Michael is our VP of Creative at Joyride Games, overseeing game design, art & UX. He is no stranger to the gaming industry having worked for Sierra, EA, and Zynga. As Executive Producer at Sierra and EA, his line of work includes: The Trophy Bass franchise, Call of Duty, and Need for Speed, just to name a few. During his last stint at Zynga as their Creative Director, he has worked on titles such as Zynga Poker which has generated over $100M in revenue and more than 500M installs! Please welcome him as he will help shape the SuperChamps universe into AAA territory!

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Employee Spotlight: 15 Questions with Michael Waite

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1. How long have you been a member at Joyride Games?
Two Months
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2. Why did you join Joyride Games?
Killer business strategy plus instant connection with Omar & Maysam.
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3. What’s your favorite part of being a member of Joyride Games?
Do I have to pick just one? The team is awesome. Super engaged and efficient. Awesome culture. I’m having a blast. But I also love the Champs IP and I’m confident it’s going to rule the planet.
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4. What do you love most about this industry, web3 gaming?
I’ve been making games for 30 years, pretty much every genre and platform. So Web3 brings an exciting new business model and set of creative challenges that make my job a blast.
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5. How do you define success?
Business success for Joyride is becoming a market leader in web3 games. We’ve pretty much accomplished this on our esports platform… now for our Champs NFT-based metaverse. Personal success is ensuring this happens.
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6. Who inspires you?
John Lasseter, JK Rowling, George Martin
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7. If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose and why?
Shigeru Miyamoto (of Nintendo fame) – because he’s the most intuitive game designer on the planet.
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8. What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter Game Design?
Play everything, play like a detective, ask “why.”
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9. What’s one thing — either industry-related or not — you learned in the last month?
Hodler means holder in crypto-speak. Which annoys me immensely.
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10. What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
I once made a puppet-based training film for nurses called “Dotty in Pottyland.” It was a masterpiece.
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11. What is your favorite hobby?
Fly fishing
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12. What’s the next place on your travel bucket list?
Japan
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13. Are you currently binge-watching any shows?
“Barry” and “The Rehearsal”
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14. If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
French Toast
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15. What’s one item you can’t live without?
My fly rod. 
No, my mountain bike. 
Wait, no… my skis. 
Wait, wait…

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And there you have it! We hope you enjoyed this month’s Employee Spotlight! Stay tuned for our September spotlight…

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