From Playing Games to Creating Games for PlayStation

No dream is too big to achieve or too far to reach, as this Malaysian’s story shows. Hailing from Kajang, Selangor, Teo Ze Sean is now working for arguably the best first-party game developer in the world right now. He is currently a Character Technical Director at PlayStation Studios’ Visual Arts team, based in San Diego, California.

PlayStation Visual Arts provides development support for animation and art, and touches every game that comes out of PlayStation Studios, renowned for hit games such as the God of War and Uncharted series, The Last of Us Part I & II, Returnal, Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Rachet & Clank, and Crash Bandicoot.

Teo’s passion for art and animation started since he was a kid, who eagerly looked forward to the weekends to be able to watch cartoons and play video games with his family and friends. He was drawn to the visual appeal and storytelling, and have always found the power of breathing life to these iconic and relatable characters the most magical aspect of films and video games.

One of his earliest memories was when he was seven years old and attending a relative’s party. He entered a crowded living room filled with children and two TV sets - one played cartoons and the other was connected to a PS1. Despite being very antisocial, he did not feel left out for even a moment because they were all able to connect through their common interests of animation and video games. That experience displayed how effortlessly these forms of entertainment bring people together, marking the decisive moment when he resolved to create something that could bring equal measures of joy and entertainment to others.

“Despite having great interest in animated films and video games, I was honestly not good at drawing and was close to failing my art subject in school. My scores in Math and Science were looking much more appealing to my parents,” Teo confessed.

At an educational fair, he visited a bright orange booth that was The One Academy, and was captivated by their Digital Animation course. After some discussion, his parents eventually encouraged him to try it out for a semester to see if animation was something he wanted to pursue seriously. Three years later, the hard work he put in and motivation from his instructors and friends pushed him beyond his expectations.

Having been introduced to multiple specializations and production pipelines during classes, he learnt that there were dozens of roles that were crucial to producing a successful movie or game, some of which were more reliant on technical skills. He discovered that there was still a career in the art industry even if he was not amazing at drawing or painting.

"I was dedicated to acquiring the skills necessary to become a professional 3D animator. However, my interest shifted towards the setup and technical aspects rather than animating the characters themselves. This led me to discover a career that better aligned with my strengths: technical art in 3D film and video game production. It’s the perfect balance between art and technology, and I felt more comfortable and confident in this role," said Teo.

Prior to working on games at PlayStation, he was involved in the film industry, working on cinematic projects ranging from local TV commercials to cinematic game trailers. Active involvement in collaborative projects and leaving good impressions on fellow classmates, recruiters and industry professionals played a pivotal role in securing his current position at PlayStation. As a Character Technical Director, his primary responsibility centers around rigging – creating lifelike and anatomically accurate character deformations. Additionally, he contributes to simulating accessories on a character and developing tools to assist other departments in their work.

“Stay motivated and never stop learning new techniques. Being a fun and trustworthy person to work with is one of the biggest traits an artist can have, especially in this profession that relies heavily on collaboration, and could help open doors to more projects in the future,” said Teo in advice to aspiring artists.

Here, we have the recently established PlayStation Studios Malaysia that was founded in 2020. It has actively contributed to numerous first-party game titles for PlayStation, working closely and supporting the Visual Arts team in character and environment modelling, concept art, visual assets, motion capture and more. The presence of a large local talent pool and the immense market potential have attracted many international developers to establish their studios in Malaysia as well.                    

The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for over 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses in Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making, Game Design & Computer Science. For more information, visit www.toa.edu.my or call 03-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].