He joined Gameloft Montréal in 2014 as a game designer for a few years before leaving and coming back in 2019 for his current role. And we’re very glad he did!
Find out more about his career path and what brought him back to Gameloft below!
Hi, Patric! Tell us about yourself.
I'm Patric, game director at Gameloft Montréal. I'm a jack-of-all-trades who decided one day to live a childhood dream and make video games.
My areas of interest have always been oddly varied and specific: I love reading and learning about history, anthropology, astronomy, art, etc., and I enjoy documentary films, complex board games, and non-pop music.
I started out as a web developer, then went back to school to get a bachelor’s degree in media studies, then worked in academic research for a while. I nurtured the dream of working in a creative industry and the video game industry is one I eyed.
Eventually, I got a job at Gameloft as a technical game designer, then quickly got to explore other design roles: level designer, game design, system designer, and lead game designer.
I left Gameloft in 2014 to experience console/PC game production and co-founded a studio, Borealys Games, with decent success. In 2019, I decided to return to a larger studio because I missed the scope and ambition of large production teams. Gameloft immediately offered to take me back, and of course I accepted! It was a homecoming of sorts.
What is your role, and what do you enjoy most about your job?
My role is to maintain and contribute to our game project's vision and communicate it properly to the team (especially designers) so every system and feature is developed consistently with the game's experience and target audience. In a word, we help the team find the "fun."
I especially enjoy this role in the context of cross-platform game production because the target audience can vary wildly across platforms, and games are not experienced in the same way. It adds an interesting challenge, but more importantly, it makes our games available to much more people. In the end, that's what we all hope for, isn't it?
What are some of your most memorable moments at Gameloft?
My favorite years were those spent on Modern Combat 2, 3, and 4. I was still junior at the time, and I continuously faced challenges. But our core team was almost unchanged across all three instalments, and we got so efficient at working together!
My very best moment was the Modern Combat 4 post-launch. Our multiplayer mode was very well received. It attracted even more players than some major FPS games did on PC at the time. We even got to play a few matches with top players in the community—it was great!
What advice do you have for people who want to work in gaming in a similar role?
We are constantly looking for game designers, narrative designers, and level designers with experience.
The hardest part is getting your first gig in the industry to prove yourself. But if working in gaming is your passion, then be patient and be persistent. Most people in the industry went through the same process at one point, even the most successful!
It also helps to do a lot of personal work. Have cool game prototypes or level designs made for existing games, like a map for a FPS or RTS game or Mario Maker levels.
One last advice: only show the best of your personal work. If you've made dozens of levels, only show the ones you’re most proud of.
Patric is currently looking for a senior narrative designer for an exciting, new cross-platform project, and you can apply for it here! Gameloft Montréal also has many other positions available, so be sure to check them out here, and stay tuned for another edition of Humans Behind the Game!
