When we think of a video game, we usually think of worlds, characters, stories, enemies, music or gameplay mechanics. However, behind all of that there is always something far more important: people.
MercurySteam is made up of professionals from a wide range of disciplines. Artists, designers, programmers, animators, scriptwriters, producers, QA specialists and many others who work every day to transform ideas into experiences that can reach millions of players around the world.
Some have been here for over twenty years. Others joined just a few months ago. Some are directly involved in game development. Others ensure that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. They all contribute, in one way or another, to who we are as a studio.
With this series of interviews, we want to give them a voice.
Not just to talk about video games or MercurySteam, but also about their concerns, their experiences, the decisions that have shaped their careers, and what inspires them both at work and in their personal lives.
Because the games we create are born from the coming together of many voices, many talents and many personal stories.
Here are some of them.
María Sánchez
What made you want to pursue this?
María Sánchez, Technology Developer
When I started programming, my first practice project calculated a factorial by entering numbers into a text console. My mother barely appreciated it, telling me “You’ve made a program where you put in one number and it gives you back another” with a bit of a “big deal…” look on her face. From that point on, I decided that whatever I wanted to program had to produce a result that would blow people away, and I fell in love with computer graphics. Why video games? Because beyond computer graphics, they run in real time, where you not only have to make the visual result good, but it also has to run fast enough for the player to actually enjoy it.
What hobby or passion do you have outside of video games?
In sports, I like Kung fu, aerial hoop, and dance. Also, since university, I’ve been a big fan of board games, manga, and anime.
What place in the world would you like to visit at least once in your life, and why?
New Zealand or Japan. New Zealand for the landscapes, and Japan for its culture — I’ve traveled a lot around Europe and I’d like to get to know different cultures.
What’s something you still enjoy today just as much as when you were a kid?
Big family gatherings and our little rivalries.
What work you’ve done here are you most proud of?
The particle system. The changes I’ve made to it over time to turn it into what it is today.
Favorite game?
Over the years I’ve had many. Ones I remember fondly and poured countless hours into: Loom by LucasArts, but also Uncharted, Silent Hill, and Horizon Zero Dawn.
Favorite movie?
Same as with video games, I don’t have just one favorite — there are many that have shaped me a bit more throughout my life. For example: Ladyhawke, The Princess Bride, Star Wars (Episodes IV, V, and VI), or The Matrix.
First project at MercurySteam?
Spacelords, or as it was originally called, Raiders of the Broken Planet.
What do you value most about working with this team?
The team itself — the camaraderie, the laughs, but also everyone pulling together when it’s time to get serious.
Elena Guzmán
What made you want to pursue this?
Elena Guzmán, Production Manager
Ever since I was very little, I’ve loved video games. At first, I didn’t see it as an option — I wanted to be a volcanologist or a scientist — but one day I was given a magazine and read an interview with the developers of Pokémon (I’d swear it was Yellow at the time), and that’s when I decided I wanted to be like them. In fact, I have a Ninetales tattoo because of that revelation.
What hobby or passion do you have outside of video games?
I’m an amateur Classical Dressage rider. It’s almost like having a second job.
What place in the world would you like to visit at least once in your life, and why?
I’d like to go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, as close to the Vatnajökull glacier as possible. Iceland has always fascinated me, with its huge stretches of ice where there’s “nothing” at all.
What’s something you still enjoy today just as much as when you were a kid?
I love having pancakes for breakfast, and I have for as long as I can remember.
What work you’ve done here are you most proud of?
Building Mercury’s Production team. I think we have a very solid team, and I’m very proud of it.
Favorite game?
Hotline Miami
Favorite movie?
Fight Club
First project at MercurySteam?
Blades of Fire
What do you value most about working with this team?
The fact that there are no hierarchical barriers or anything like that. Any voice is heard and valued. That’s something you don’t see at other studios, especially not ones this size.
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