#155 - Kevin Schmitt Interview (Rogue Squadron, Republic Commando, LucasArts, Halo, Leadership etc.)

Kevin Schmitt has been working in the video game industry for over 25 years and currently works for Epic Games, he previously worked at 343 on the Halo Series and Lucas Arts where we worked on many Star Wars properties such as Rogue Squadron, Republic Commando, Obi-Wan and Mysteries Of The Sith #starwars #roguesquadron #lucasarts TWITTER- @kevindschmittTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro00:50 - Kevin’s Time In The Industry Has Flown By03:00 - Biggest Changes In The Industry/Kevin’s Early Years07:25 - AAA Games Size08:24 - Stories Of The Design For Star Wars Rogue Squadron11:50 - Mark Haigh Hutchinson Was A Great Leader15:40 - Importance Of Good Leadership/Making Multiple Projects At Once At LucasArts20:50 - How Designs Were Originally Mapped Out At LucasArts24:10 - Metroid Prime’s HUD influenced Republic Commando’s25:30 - How You Approach Design For Different Genres/FPS’s Are Kevin’s Bread & Butter27:00 - Frustration Of Creative Constraints With Star Wars IP/Ideas Being Shot Down32:30 - LucasArts Vault With Sacred Phantom Menace Info/ Team Seeing A Rough Cut Of Phantom Menace36:00 - The Process Of Pitching Games37:20 - Kevin Shows Off LucasArts Game Design Folders/Archiving39:30 - Phantom Menace Game Idea That Didnt Pan Out41:50 - Approach To Halo Campaign Vs Multiplayer44:15 - How Kevin Became A Writer48:20 - Kevin’s Thoughts On ChatGPT51:40 - Vetting Leaders In The Game Industry/The Industry Doesn’t Allow Discussions Of Failures55:00 - Post Mortem At The End Of A Game Project58:20 - Leaders Recognising Their Own Faults/Mark Recognising His Strengths & Weaknesses1:00:15 - Being Confrontation When You Aren’t A Confrontational Person1:01:25 - A Cohesive Team Is The Most Important Factor On A Project/Communication Differences1:04:30 - Republic Commando Team Being Told Their Being Laid Off When The Project Finishes1:06:40 - Where To Follow Kevin Schmitt