would consider seeing if you need a software guy (I'm planning to move south, in the coming years)
I'll be watching you on twitter
Its already so very veyr pretty
break a leg!
Good luck dude!
Going full time can be scary, however you guys have a great game and will no doubt be successful!
B
..until then: best of luck with your game!
Its the most terrifying yet rewarding experience of my life, I'm sure you'll love it!
Also, I can't wait for Astroneer, it looks great!