WILLIAM SCHMITT AMA [Darksiders, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Pirate Nation, and more]

William Schmitt

William Schmitt

Elite
Hi, I’m William Schmitt, the Head of Studio at Proof of Play! I have been in the business of making games for 30 years and have worked at Electronic Arts, Activision, THQ, Scopely, and Disney Interactive’s Bellevue Dev Studio.

I’ve shipped over 60 titles across 23 platforms, including Tetris Worlds, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Spider-Man 3, Madden Football, Darksiders, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, Shaq Fu, and many more!

I’ve partnered with Exputer to do an AMA with you all. If you have any questions about titles I’ve worked on, game development, or my new high-seas RPG Pirate Nation, let me know, and I’ll be popping in to answer questions through Friday.

Pirate Nation Website: Pirate Nation
X: Pirate Nation
My LinkedIn: William Schmitt

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Do you think innovation has died in the gaming industry, especially when it comes to the big studios? Over and over we have seen publishers use the same formula, only for it to fail and the talented devs being punished afterwards.
 
Pirate Nation looks really interesting!! (i like voxel style xD) Was there a different setting you considered for the game in early phases or looked into other art styles? I would love to know the creative process that brought it in this direction :D
 
Aztecloud said:
Do you think innovation has died in the gaming industry, especially when it comes to the big studios? Over and over we have seen publishers use the same formula, only for it to fail and the talented devs being punished afterwards.
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I don’t believe that innovation is dead, but it is rare—and has been for the past decade or so.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked to “create a fast-follow of game X,” “just make a game like Clash of Clans,” or implement a feature “just like the one in game Y.” This mentality reflects a larger issue in our industry, perpetuated by what I call the “widget makers.” By widget makers, I mean those who lack vision or prioritize profit over creativity. That’s not to say I’m opposed to making money from the games I create—rather, I believe that good revenue naturally follows when you deliver a great game.

I also want to clarify that looking to other games for inspiration—or even cloning obvious features, like a chat system or daily quests for a similar game—isn’t inherently wrong. But each game is its own entity and should be treated as such.

When I ask myself why more games don’t innovate to create unique and compelling experiences, the answer often boils down to: “Players like X, so let’s give them more of X.” This can work to some extent, but it frequently fails because players have already experienced X. If a new game offers nothing innovative, it becomes just a repetitive experience—and that rarely ends well for the clone. The mountain of failed Clash of Clans clones speaks for itself.

The real issue is that new ideas are often scary to investors. They prefer to back proven products rather than take risks on something new. To that, I say: it’s safer to invest in a team with a proven track record of innovation than to bet on a clone in a crowded market. The team should be the investment, the well-thought-out vision the goal, and the product's success the result of a good team finding the fun through iteration.
 
Forthcoming said:
Considering the range of games you have worked on, what is your favorite genre and video game?
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I love so many games, but if I had to choose a single genre, it would have to be RPGs. I enjoy the depth and story interaction they offer.

My favorite RPG of all time is Skyrim—with a lot of mods. I also have to give an honorable mention to World of Warcraft, as my friends and I always jump back into it for at least three months whenever a new expansion drops.

That said, I also enjoy a wide variety of other genres, including FPS, RTS, Open World, Racing, Classic Arcade, Pinball, and CCGs—and more. During our quarterly company Proof of Play offsites, you’ll always find me leading a group to a local barcade for at least one evening.

If you’re interested in checking out some lesser-known titles I’ve fallen in love with, I recommend Slay the Spire, Avorion, and 7 Days to Die on Steam.
 
Forthcoming said:
Considering the range of games you have worked on, what is your favorite genre and video game?
Click to expand...
I love so many games, but if I had to choose a single genre, it would have to be RPGs. I enjoy the depth and story interaction they offer.

My favorite RPG of all time is Skyrim—with a lot of mods. I also have to give an honorable mention to World of Warcraft, as my friends and I always jump back into it for at least three months whenever a new expansion drops.

That said, I also enjoy a wide variety of other genres, including FPS, RTS, Open World, Racing, Classic Arcade, Pinball, and CCGs—and more. During our quarterly company Proof of Play offsites, you’ll always find me leading a group to a local barcade for at least one evening.

If you’re interested in checking out some lesser-known titles I’ve fallen in love with, I recommend Slay the Spire, Avorion, and 7 Days to Die on Steam.
Simple Minded said:
What is something in game development which was considered sort of impossible a decade or two ago that has now become common?
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I’ve seen many changes over the decades as platforms have evolved. I think the most impactful of these changes is the double-edged sword of live game operations.

In the first ~15 years of my career, we had to deliver a final product (a Gold Master) with no real way to update the game after release—mainly in handheld and console development before the Xbox 360 era. Nowadays, we can ship a minimum viable product (MVP) and expand on it over time, adding content or fixing bugs whenever needed.

This shift has changed several aspects of game development. Games are now allowed to launch with known issues, as we can list them and address them post-launch. However, this approach doesn’t always work out well—Cyberpunk 2077, I’m looking at you—and a certain quality bar still needs to be met.

Another major change is the post-launch workload. In the '90s and early 2000s, once a game shipped, we’d often take a month off before starting the next project. Now, after shipping, we’re glued to feedback channels, constantly making updates and tweaks. There’s barely any time to decompress before diving into the next big thing.

That said, one aspect I really like about this model is the feedback loop with players and the ability to make continuous improvements. I think the benefits outweigh the downsides in the long run, as it allows for better overall experiences for players.
 
picklerick said:
Pirate Nation looks really interesting!! (i like voxel style xD) Was there a different setting you considered for the game in early phases or looked into other art styles? I would love to know the creative process that brought it in this direction :D
Click to expand...
When the game first started, the art style was 2D and highly stylized. You can still find images of our founder pirates from a few years back that reflect this approach. At that time, the game was intended to be much simpler—similar to Mafia Wars, with menu-driven actions and automated results. However, as the game evolved, we decided to shift toward creating a 3D world.

The primary reason we chose the voxel art style was to make the game more approachable and to set the foundation for user-generated content (UGC) down the road. This decision also aligned with our long-term goal of developing multiple games and sharing assets between them. For that to work and feel cohesive, we felt this kind of art style was necessary.

As for UGC, we realized that players would be more likely to contribute if the art style was open and easy to manipulate. Requiring players to create ultra-detailed 8K models with hundreds of bones, textures, and maps would be a daunting task and a major barrier to participation. Plus, not going to lie—we can make a fun game that looks great without needing that level of complexity. (A big thanks to Minecraft for paving the way in this area.)
 
Based on your journey of founding a game studio, what were the biggest challenges you faced in management and operations?

At Proof of Play, what does a typical day look like for you as the head of the studio? Do you spend more time on game design, or is your role focused more on managing the team and project logistics?

Do you have any top book recommendations to learn about Game Development or in general. Or communities to be apart of or follow to learn/mentorship from?

Have you read Cradle by Will Wight? I just finished it and thought it was a great fantasy series.
 
Are onchain video games really that popular? Although I don't see an appeal to them, the amount of funding studios receive for crypto-related video games is insane and makes me think there is a massive audience for it..
 
The sad state of this industry really makes me wish we could support the devs directly instead of the greedy corporations they have to work under. I know its a silly question but how would you say we can do that? Another unrelated question, what was your favorite title to work on?
 
Are onchain video games really that popular? Although I don't see an appeal to them, the amount of funding studios receive for crypto-related video games is insane and makes me think there is a massive audience for it..
 
Would you recommend qualified and talented people to start out as independent game devs or seek opportunities in bigger studios (despite the lack of job security)?
 
Seeing that you are a head of blockchain based game dev studio do you think more and more publishers will transition towards this stuff or will it co exist with classic AAA/indie games
 
I was going through your credits list and saw you credited as a Director of Productions? Can you elaborate more on what this means
 
Recently shawn Layden made a comment on how the industry needs more AA. While its known that the vaccum is there to be filled do you think there is a demand for AA games. People do like to emphasize on its importance but not alot of them show up to buy AA and instead opt of AAA games. With budgets spirling out of control, what solution would you propose.

How do you think this AAA games and cost crises can be solved
 
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