During September 2022, we held a company summit in-person! You can read more about it here on our Singularity 6 website.
As a part of this event, we had a chat with three very talented Sixers. Read on to hear about their roles, their time in the game industry, and what they're excited about for Palia!
Hi, everyone! Can you all introduce yourselves real quick? What is your name, role, and how long have you been at S6?
Jeremy: I’m Jeremy Fenske, the art director for Palia. I’ve been with S6 as the first employee, actually!
Mary: Hi, everyone! I’m Mary Schuyler, Senior Producer for the Meta team here at S6. I’ve been with the company for exactly a year, one month, and one day as of today!
Ambrielle: I’m Ambrielle Army, Senior Director of Production for Cosmetics. I’ve only been here for about a week, but it’s been a great experience already. I’m lucky to have this summit be part of my experience so early on!
Can you share with us what drew you to join S6?
J: At the time, I believe there was a mutual friend that recommended me to check out the company and I was able to speak to Aidan. They were looking for an artist to join, and it was at the very start of the company. I liked the pitch, and it was at the right time because I was really getting into cozy games and the vision of the art became very clear to me, like the “stars aligned”. Coming from my long tenure at AAA games like Destiny and working for Bethesda, it felt like a good change of pace for me.
M: I was reached out to by our recruitment team! As a part of their outreach, a link to the trailer was included, and I remember watching it and really loving the aesthetics. I've always been a life-long MMO player, and Palia felt like the kind of game I could play together with friends and family. I feel happy to be working on a game many people can enjoy.
A: What drew me was learning about Palia and really believing that it's the kind of game that would bring people together. My family is spread across the country and games have been a way for us to stay connected, but cozy games don’t really support playing together. I wanted to be a part of helping bring that to players.
Jeremy, can you share your experience of what S6 was like back then compared to how it is now?
J: I think getting [the first set of] Series A funding was definitely a big milestone for us, it meant we can actually make a game and deliver a final product! Another big milestone was in June 2021, when we dropped the trailer alongside our website and revealed the name of our game, Palia! Having the trailer like this out in the world made a huge difference for us on recruiting talent, but the fact that it went viral in the gaming community was really validating. It was great to see all the positive reactions online and was a huge morale boost for the team.
Mary, what about S6 do you enjoy?
M: Well, in my years in the industry as a producer, something I’ve found myself doing often was having to fight and convince others to get anything to come to fruition. At S6, though, it feels much more natural. The decisions make sense, and people tend to be agreeable and transparent in explaining their choices. I think it’s a quality that lets us get a lot of stuff done.
Ambrielle, how are you adjusting to S6 and our tools? Are you getting used to JIRA?
A: Haha. Okay, so, I’ve come to learn that JIRA is vastly different from organization to organization, but I’ve been really enjoying the setup at S6. So still trying out new things!
How did you get into the games industry?
J: Back when I was in high school, I learned that you could actually get paid for drawing stuff for games and decided, “yeah, that’s what I’m going to do.” I ended up going to an Art School and at the time we didn’t really have a digital arts or entertainment major, so pursued Fine Arts instead. As I was completing my thesis, I also put together a concept art portfolio, and applied to over sixty different places. I even sent out mailers to get more eyes on my reel. Eventually, I heard back from Zenimax/Bethesda for the Elder Scrolls Online team, and that was my first job in the industry.
M: In college, I read this book called What Color Is Your Parachute? and it told me that I should be a project manager for an entertainment company. Yeah! I knew that I played a lot of games but didn’t realize you could have a job in one. One day, I ended up attending a party full of people in the industry, and I remember thinking, “these are my people!” I started off working at Disney Interactive as QA. I was in the process of being trained up to become a producer, and long-story-short, I fell into the responsibilities of one and learned my way up!
A: Back in the early days of eSports, what I did was called “working for hoodies”, which was basically working for free with a game company and being sent freebies like hoodies as a show of appreciation. I would do event coverage, interviews, and all that stuff that eventually landed me a job at Riot doing the same thing, but actually getting paid for it! Then one day I was told, “You’re going to be a producer” and I was like “Okay!” and I’ve been doing it ever since.
As a player, what about Palia are you most excited about?
M: I’m a sucker for cosmetics! I feel like the team has been doing a great job, and I already have a few favorite outfits that I personally love.
A: Yes, the cosmetics are great! To give a unique answer, though, I really like the fishing in our game. The mini game is really fun and it feels like something I could do for hours.
J: Not to be biased because it is my team, but I really am looking forward to the world of Palia and what’s in store. I can’t wait to see the new adventure zones come to life and see how people react as they experience and explore more of the world of Palia.
What is one key takeaway from the Summit you’d like to share with everyone?
J: Um, wow! There’s so many people here! It’s great to really be able to interact in person, it’s like a dream come true. Really, this is a celebration and it’s been amazing to see S6 reach this point. You guys are the best. That’s the takeaway!
M: Sammmme! I am so thankful to everyone, especially those who flew in to meet here!
A: What I love to see is just how everyone here loves games! It’s a genuine passion and refreshing to see the kind of enthusiasm that comes with a new studio.