Zipper Profile: Seth Luisi

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Our Developer Profile series introduces you to the many faces of Zipper Interactive. From designers to artists to programmers to audio engineers to producers, you’ll meet the creative minds that make Zipper what it is (and maybe learn a few surprises along the way).

This week brings us the dirt on Seth Luisi, Game Director here at Zipper. Having had a hand in the creation of the SOCOM franchise right from its inception, we know that a lot of you have been waiting to see how Seth would answer some of these questions. Wait no longer...

<a href=" "></a > Job Title: Game Director

Years at Zipper: 6 months at Zipper, 16 years with SCEA, 12 years working with Zipper.

Years in the Industry: 16 Years. I started with Sony 7 months before the original PlayStation launched in December of ‘94 (Japanese launch).

Favorite Zipper Game: SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs

Favorite Non-Zipper Game: The first year of Ultima Online and Ultima 2-IV. OOOoooOOoooo

Motto: "Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." —John F. Kennedy

What is it that you do specifically, and can you walk us through your typical day?

I am responsible for providing direction on all of the Zipper game titles. I evaluate the status of the title and what we should be focusing on. For the day to day, I have a lot of meetings with the various teams to discuss approach, implementation and status. It is a collaborative process where I work with the teams to help come up with the best solutions possible and provide direction where needed.

How did you get into the industry?

I used to buy a lot of import games from the Recycler magazine (the print precursor to Craig’s List). One of the guys I used to buy import games from told me about a store in Mission Viejo, California, which sold import games. I got to know the owner of the store as I was one of his best customers. I also met a lot of people that worked at Virgin Games and Interplay as they would visit the store as well. The store went out of business and the owner got a job at Sunsoft and then Sony Imagesoft as the QA Manager. He offered me a job and I started with Sony Imagesoft in May of 1994 as a game tester. I spent about 6 months testing Sega CD and Super Nintendo games and answering the Sony Imagesoft tip line before being promoted to Assistant Producer.

What are some other games or projects that you’ve worked on in the past?

I was the Assistant Producer for some Sony Imagesoft licensed properties on the Sega CD. I was the Associate Producer and did design work in the “early” days of Blasto. I worked as a localization producer on many, many Japanese and European titles which were released in North America. I was the SCEA Producer for Spyro the Dragon, which meant that I mainly assisted Insomniac with the coordination of QA, PR and Marketing efforts. I’ve worked on a number of games that never made it. SOCOM was my baby and I’ve worked on all of the SOCOM titles from concept to finished product.

What’s your proudest moment?

From a professional/work stand point, it would definitely be the release of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. To see a product which I worked on the original concept for be released is a wonderful thing. We pushed the boundaries with the game and in many ways created the Modern Warfare genre on the home game consoles. We were not the first but we defined the experience and many games have “adopted” features we innovated. The fact that millions of people enjoyed SOCOM and we’ve gone on to sell over 13 million SOCOM games made it even better.

Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans?

We, as a team, feel that SOCOM 4 is shaping up to be the best SOCOM game yet. We cannot wait for the SOCOM vets and new players to get their hands on it.

Don't forget to click this link and leave your questions for Seth for this week's Zipline podcast!

 

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