Stephen Lim & Trevor Romleski

The Art of Game Creation: Slim and Trevor of Valorant and Raid Base, live from LA Tech Week

Welcome to the first-ever episode with a live audience from LA Tech Week. Featured guests are the co-founders of Raid Base, Stephen “Slim” Lim, Product Director, and Trevor Romleski, Game Director. Slim was a product designer and VP of R&D at Riot, known for prioritizing player interests. Trevor worked as a Game Designer on League of Legends at Riot. Both were part of the co-founding team at Valorant before launching Raid Base three years ago.

Slim and Trevor discuss their methodology for identifying target audiences, ensuring game design choices align with player expectations, and leveraging player psychology to develop games for diverse skill levels and mechanical preferences. They also examine the critical role of trust and organizational alignment in startups, covering both recruitment and investment strategies, to foster a positive workplace culture. The conversation provides practical insights for emerging game developers, business founders, and gaming professionals.

Discussion points#

• Background and introduction of Slim and Trevor
• Slim and Trevor’s gaming origins and influences
• The importance of community engagement at Riot
• Merging teams and deciding game direction
• Developing the thesis for Raid Base’s game
• Balancing game features and team resources
• Prioritizing and clarifying game design decisions
• Aligning team visions for a cohesive product
• Slim’s focus on high-level vision, Trevor on execution
• Prototyping and resolving design ambiguities
• Navigating challenges in the gaming industry
• Balancing work, gaming, and personal lives
• Closing remarks on passion and creating games