Developer Spotlight - Glynn Richards - Environment Artist

Could you explain a bit about who you are and what you do at Antimatter Games?

I’m Glynn Richards, a bearded man who ran away from the North to live in sunny Falmouth! My current role is on ‘83 as an Environment Artist. I’ve been

Glynn enjoying a chilly dip in his dry suit!

here for about three years now.

What does a typical day at the AMG office look like for an Environment Artist?

My days vary due to the nature of the role and are dependant on where we are in development. The most typical tasks for me recently have been scheduling art for levels in development, obtaining reference material for environments we are creating, providing environmental concept art and working up assets from blockout.

What skills do you think makes a good Environment Artist?

From my personal experience learning artistic fundamentals have been crucial. Things like light, shape, proportions, composition and colour have aided me along the way; especially when looking at the bigger picture with environment work. Having good modeling and texturing abilities are important especially doing so in an optimal way. Knowledge of the industry tools such as 3dsMax / Maya and texturing packages like Substance / Quixel are a must if you wish to pursue such a role. You also have to be willing to continually learn and take critique.

How did you get started in the games industry?

I initially started after taking some Game Art courses at university. This gave me the time to acquire skills and, most importantly, get a portfolio together. I got my first industry job during a university MA which turned into a full time role at a company doing Architectural and Product visualization. This gave me a great insight into the CGI industry and collaborating with clients. After some time I left for another studio to work on the Carmageddon Series. I then joined AMG and began work on Rising Storm 2 and now I’m here working on ‘83.

What’s your favourite part of working on ‘83?

I have always enjoyed FPS games and I am especially interested in learning the historical side of things. The fact we get to look into an escalation that got to such a critical point is scary yet fascinating. The 80s is a very influential time now, and I’m very excited to replicate such an interesting time period, especially in this style of game, which I haven't seen before.

Favourite ‘80s tune?

It has to be “AC/DC You Shook Me All Night Long 1980.”

Any parting words of wisdom?

Look after your beard and it will look after you.