Flying the Kite: Stray Kite’s Visionaries - Kyle King
Kyle King - Art Lead
Stray Kite Studios is grateful for the amazing response to our new blog series, ‘Flying the Kite: Stray Kite’s Visionaries’, and have been overwhelmed with the love shared with us after our first post featuring Bobbie Soques.
With the first feature story complete, we decided to shift departments and move to the Art team. This department includes a wide range of skillsets, experience, and specific disciplines that will cater to various fans and aspiring artists.
The first artist we will feature is Kyle King, Art Lead and Principal Animator. Kyle is an industry veteran who has had a fascinating journey through his career, ultimately bringing this experience to Stray Kite. Being accredited in some of the largest and most recognizable video game franchises ever, Kyle brings additional influence to an already deep roster of developers here at the studio!
Kyle King wearing a motion capture outfit.
What was your first job in the gaming industry and how did you get there?
Animator at Gearbox Software: As I was graduating from college, local game studios had artists that would visit surrounding schools and they ended up inviting a couple of us to lunch to talk about opportunities. It was a surreal experience to be talking with professionals that I looked up to. I ended up going with Gearbox Software and submitted my demo reel, received an interview, and ended up spending the next 13 years helping build the Borderlands franchise.
What inspired you to pursue a career in video game development?
Video games! I think it’s a fairly common response now that the industry has aged and more people who played them as kids have entered the industry. Back in 1997 on the original PlayStation, I played Final Fantasy 7 night and day. It was then that I knew that I wanted to animate and make games. There was no traditional career path to achieve that goal, or even suggest that it could be a reality, but for some reason I knew that was what I wanted to do.
Which game has influenced you the most on your journey as a developer and why? Have any studios or artists also contributed to this influence?
I continually look at other games for inspiration so I don't think I can say just one. Games like XCOM, Apex Legends, Wartales, and many others implement and design animation differently. There are many fun things to take away from them. As for artists, there is one animator that stands out, Kiel Figgins. I competed with him many years ago on CGTalk back when some of the first animation challenges were happening. His work has always been an inspiration and helps challenge me to continue to grow with all the variation in work.
What has been your most memorable gaming moment? Has this influenced how you design games?
Funny enough, one of the most memorable moments I've had came from the game Rust. I experienced the true psychological breakdown of society. It’s a long story, but a friend of mine joined us after we had been playing awhile, and we watched him go from i’ll never kill a new player to plotting and conniving while holding a stone over a kneeling player's head. As for influence, it’s reminded me that games are built as a whole for experience, not one specific art form. So it’s a great reminder to work together with all departments and that none are more important than the other.
How do you keep up with the latest technologies, tools, or trends that can assist you and your work?
I follow a lot of small developers that tend to use the latest technology as well as keep tabs on the GDC talks each year. They really are a heap of knowledge.
What brought you to Stray Kite?
Culture and Values. These two aspects are what drive my personal and professional life. Since I previously worked with Paul Hellquist on Borderlands 2, I knew that Stray Kite was going to be the place for me.
What's the most challenging part of your job? How do you power through it?
I think the biggest challenge is communication. Humans are not all the same, so learning and understanding on how each person and discipline communicates can be challenging. In this instance it is not powering through it but developing ways for each person to understand and safely communicate. Stray Kite prides itself on having open and safe communication avenues which has created the best work environment I've been a part of.
How would you describe the culture at Stray Kite?
Truly different from a lot of the industry and I would describe it as safe and open. Our core principles are on my mind every day that I communicate with teammates and I make it a point at all times to reinforce them. A safe place to work really removes blockers and opens up the creative process.
Share a fun story or heartwarming memory from your time at SKS.
Patrick, our tech animator, had a wonderful idea last holiday season that he wanted to give a surprise gift to the owners for the new office space we are working on. He mentioned it to the art team and everyone immediately was on board to pitch in where they could, both artistically and financially. The idea was to create a custom sign, based on our logo, that could be hung when the office space was complete. Artists came up with different logos and designs and we even voted together on which ones we liked. We presented it to the owners who really loved it and can't wait to hang it! I feel it was a great reflection of what Stray Kite is really like. It's very heartwarming to have deeper relationships with coworkers that is exemplified by our company core values.
Have you had a mentor or colleague that helped you with your career?
I was in a very unique situation where I never had a lead or a director. This meant that all my early growth came from working closely with the other animators at Gearbox. We grew close and always helped push each other in healthy ways to have fun and get better. Sixteen years later and we still chat daily.
What project or piece of development has been challenging but also rewarding?
Pre-production planning. Working at a smaller studio and helping build multiple projects from the ground up has been the most challenging and rewarding. Developing a plan that you created out of thin air from what you call “experience” and then seeing it pan out over the course of multiple years. It's very rewarding but also challenging.
How do you combat creative burnout or feeling stuck?
I’ve used social media in a different way than most I think. I’ll follow and like only art and animation related content. So any time I pull up Instagram or Twitter, it’s all really awesome artists and indie developers that experiment with fun new ways to create gameplay and animation.
How do you attempt to push the industry forward with your animations and overall work with a game? Do you look at community feedback of other games? Do you gravitate towards other games that have a style that you would love to try?
One of the ways is to create concept sequences that are just based on animation and fun. This always allows for design and animation to visualize the best case scenario since implementation isn't a concern when concepting. I think one of the best times that I’ve achieved this was the Bunker Boss from Borderlands 2. After concepting how the ship could fly and attack, it really helped inspire code, design and animation to create a unique boss battle. Community feedback on other games is very beneficial to understanding how players verbalize their concern and happiness. I’m on multiple discord channels for other indie games where i’ve learned a lot.
What is it like to actually work in a Motion Capture room? Is it fun setting the scenes, acting out the scenes, or all the above? Any fun moments with Mocap?
Great question! It’s everything you're inner child wants it to be. I’ve been working in a motion capture room in some form my entire career and have helped build sets, pipelines, direct, co-direct, act, and train. It feels like you're a kid just playing out your fantasy, but you get paid to do it! One of the best times I’ve had was acting out the Jabbermon in Borderlands 3. It was our first time experimenting with creature motion capture. I put on arm stilts and hopped around the room acting out different attacks and movements, just like Planet of the Apes motion capture. It allowed us to get three times as much animation as we normally would for a creature. There was still a lot of work on the clean up side, but it was a great experience.
Favorite game of all time? Most recent game you have played? Your GOTY for 2023 so far?
Favorite game of all time still goes to Final Fantasy 7 (and the remake). The games that you grow up on always have that special place.
Most recent game would be Dredge. It’s a smaller indie game that nailed the Lovecraftian style. Audio, atmosphere, gameplay, all very cohesive and well done.
I’m going to stick with Wartales as my GOTY. It had a whole new player experience for me.
Any words of wisdom or information that young, aspiring game developers can use as they pursue a career in game development?
Working well with others is as important as your discipline's skill. Communication with coworkers can make or break production. It's important to be cognizant and self reflective of how you communicate.
We thank Kyle for being our second visionary and hope that everyone enjoyed the insight! We will have plenty more to share in the New Year, so keep it locked here on our website and across our various social media channels. Also, if you have any additional questions that you would like us to ask in the future or as a follow up for Kyle, send us an email at Marketing@StrayKiteStudios.com or at any of our official social media channels listed below.