WoU, Who?

“I used to work at Rockstar Games, in their Performance Production department. During my time there, I worked very closely with the directors, writers, actors, engineers, and animators to help create audio environments and performances that would completely immerse a player. I quickly learned how much detail and effort goes into every single moment of a game.” So, how does the World of Us project stand up against one of the world’s best-known gaming companies? “This is my first time working on such a collaborative project. When I joined, I expected more rigidness with what TALES was asking the Digital Creators to make. Instead of giving them a list of what they needed to make for the WoU, we provided a generic list of assets as a guide of what can be featured in-game, but they were welcome to go ‘off book’ if they wanted.”

World of Us is, as its name implies, a global project. And with this, some areas need to be navigated more carefully. “There are a lot of different time zones to keep in consideration.” Keeping track of the people is as important as keeping track of the work. “It’s important to make sure tasks are finished and milestones are achieved, but also that everyone has the support they need to do their job.” Thinking with such a global mindset has been part of Veronica’s way of living since childhood. “My parents are flight attendants, which allowed me and my sister to travel and experience as many different cultures and customs as possible from a very young age.”

She’s been fortunate enough to understand the impact of the representation of local cultures. “We have trees and bushes coming from the Danube Delta and Kouilou, and flowers and animals from Acre and Kerala. This matches with what the Digital Creators saw on their trips, and the game is more authentic because of it.” While the World of Us may be a digital escape, the inspiration that has been drawn to creat...