“Dpstudios embodies my idea of combining the path as an engineer, technician and pragmatic, with the passion for music, sound and creativity” to speak is Davide Pensato, Audio Director and Founder of dpstudios, a company that deals with game audio . After a degree in telecommunications engineering Thought arrives in the newborn Ubisoft Studios in Milan becoming the head of the Audio Department. The experience accumulated in the Milanese studios led him to found, fifteen years ago, dpstudios, a reality that deals with game audio: design, creative production and integration. “Together with the development team we define the audio structure of the gamethe so-called audio design, then we compose the music, record the sound effects and voices, and finally insert the contents into the development software. We take care of all the phases “.
Over the years, the development tools for those involved in audio design have improved, allowing greater control over the content which translates into greater realism and immersion in the game. Pensato explains: “The distances between the creative and technical phases have narrowed, today it is much easier to create sounds and music by being able to try them directly in the game. It is now customary for a sound designer or composer to work closely with the programmer who realizes the software logic“. At the same time, the Italian teams began to perceive sound design as an added value, Pensato continues: “We no longer turn to our musician friends and you feel the need for a professional service that allows your game to use a level of sound “.
Among the projects in which dpstudios has participated we find indie titles such as Foreclosed by Antab Studio, Bookbound Brigade in Digital Tales, Milanoir by Italo Games e Beyond The Sky by Iperurania Arts. Other important projects they have worked on in the last period are Assetto Corsa Mobile in Digital Tales, Daymare:1988 di Invader Studios, Xenon Racer di 3D Clouds, Theseus VR of Reply Game Studios, and at the moment they have two important Italian productions in the pipeline. Pensato tells us: “My mission has always been to create an on demand Audio Department that worked on each project as if it were internal to the development studio, but only for the time necessary, also optimizing the budget, a very important aspect in a growing scene like ours. Those who turn to us know they will find an experienced team capable of tackling any type of project, from the big AAA game to super Indie Gamification. Also provide any technology, PC, Concole, VR, AR, Phygital, Web or Mobile, e above all a deep-rooted videogame culture “.
Over the years dpstudios has implemented an information sharing cloud system through which each project has a real-time tracking of what they are doing. “Each studio has the most complete visibility on every single sound produced or integration phase and above all a shared Audio Design document in which to find the necessary information for every audio aspect of the game. Programmers, game designers, producers and the rest of the team have access to this container of information, flexible and continuously updated ”.
Among the customers of dpstudios there are also large companies that, theoretically, would have little to do with video games, but Pensato explains to us: “Gamification is a world unto itself. This type of customer, who most of the time does not understand how a video game is made in detail, often has abstract requests and relies on our experience to make them come true. When you work under license you have the advantage of being able to rely on something that already exists, so it is to create a suitable sonic identity both to the target audience and to the context in which the game will be distributed “, concludes” The substantial difference compared to a classic video game is precisely in the role of audio, more functional than emotional and also in greater decision-making involvement. often having to be the ones to propose concrete solutions starting from abstract ideas “.
Speaking of our local game industry, Pensato defines himself as a perpetual enthusiast, at times utopian, he tells us: “I have experienced firsthand the Italian scene of the last 20 years and I can only continue to see the giant steps taken. I remember when there were no Milan Games Week Indie, First Playable, Italian Videogame Awards, Sviluppoarty, just to mention some of the realities that make the scene alive and thriving “.
Collaborating with several Italian firms, Pensato was able to notice an increase in professionalism in all areas, even those where in the past there was more deficit, such as management and entrepreneurship. He tells us: “This is also due to an educational system in the videogame area that is now a reality, providing the industry with dozens of professionals every year. I definitely feel part of this growth process having held my first lesson in 2009 and teaching in the main institutes for years, I see more and more students becoming colleagues in a very short time on projects I work on “.
According to Pensato, one of the major limitations of the local scene is the lack of networking: “Beyond the official occasions and institutional opportunities, the studios are still too closed, perhaps it is difficult to get out of the nerdy logic of the developer who does not communicate but focuses on technical work. There is still mistrust towards the other who is seen as a competitor and not as a resource “.
Thought continues confessing that years ago he wanted to create a recruitment portal linked to Italian gaming, a project that then remained a dream in the drawer. He concludes: “Something is missing that can generate energy, contacts and synergy between us all. It is not a fault, our focus is to produce and not to communicate, but I feel that the missing link for a true maturation of the sector is the creation of structures that favor the exchange of skills, resources and recruitment “.