The Making of Goonect (Engineer Team Interview)

They achieved their goal to have people play a game they created, even with no game development experience

―― Nice to meet all of you. Could you please introduce yourselves by telling us your name, most recent educational background, and if you have any experience developing games before joining.

●Mori: I’m Mori, the lead engineer. I managed everyone’s tasks and implemented the iconic “stretchy arms” in this title. I joined our company after attending university, where I studied in the school of information technology until graduate school, and have experience in game development.

●Sugimoto: I’m Sugimoto, one of the engineers. I worked on the character movements in-game and created an editor for the planners to adjust environmental hazards in. I researched image processing and other related topics while in graduate school at a university that specializes in electrical engineering and have experience in game development.

●Tamaki: My name is Tamaki and I’m also one of the engineers. I worked on rendering objects and creating shaders to make them look pretty. The end result was a cute game, so I think it was worth the hard work. I studied programming at a gaming vocational school for two years before joining the company and have experience developing games.

●Tokuchi: I’m Tokuchi and I’m an engineer as well. I was in charge of the out-game portions such as the parts before the player starts the game, the post-game results screen, and the foundations of the online play. I joined the company with an undergraduate degree from a university’s school of information technology and have no game development experience.

●Iwata: My name is Iwata, and I’m one of the engineers too. I implemented the sound effects and music created by the sound team into the game and created the framework for adjusting the sounds. I majored in information technology at a college of technology. There were no game development classes at my school, but I have game development experience.

●*In addition, there is one support staff member that helped with various things, from managing the new employee training to releasing the game.

―― I see, so among the five engineers, four of you have experience with game development, and one graduated from a gaming vocational school. Could you please tell me about the new employee training here at Bandai Namco Studios?

●Support staff: At our company, new employee training is designed to be a gateway to becoming a pro. They team up and spend about seven months working on a new game and learn about the magic of teamwork along the way. Last year, about forty new hires were split into four teams to work on developing their own game. The development process that they used is the same one employed by professionals, and they have mentors who they can go to for one-on-one advice as well.

―― I see. In order to grow as a game developer, it’s important for them to complete and release a game, as well as receive feedback from players. That way, these new employees at Bandai Namco Studios are already experiencing the same workflows that are used in game projects during their training.

●Support staff: Exactly. Making games while they are young and keen means they’re less constrained during development.

―― How are the teams determined during new employee training?

●Support staff: New planners come up with their own proposals and present them, and those in other positions request placement in the project they want to join. On top of that, the more experienced staff members in our company sort members into each team to balance out their individualities.

―― I see, so experienced senior staff members are already involved in training starting from the team sorting process.

●Support staff: I assigned one planner who motivates the team as a whole and one planner with strong management skills to the planner who pitched Goonect. We talk with the planners about their strengths and what we expect from them. However, it seems that this may not be the same process across all positions.

●Tamaki: For engineers, we were encouraged to use training as a way to search for and brush up our skills and specialties instead of having our seniors tell us what they are.

―― Were you nervous before the training started?

●Tamaki: I was very nervous, but the support we received was very well-rounded. Our seniors were very eager to teach us and each day was a lot of fun.

●Sugimoto: We consulted with our seniors every day and were able to get their opinions and advice on many things. It was very helpful.

―― Do you think that people without technical education in game development would also be able to join Bandai Namco Studios?

●Sugimoto: I believe so. Most engineers here only experienced developing things on the side for fun, rather than from learning formally in a classroom. I hope that people without game development experience apply for jobs here.

Experiencing the reward of having other people play their game teaches new hires what it feels like to be a developer early on

A training environment where new employees can communicate easily and get better at relying on others

―― After developing Goonect, each of you are assigned to different teams. Do you still keep in touch and talk about what you’re working on now?

●Tamaki: I keep in touch with everyone who joined the company at the same time as me, not just the Goonect team. Our group, the class of 2021, are especially connected and still help each other out after being assigned to different teams and departments. I think that because of the current climate, we are more wary of drifting apart from one another. For example, Mori is very enthusiastic and holds lots of gatherings for us to also mingle with the class of 2022, who would be our juniors. I think it comes from wanting to fill the hole in human connection that the pandemic has opened up. I also think that we are able to discuss some things more closely because we were doing development online.
When we were working on Goonect we asked other teams of new recruits to test the game and asked for their input. So, I think rather than our team creating Goonect, it was more a product of support from everyone in the program.

―― Last but not least, please say something to those who are considering applying for a job at Bandai Namco Studios!

●Mori: I did not think that I could achieve my goal to have someone play a game that I created so soon. We got feedback from the players, and my name is in the credits. In any other game company, this would take at least three or four years to accomplish, and I think that difference is huge.

●Sugimoto: Bandai Namco Studios is a place where, even if you have zero experience in game development when you apply, you’ll be able to create a game that’s on par with other commercial games out there thanks to the advice and guidance from the experienced seniors here. I was able to create Goonect in just six months of joining the company, so you have nothing to worry about.

●Tamaki: From our peers to our seniors, everyone is very nice here. Someone will always reach out to help you when you need it, and you’ll learn to rely on others better (laughs). So even if you’re not that confident now, I think you will grow as a game creator here.

●Tokuchi: I believe that many are worried that they may not be able to connect well with their seniors when joining a company during this time. However, at our company, each new hire has one senior mentor. With easy communication in place from the new employee training process, I felt that this was a good company to work at.

●Iwata: I myself applied for this job thinking I’d never get it, so I want everyone to know that it will all work out somehow.

―― Thank you very much!

（Writer： Shiniti Yamoto）

NEXT>>>The Making of Goonect (Game Designer, Artist, Animator, and Sound Creator Interview)