Industry Interview with Tony Coculuzzi

The interview below was published on The Grind, a now defunct website, and was conducted in May of 2016. Although some of the content covered shows its age today, the interview is finding a new home here for anyone interested in diving in to read what Tony had to share! 

Tony Coculuzzi
At the Time of Publication (16-05-10)
Position: Lead Developer
Project: Cuphead

01) How did you get started in the game industry?
I started making games when I was about eight years old. I used to play around with an old computer my dad bought at an auction. I can’t remember what it was, but I believe it might’ve been an old Commodore. I’d use BASIC to make it do things like cause a ball to bounce on the screen. At the time, I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I knew I enjoyed it, and that feeling stuck with me.

A few years later, I was introduced to RPG Maker, and suddenly I no longer spent time playing games: I spent time making them. Shortly after that, I moved to Flash because I wanted to make games that weren’t constrained by a predetermined set of rules. This is where I really started to become interested in programming and creating games, though I didn’t really consider it as something I could have a career in.

Fast forward to college, I attended school for Animation. I decided I liked working with computers and I loved entertainment, so why not get into something related to both? During this time, I learned about 3D and traditional animation. While attending school, however, I was working on a game after-class, and one of my professors was watching over my shoulder without me knowing. He realized that I was programming, and asked me if I’d be interested in working for the college as a game developer. Unknown to me, the college had a small team that did contract game development work, and they usually hired students. I said yes right away. That was my first real step into career game development.

02) How did you get involved with Studio MDHR?
At the beginning of 2014, I decided to quit my job and begin freelancing. I’d worked on a few smaller projects for the rest of that year, until Studio MDHR approached me and asked if I’d like to come onto Cuphead has a programmer. I’m not quite sure how they were put into contact with me, but after taking some time to think about the position, I decided to jump on board.



03) What do you enjoy most about game development?
I love the ability to create. I see myself as somewhat of a developer and designer, where I can create and design things all at once. I love the ability to program something, and tweak it until it feels perfect and fun. Not only that, but the satisfaction you get when someone plays your game after you’ve put all your effort into it makes the whole process worth it for me. The career, to me, seems to be the cherry on the cake.

04) What games are you playing right now?
Right now, I haven’t been playing much. I’m almost finished Dark Souls III, and I tend to get really sucked into games like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Recently, a cool little gem I found was UnderRail, which is an isometric open world RPG along the vein of the first two Fallout games, and it’s been great.



05) What kinds of games are you interested in making?
I don’t have a specific type of game I enjoy making most. Really, for the most part, I’m making games that I want to play.

06) What kinds of games are you interested in playing?
Honestly, it’s the RPGs that get me. I can waste hours and hours on Adventure and RPGs, open world or not. I love being able to lose myself in a world unlike our own.

07) What was the first game you developed?
That’s a tough one. To be honest, I don’t really remember, but some of my earlier games come to mind. The first complete game I finished was in RPG Maker. It was a game about a cow and a chicken, who had to find out where Mad Cow Disease originated. I really wish I’d held onto it, because I can’t seem to find it anywhere anymore.



08) Any words of wisdom for emerging developers?
Make games. Make more games. Keep making games. Make a game every week. Every game you make, the more you learn, and the better you become at making games. Also, don’t give up.

09) Any advice for developers interested in freelancing?
One word: Portfolio. Make sure you have a good portfolio that will prove to people that they want to work with you. If you don’t have anything to show for your skills, don’t expect people to believe you when you tell them you’re their best option when they’re looking to hire someone.

10) What software and tools do you use or recommend?
I use Unity almost exclusively now. As much as people who don’t use Unity hate on it, it’s possibly the best tool out there for 90% of the types of games you’ll want to make. I can’t recommend it enough, but neither can most of the industry.



11) What do you do in your free time? Any hobbies?
In my spare time I tend to... make games. Lately, when I’m not busy working on Cuphead, I’m working on my own personal projects. I was lucky enough to get into the industry where my hobby is what I also do for a living, and I’m thankful for that every day.

12) If you had more time, what would you spend it on?
If I had more time on my hands, I’d spend it working on my personal projects. I have so many things on the go lately that I’d love to finish one or two things, in order to have more time for others. Such is the game dev curse, I suppose.

13) Finally, what would you buy if you had a million dollars?
This is actually something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. It’s unreasonable to really believe that it could happen, but it’s fun to fantasize. I’d open a studio and probably spend the money on funding an original IP. It’s essentially what I’m planning on doing already, only without the million dollars. I guess we’ll see what happens!