There’s something quietly brilliant aboutIllFonic. The Denver-based developer is made up of around a dozen close colleagues whose offices are the physical realization of every teenage gamer’s dream workspace. But beyond the graffitied walls and ‘relaxed’ attendance policy lies an abundance of talent that has placed the studio on the bleeding edge of game technology.
Earlier this year, Chuck Brungardt and Kedhrin Gonzalez – two of IllFonic’s founding members – were at San Francisco’s GDC expo to showcase the studio’s latest work. Tasked with creating a tech demo that displayed the considerable power of AMD’s Graphics Core Next Architecture, IllFonic set to work with CryENGINE 3; reinventing AMD’s Ruby mascot and helping to produce a tantalizing glimpse into the future of gaming.
Presenting their efforts to wide-eyed GDC attendees on the show floor, the duo could have been forgiven for heaving a sigh of relief. Just a few months earlier, the well-documented demise of THQ had left IllFonic bereft of a publishing partner that had given backing to their debut game, Nexuiz, and seemed like a valid bet for future collaboration. According to Chuck, however, the events had some positive effects to offset the clear negatives.
Kedhrin Gonzalez (left) and Chuck Brungardt (right), co-founders of IllFonic.
“Obviously, with THQ, we had plans; plans for the game, plans to get more work. So we kind of had that, essentially, implode. We had to go into a survival mode, in a way. But there were definitely things that we worked on that we never would have done if it wasn’t for that happening, so it was interesting and instead of maybe just spending three more months on Nexuiz, doing some DLC and more content where we could have been a bit bored, we went into this period of being like, ‘Ok, well, let’s take this on, and it may not be game-related, but it is something that will help us grow.”
Growing is something IllFonic have done slowly but surely since being founded in 2007. Along with Chuck and Kedhrin, the studio was established by Grammy-winning recording artist and producer, Raphael Saadiq. The duo’s relationship with Saadiq grew from Chuck’s other profession as a sound engineer – an aspect of his life and work he describes in typically understated terms when asked if he still frequents the recording studio. “I do, from time to time,” he says. In reality, his name appears in album credits for a wealth of top-line artists that include the likes of John Legend, Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé.
Talk of such blockbuster headline acts seems out of place in the company of IllFonic’s President and Creative Director duo, especially as Kedhrin outlines the laid-back office culture they’ve cultivated over the past five years. “I mean, honestly, when we started the studio we always had this vision of it being full of dirty, sloppy people, with a half-pipe! And, I mean, we kind of do have that, and people can just come in and relax and do whatever they want really. As a studio, we don’t keep track of sick days or anything like that; if a guy’s feeling sick he just gives us a call and says he won’t be there, and maybe he’ll make it up at the weekend, but maybe not. We let our guys live a really comfortable life, and we want to make the office feel as homely as possible. You don’t get that vibe when you come into work that big brother is watching you.”
IllFonic's debut game, Nexuiz, turned heads with its fast-paced arena FPS action.
Expanding on the topic, Kedhrin explains that the work environment at IllFonic isn’t intended to provide team members with an excuse for under-achieving, but rather to give them the creative freedom to excel. “I think most of it, the way we work, is we trust each person. I have this whole mentality of, like, if I hire a professional artist, I want that artist to be an artist. I don’t want them to be slave labor. We let people do what they do best and let them speak for themselves, so as an artist, for example, they can have ownership on what they do on the project. And I think that’s why it works and why everyone respects each other in the office; because everyone knows that they have to be doing their best – because it’s on their shoulders. It’s an interesting way of working. It’s cool.”
There’s a sense with IllFonic that youthful pacts to reject adulthood in a sterile 9-5 setting have ultimately manifested into a workplace in downtown Denver. Certainly, for both Chuck and Kedhrin, their passion for gaming started early, and most of their memories of playing at a young age are connected to being around friends and family; a theme that could be said to have carried over into daily life at IllFonic.
Chuck recalls some of his earliest experiences as a gamer. “I definitely have vague memories of playing the Atari 2600 at a friend’s house. But the first game I really played properly was probably Super Mario Bros. I always played those games, for as long as I can remember. I played Duck Hunt at that time too – Duck Hunt and Mario, those were the first games that I personally owned. I remember when my dad brought them home. We got the console, he basically set it up and he sat there and got to level 50 of Duck Hunt – didn’t even give me a chance! But no, I’d play a lot with my friends and it was something social. You’d go and swim all day, and then at night time you’d have dinner and then everyone would get around the TV and play games. That was just what you did as a kid.”
For Kedhrin, gaming was a part of everyday life too. “It was just fun. At that point in time the games weren’t super advanced, so I didn’t stay inside and play all day long. Me and my brothers would probably spend an hour playing games each day, and it was just something fun to do and get in yelling matches over – then we’d have to stop playing!”
Denver, Colorado; home to IllFonic.
Another early memory is triggered for Chuck when asked how his other passion – sound engineering – comes into play when making games. It’s an area of expertise he hopes to lean on more and more as IllFonic get deeper into new projects. “Sound designers and sound engineers are always trying to justify their jobs, so you always see those videos in the movie industry where it’s like, here’s a movie without sound, and sound is 50% of the experience. With games it might not be a full 50%, but it’s still pretty high.”
“Without good sound effects or good sound, you don’t get the right feel. I think of when I first played a game that had the right rumble of the controller, and just the right sound with it; that combination made such a big difference to the immersion factor. The audio side has to be perfect. It sets the mood, it sets the emotion. And I think we’ve done a good job with it, but I don’t think we’re at the peak of what we can do yet.”
Kedhrin shares Chuck’s passion for music, and recently promoted his first metal concert in Denver – an event that neatly reflects what he calls an interest in “branching out into areas other than just games.” For now, however, IllFonic’s main focus lies on some unannounced prototypes they’re busily working on with CryENGINE 3. According to Kedhrin, the engine is the perfect fit for the creative culture that reigns supreme at IllFonic.
Under Wraps: IllFonic are currently hard at work on undisclosed projects.
“My biggest thing, and I even said this in my AMD presentation – and it sounds bad – but I’d say the engine lets you be sloppy. And to me that’s really good from a creative standpoint. So from audio effects, texture qualities and everything, you can just kind of say, ‘This is how I want to work,’ and the engine supports that. You’re not following some strict set of rules that a lot of other engines enforce on you. I’m working on my fourth project with CryENGINE, and every single time I’ve taken a different approach. To me, that’s really important, and even when we collaborate with Crytek, guys are saying ‘Oh, you’re doing it like that? We never even thought about that!’ And I think that freedom is a really cool bonus for anyone in development.”
Chuck agrees. “It just really suits our needs. It’s fast. I mean, I deal a lot with the audio side and it does exactly what I need it to do, and it doesn’t take long to do it. The motto is ‘Achieved with CryENGINE 3,’ and without it, we wouldn’t be able to achieve our vision so much because sometimes you have to compromise, but CryENGINE lets us get as close as we can to getting our dreams out.”
What shape IllFonic’s dreams take in future remains to be seen. But if the evidence of their first five years in business and a short time spent in their company is anything to go by, it’s liable to bear the marks of a developer soaked in independent spirit and blow expectations firmly out of the water.
Find out more at www.illfonic.com.
