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JADE RAYMOND – Assassin’s Creed Producer
UBIDAYS BIO
Jade is a producer with a knack for developing fun and
addictive games. When she's not leading the development of
triple A titles she is often playing them - although,
admittedly, she has a weak spot for any game that involves
monkeys, peculiar Japanese names or Zombies. Over the past
eight years Jade has produced, designed and programmed
games for Electronic Arts, IBM and Sony Online. Now she
finds herself producing a next-generation game at Ubisoft's
Montreal Studio and interviewing others in the gaming
industry for a TV show called Electric Playground in her
spare time.
GENERIC BIO
As Ubisoft Producer, Jade Raymond is in charge of all SKUs
of the Assassin's Creed franchise. She is also the co-host
of Electric Playground, a Telly Award-winning TV show that
covers the videogame industry and Pop Culture. Over the
past 10 years, through her work at There Inc., Electronic
Arts and Sony Online, Jade has built a reputation of
successfully shipping large-scale “triple A” games. Ms.
Raymond started her career as a programmer developing
educational games for IBM and consulting in Microsoft’s
Advanced Research Group. Her education includes a degree
in fine arts and a BSC. in Computer Science. Jade believes
that the impact that videogame have on people’s lives will
evolve in an important way in the years to come and that
that impact can be positive. She serves on the board of
directors of LOVE (a non-profit dedicated to reducing
violence in the lives of youth) because it's good to put
your money where your mouth is.
How did you start working in videogames?
I
got a computer science degree at McGill and my first job
after graduating was programming games for Sony. I moved
into a producer role at EA a few years later and have been
producing games ever since.
Did you have to go to university to get your job?
Yes I did go to University but it’s is not necessarily required. There
are more and more vocational programs designed for people who want to
make games. The most important thing is getting solid training and then
internships in the area you want to specialize.
Have you worked on any other games that we may have heard
of?
I was programmer on a bunch of games at Sony like Jeopardy and Trivial
Pursuit. I started the development on a Charlie’s Angel game but it
never shipped. I was producer on a massively multiplayer game called
“There” and finally was the producer on The Sims online before coming
to Ubisoft.
Did you always want to work in videogames growing up?
Yes! After spending most of my summers playing games it became pretty
clear to me that I had to make them.
What's
the best part about your job?
Working with so many talented and passionate people.
Do you play games yourself?
As often as possible.
If so, which ones?
I just finished Tomb Raider
for the Xbox360, before the I was playing Ghost Recon
Advanced War fighter. I always have a few DS games going
(like Nintendogs, Animal crossing and Brain Age) for travel
situations and planes. My favorite game in the last few
years though has been Resident Evil 4.
Do you have to work really long
hours?
Yes! But I love my job so it’s a pleasure.
There must be lots of guys working in videogames, does that
make it harder for girls to get jobs?
It is not harder for girls to get the job. If you have the skills and
experience required then that’s all that matters. We are always looking
for more girls to help balance out the team so if you already have what
it takes to do the job, being a girl could even be seen as a bonus
because you can add a different perspective to the team.
What was the first game you remember playing?
I think I was about 6 years old and I was playing Pong on my cousin’s
computer.
Did anyone ever tell you that playing videogames will just
be a waste of your time?
No actually my mom never minded that my sisters and I spent a lot of
time playing games. I am also lucky enough to have an uncle that
encouraged gaming by buying me games and challenging me to try and beat
him at them!
Assassin's Creed is probably seen as a "boy's game", would
you agree? As a girl, do you have to try and think
differently about what will work in the game?
I don’t really believe in the concept of “boy’s games” or “girl’s
games”. Some people say that girls want games about sharing and
cooperation but from what I remember of elementary school, girls were
way more competitive then boys. My favourite games are action packed
and full of adrenaline and that’s what Assassin’s will be.
What does most of you day involve when making a game like Assassin's
Creed?
It varies a lot and can probably be summarized as problem
solving because there are a lot of challenges involved in
making a game! Not just creative and technical challenges
but also making sure people agree, that we are making
progress and that we are having fun. I believe that if the
team is not having fun, then the game won’t be fun.
What do your friends think of your job? Do they like games?
My friends think that my job
is cool and a little geeky. I used to trick some of my
girlfriends into wandering into the arcade for a quick game
by casually walking past them downtown when we had plans to
go shopping. I don’t think any of them buy games for
themselves now but they always seemed to have fun when we
play.
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