Paul Hatton speaks to the lighting artist about working on AAA game franchises and what the future holds for Unreal Engine
Ognyan Zahariev is an accomplished lighting artist, every O one of his images oozing with aesthetic depth and charm. He has clearly been influenced by a range of other talented developers in the games industry, which has only contributed in strengthening his impressive set of skills. Zahariev’s work on the Assassin’s Creed franchise has cemented him as an industry frontrunner, and he now works for Tokyo-based Shapefarm from his home in Bulgaria.
What was it like studying computer science and how did you end up working in games?
I chose computer science as at the time there were no game development courses where I lived, so I went for the next best thing. I chose courses like 3D modelling and others that would benefit me in my future career. During my third year at university I started working at a small indie studio, which also allowed me to learn things that were missing from my education.
I’d say my time at the university gave me mostly structure and discipline, but a lot of the actual knowledge I ended up with, I acquired later on through Escape Studios, my work, and personal projects. Nowadays, things have changed for the better in terms of education and all the options aspiring developers have.
How did being at Escape Studios help to shape your journey?
The main benefit I got from my time at Escape Studios was that my teachers all had significant experience in the industry, so the knowledge and tasks we got were relevant to what would be expected from us when we began working for a studio. The projects we had to complete were tailored in a way that incorporated all the steps from real pipelines, and a few times we even got feedback from guest developers from some of the top studios in the UK. This was invaluable and builds confidence.
Which game has been your favourite to work on and why?
My favourite title is Assassin’s Creed Origins and its DLC. I really liked the Egyptian setting and the vibe of the game. Our studio got to work on a huge chunk of the game, so we contributed quite a bit to the final product and felt a personal connection to areas in the world or specific moments in the story. The DLC allowed us to explore a more myth-based version of that game world, which in turn gave us more freedom in terms o
