What is your role at MachineGames?
I am working as a System Administrator at MachineGames. Our IT department is pretty small – only four people, including our manager – so my role is broad for a Systems Administrator.We all share the daily support tasks that come in, but my area of expertise is identity management as well as handling software and update deployments for all our workstations and servers.
I’m also mainly responsible for handling our external partners – both inside and outside of Bethesda Softworks – and making sure they have the tools they need while maintaining a high level of security.
How long have you been with the studio?
I joined MachineGames in September 2019, just after we shipped Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Since then, I´ve been working mainly on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, of course, but I’ve also helped out on other Bethesda Softworks titles such as DEATHLOOP, DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods, Redfall and Starfield.
What does your day-to-day as a System Administrator look like?
Been thinking a bit about what an ordinary day looks like for me, and it has proven to be quite difficult! Every single day has its own challenges that pop up and need to be solved. New people starting, new tools that need to be implemented, and keeping our whole environment up and running on a small team keeps you on your toes!
My daily work is not confined to only MachineGames either, due to how Bethesda Softworks operates, but also includes a lot of cooperation and discussions with colleagues all over the globe!
I’m very proud of what we as a studio have produced and shown to the rest of the world even at this stage. I know how much passion is going into this project from all levels of the company and it really shows. Being part of a team that enables all of our extremely talented colleagues to bring the next Indiana Jones story to life is hard to describe.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Ever since I was a small boy, I’ve always loved video games and been in awe of the worlds that game studios have created through the years. When I got the opportunity to join MachineGames it was a dream come true!
When I first started, I was constantly starstruck by all of the incredible work happening at the studio. And that is a feeling that still comes back from time to time even after almost five years with the company.
What makes MachineGames stand out, in my opinion, are the people. I have never been at a company with so many amazing and varied personalities brought together by their shared passion. Not only is there huge variety in our skillsets, but also in our history, nationality and culture.
What is something that inspires you about your role within the studio?
I love seeing the direct consequences of what me and my team are doing. Designing the infrastructure and watching how it evolves and adapts to different needs and how it enables the studio to create the worlds we want to show people makes every day feel worthwhile.
I am in a role where I get to design and implement a lot of solutions that will have a high impact for hundreds of people. This amount of responsibility and the level of trust people have in me is very inspiring on a personal level.
What other games or studios inspired you to get into the gaming industry?
Oh my, so many games over the years. I think the first games my brother and I got hooked on were probably Disciples 2 and the legendary Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit series! The first game series that got my friends and I totally hooked is probably Halo, which was amazing to replay when the Master Chief Collection got released.
I´ve always been a fan of Bethesda's games and spent hundreds of hours on the Elder Scrolls series. Other series that comes to mind are Borderlands, Call of Duty and Total War.
What do you think audiences will love most about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle when they get their hands on it later this year?
The nostalgia factor will be very high for many players, I think! The characters and story are *very* true to Indiana Jones, while still being a proper MachineGames game. That combination, I hope, will create something unique that a lot of people will love.
What has been your most memorable adventure in real life?
Probably the time my family spent in Zimbabwe when I was a child, and some trips to South Africa later in life. Going on full weekend safari tours was an amazing experience.
A couple of years ago some friends and I took a motorcycle trip for a week in Norway. The only way I can describe that trip is probably astonishment over how incredibly beautiful that country is. I will definitely go on another trip like that one in the near future!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
MachineGames is an amazing place to work. I’ve met so many incredible people since I started, picked up a ton of industry knowledge, and grown more than I ever expected on both a personal and professional level.
It hasn’t been an easy ride. I mean, we went through a whole pandemic. But we’re still going strong and the realization that we are *almost* at the end of this project is exhilarating, scary and almost surreal after all these years.
