At the end of April, Remedy's Creative Director, Sam Lake, sat down with Christopher Dring from The Game Business Show to talk about his career and future hopes. The conversation also brings a brutal honesty, exploring the mental tax required when following through games, maybe more so with passion projects.
Throughout the forty minute interview, Sam touches on a number of topics including recovery after Alan Wake 2, balancing creativity with the commercial, creating his iconic coffee videos, and his interest in creating a Moomin adventure.
Talking on the personal mental load required to bring Alan Wake 2, Sam describes, "“I was very tired and stressed. Making games is a very complex thing and with Alan Wake 2... I really wanted to be hands-on. It's always teamwork. But I was writing, directing, also co-directing the live action parts. I wanted to be involved in making the music, especially the lyrics. I was acting a part in it, too. There was a lot.
He adds, “when this kind of a big production starts rolling, it's not built around one person's availability. So, if you want to do all of these different things, you need to be flexible, you need to stretch, and you need to be working like a crazy person to achieve it. I felt it was worth it but it was a lot. And there is always this struggle of… the creative vision, the production realities, the schedules, the budget and the scope. Towards the end I had been working a lot of nights and weekends for a long, long time."
You can watch the full interview above or direct at The Game Business Show, HERE.
