Developer Interview - Bim Majkeodunmi

Nov 9th, 2007 - 7:48pm 1 Comments

4 stars (8 ratings)

BIM MAJEKODUNMI - PRODUCER

SWT – Hello, we are here with Bim Majekodunmi. So Bim, what is your official title here at EA?

Bim – I am the Producer on The Sims Stories product line.

SWT – So you have worked on the Pet Stories and Life Stories and now the Castaway Stories, is that correct?

Bim – That is correct.

SWT – Can you give us an idea of what it is you do on a daily basis?

Bim – Wow, well being a Producer is pretty interesting. You get to do a variety of things. I basically walk into my cube every morning and one of my first tasks is to defiantly look at e-mail, what’s been happening and what went on between my sleeping hours and other peoples working hours. Because we deal with people internationally there is always a time difference. After checking my e-mails, I kind of go through a couple different strides. Are there any existing projects or commitments? I defiantly want to check the status on those items. And then, whatever has come up that particular week is taken care of. It could be anything from talking to Marketing and getting them screenshots, or it could be something a little different like working on your manual for your game, or working with the localization team to make sure the game is translated into different languages. You could be interfacing with PR and giving demo’s that day. There are a variety of things that happen on a day to day basis.

SWT - How did you get into the gaming industry?

Bim – Interesting, my fray into the gaming industry was a pretty interesting one. I went to grad school at Carnegie Melon’s Entertainment Technology Center. There was a pipeline at the time between EA and CMU. At one point they had recruiters come to the program. I just interviewed with a recruiter and she felt that my skills matched well with production. So I entered in 2004 as an intern for the Sims Handheld production team. And the rest is history.

SWT - So what other games have you worked on in your career?

Bim – Quite a few Sims games. I have the Urbz on the DS. We have the Sims Pets DS and well as the Sims Pets GBA. The Sims 2 on the DS and the GBA. The Sims Life Stories, the Sims Pet Stories, and now the Sims Castaway Stories. I am sure I am forgetting something.

SWT - Can you tell us what it was like working on the Sims Pet Stories?

Bim – It was an adventure. Production is always an adventure when you have an 8-12 month product cycle. You have to make a game very quickly. You are working with a lot of different people and personalities. You are trying to manage the process effectively and efficiently: on time, on budget. There are all these boundaries. But you also want to put out a product that the fans love. So that was a lot of fun.

SWT - Could you give us your favorite moment during The Sims Pet Stories?

Bim – I think my favorite moment was when the game has passed all of its submissions and it’s ready to go to manufacturing. One of the favorite moments I have is seeing people’s reactions when they are interacting with their Sim’s pets. And they are giggling with the super achievement on an agility course object. Or maybe it’s not an achievement but a fault when the pet is not doing what the Sim or Player wants them to do. That’s always a fun result. And just to see people have a lot of joy playing the game that you’ve put a lot of effort and sweat into is always satisfying.

SWT – What are your hopes and goals for this game?

Bim – Ah, the Sims Pet Stories. I would hope that the fans continue to enjoy and appreciate the games that we put out. We put a lot of effort into the games and we are really happy with how we continue to progress in this series of games. I would hope that more people purchase the game, of course. That is always the want of the producer. You would hope that the vision you put forth is one that is accepted and is loved by the audience.

SWT - What is at the top of your music play list right now?

Bim – Hah, the top of my music play list? I think recently I was listening to Gospel music, but it’s really funny because sometimes I will listen to Gospel music and sometimes I will listen to JZ. I’m trying to think what else. Maybe TLC! I was listening to TLC “Girl Talk” recently because it was one of the songs we danced to in my dance class. Let me see. Sierra. Defiantly R&B hits.

SWT -We’re about done. Is there anything else you would like to add for our community?

Bim – You know what, The Sims Pet Stories is a great game. It features Alice Whitt, who is in danger of losing her home to a greedy land owner. They are really great games. We think a lot of people who are not used to the Sims or are intimidated by the Sims will like to play the Sims Stories. So, we encourage you to go out and play them.

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