This article is the first instalment of Virtuos Insider, a series of interviews where Virtuosi share about their careers and experiences in the company and video game industry at large. We speak with Adalberto Bruno, Senior Technical Director at Black Shamrock – A Virtuos Studio, about his career highlights, life at Virtuos, and all things game engineering.
Above: The team at Black Shamrock – A Virtuos Studio
You’re currently at Black Shamrock – A Virtuos Studio. As Technical Director, what are some of the highlights of your work in Virtuos so far? Are there any exciting or challenging projects that you’ve worked on?
AB: I’m in charge of the engineering team here and we work on fantastic projects with some great partners.
The bulk of our work is devoted to improving the back-end, which means building Telemetry tools and APIs, integrating managed backend solutions such as MS Azure PlayFab and also ad-hoc Amazon Web Services. We’ve also upgraded several key titles to the latest version of their engine (Unreal and Unity), built API and tools for modding and proprietary cross-platform content sharing systems. Aside from that, the team also handles a good variety of performance and rendering optimizations.
Tell us a bit about your personal life. How did you get exposed to technology and games?
AB: I have always been a gamer. My passion for games began ever since my father bought me a Commodore Vic-20, which is really ancient by today’s standards.
Although my absolute favorite game of all time is Half-Life 2, I’m also a proud father which means I often play games like LEGO Marvel or iconic titles such as the Monkey Island series with my daughter Alessia. You know – so she can start to appreciate the ‘classics’. Games aside, I also like comics, reading, and listening to classic rock and blues.
From a tech standpoint, what will the future of gaming look like?
AB: Personally, I find the emergence of next-gen VR and cloud gaming services extremely appealing from a technology perspective. I can’t wait to see how they will improve in the years to come.
What advice would you give to engineers looking to enter the game industry?
AB: Be passionate, play games, participate in Game Jams and build up a portfolio. There are lots of tools and documentation freely available that can help you stay abreast with new technology at every level. Game engines have become more user friendly and accessible over time too, so feel free to experiment with them. Good luck!
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About Virtuos
Founded in 2004, Virtuos Holdings Pte. Ltd. is a leading videogame content production company with operations in Singapore, China, Vietnam, Canada, France, Japan, South Korea, Ireland, and the United States. With 1,700 full-time professionals, Virtuos specializes in game development and 3D art production for AAA consoles, PC, and mobile titles, enabling its customers to generate additional revenue and achieve operational efficiency. For over a decade, Virtuos has successfully delivered high-quality content for over 1,300 projects and its partners include 18 of the top 20 digital entertainment companies worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.virtuosgames.com
