“The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live.” – Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Gift, Season 5, Episode 22
On the 2nd of May, I had the honour of attending the launch party for the video game "Redfall". Redfall is a first-person shooter video game developed by Arkane Austin and Roundhouse Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on May 2, 2023.
Wow, Brendan! Haven’t you been to so many video game events before?
I went to the Fortress down in Melbourne for Ubisoft Forward last September! This event here in Sydney for the launch of RedFall was such an exciting thing. It was my first launch party ever! A launch party is a big deal because it marks the official launch of a product or service. It is a celebration of the hard work and dedication that have gone into making the product or service a reality, and it is an opportunity to showcase the new product or service to the public. A launch party also provides a platform for networking and marketing, allowing someone to connect with potential network connections.
How did I manage to score this opportunity?
So, I saw it pop up on my Twitter, what feels like a month ago now! I was very keen on the premise of another event and the opportunity to make new connections in the gaming industry. So, I messaged a connection I have at Bethesda Australia, and I asked the question of "whether the launch party was invite-only or anyone could go". I didn’t think it was a dumb question at all; I thought it was better to ask than to just turn up only to find I couldn’t get inside. I was told that there was an opportunity to get a ticket to the event via a competition hosted by Press Start Australia. I entered it basically thinking, I’m not going to win this. Above and behold, I get an email saying I have won! I was beside myself and very keen. Unknown to me were the amazing individuals I would get the opportunity to meet!
Was it just good luck, or were there other forces at play? No idea.
When it came to the day of the event. I took the long train commute into North Sydney. I walked around the Greenwood Hotel, working out where I needed to go. Until I saw the red lights and lined up to get in, I was like, "Yep, that is definitely it!"
We were met at the front with some fantastic cosplays of vampires featured in the RedFall video game. These characters were walking around throughout the night, taunting and creeping through the crowd. It was all good fun!
I even managed to get a picture with one of those vampires. She was lovely! Does this make me a ghoul now? (A ghoul is a character in Vampire: The Masquerade who has been granted limited vampiric powers by a vampire. A ghoul is not a vampire but instead, a mortal being who has come under the influence of a vampire and is granted certain powers, such as enhanced strength and the ability to heal quickly. They are typically loyal to the vampire who granted them their powers and will often act as their servant.)
I can say it took me a little bit to get the confidence to just talk to people. It’s the inner introvert in me. Once I did, the horses were off. I was mingling left, right, and centre. I can say I met a lawyer, someone who worked for Channel 9, an employee at Dell, countless people from the ABC Gamer platform, streamers, and even the head of the gaming division at SXSW Sydney.
I can say I made some very memorable connections at the event!
I got to meet some personal heroes of mine. They are the people who inspired me from the start to pursue a career in the gaming industry.
I knew them as Hex, Goose, and Pete. They used to be on a show featured here in Australia called "Good Game". Good Game is an Australian television gaming programme produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which was aired on ABC2 from 2006 to 2016. This show featured reviews of the latest upcoming games and even some segments where they spoke to developers and looked into different aspects of the industry and what was going on in the news with regard to them. I can say my university even used excerpts from Good Game in the elective "Interactive Design: Game Design" for some of their lectures.
In saying this, I got the opportunity to speak to the amazing Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen, Gus "Goose" Ronald, and Peter Burns. Nowadays, they host Show Back Pocket, which is a kind of spiritual successor to Good Game.
It’s always nice to meet your heroes. I mentioned to them that I had briefly met Steph and Gus when I was 16 (2012), back when Good Game and Good Game SP were two of the most popular shows on ABC. I had a genuinely lovely chat with them about the industry, job hunting, their work, and even Star Wars. I even got to take a photo of them in front of the RedFall sign. Still waiting for that picture to pop up on their social media!
Here is a photo of me back in 2012, at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, with Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen and Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell. The hosts of Good Game I was 16 years old in this picture.
Reflecting on this moment, I feel truly blessed and inspired. Meeting Hex, Goose, and Pete, my personal heroes, was a dream come true. It's incredible that I was able to even attend the event and have the chance to speak with them. Their show, Good Game, provided an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into the games industry and helped me pursue my passion. I'm grateful for the kind conversation and the experience of meeting my heroes.
Another memorable moment was more of a funny one: I met Jess McDonell. Who used to work for GameSpot Australia and now works for WhatCulture.com and hosts the Ubisoft show GTV with Gus "Goose" Ronald. The funny moment here was that she was very drunk. It was funny. I think they were trying to figure out who I was. They were super friendly, especially when I asked them about a podcast, they used to host for Gamespot Australia called "The OzSpot". This was from around the same time as Good Game. On reflection, I can say I’ve never once referred to myself by my Gamertag "BQoverlord". Because once I mentioned that to Jess, Goose, Hex, and Pete, they knew who I was. It was unreal how powerful a gamer's name can be! Who knew that name I made up to give myself a cool name back in Year 5 to play Runescape would be a name I am more well known by than my actual brand? Returning to that moment. Once I said who I was, Jessica was like, "Oh, my God! I know who you are!" She then hugged me, and her friend was laughing as he said, "You have his business card!" It was quite a funny moment; I just hope she wasn’t too hung over!
Another amazing moment that happened was when I got to meet my connection at Bethesda, who helped me by answering some questions I had about the games industry. I had the opportunity to meet the extremely lovely and kind David Robles! I was very grateful for the opportunity to chat with him, and it has been left very open for the opportunity for a catch-up in the future, which is very hopeful and exciting just for the prospect of being able to continue picking their brains more.
Overall, other than the amazing individuals, drinks, cosplay, decor, music, and the game itself I can say I really loved this event. Reflecting on this experience, I am filled with a sense of awe and gratitude. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to have attended the launch party for Redfall and to have met such amazing and inspiring people. Meeting my heroes and connecting with potential new contacts was a dream come true, and I am filled with optimism for the future. This launch party was an incredible experience that I will never forget, and I am thankful for the amazing memories it brought me. I can’t wait for the prospect of being invited to future events. Perhaps one day I’ll be the person going to a launch party for a title I worked on and am passionate about. One day I’ll be able to pay it forward to a passionate young person wanting to get into the industry when I eventually get in.
This whole event has made me very hopeful and excited for the future! Where do I sign up to join the industry?
“Sometimes the universe gives signs, it foreshadows. It warns. Sometimes coming events cast their shadows before. Momentously happy ones too. But sometimes those signs are just our hearts wanting something so desperately that we project them. All things said, this whole reading-the-signs business can be tricky as hell.”
― Nidhie Sharma, INVICTUS
In all this talk about the Redfall launch party, did I ever play the game?
I did, actually! It’s now available on Xbox Series X/S and PC via Game Pass. If you love the supernatural, occult, vampires, and the games of Dishonoured from Arkane Studios, I think you would enjoy this game! The critics have been quite harsh on the game; however, I think the game is a fun vampiric apocalyptic world. Vampires can be absolutely terrifying, and I’ve noticed some serious horror moments in the games. You can tell there was a lot of inspiration from TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dusk Till Dawn, Fright Night, Queen of the Damned, Bram Stoker, and Vampire the Masquerade. I would say play it for yourself, as it is available on Game Pass.