Published Oct 16th, 2020

Digital Extremes has created a rich variety of hit games across 25 years – from co-creating the Unreal franchise with Epic Games to working on franchise titles such as The Darkness II, to original titles Dark Sector and Warframe. Based in London, Ontario, Canada, DE’s philosophy of creating a dynamic team is founded on, among other things, its desire to embrace and hire quality people from diverse backgrounds and different walks of life. AI Programmer Sameer Singh was hired to work on Warframe on the artificial intelligence team. We discuss with Sameer how he made the transition, how the community team helped him make the decision to move, and his new favorite Canadian foods. (Note, this interview was conducted before COVID-19 forced people to work from home.)

Digital Extremes (DE): What is your job at DE?

Sameer: I work on the programming team, on gameplay in the AI department, on day-to-day gameplay features, particularly enemy AI.

Some of the enemies I have worked on are in the Gas City Remaster [The Jovian Concord]; they are the Corpus Amalgams that appear in Alad V’s laboratory. Some of the flying enemies with jetpacks follow you and shoot from afar.

DE: How did you get a job at DE, and why did you want to apply?

Sameer: One of the external recruiters contacted me on LinkedIn. I already knew about DE and Warframe. The company is amazing. I liked the position and the company as such. I spoke with the HR director and went through a couple of tech lead interviews, and then the HR director again. And then I was hired!

DE: Where did you move from?

Sameer: I moved from Pune, India, and now I live here in Canada.

DE: What has your experience in Canada been like so far?

Sameer: People in Canada are generally really friendly. They go out of their way to help you. It’s definitely less crowded. Pune was very crowded. It was very warm. It was very warm there, +25 degrees Celsius. And now, it’s zero degrees Celsius. [Laughs] So I thought it would be difficult initially, but it wasn’t too bad a transition.

DE: With a switch like that, how did that go? Did you have to buy completely new clothes?

Sameer: Absolutely! I have some friends in Toronto and they told me to not bring any clothes from India because they said that any clothes I brought would be useless. [Laughter] So I brought only a few clothes, and I wondered, will I be able to adjust? I really wanted to join DE because Warframe is very community driven and I thought it was not at all corporate, and that was my motivation. So, I moved over and I started liking the city of London immediately. And yeah, once you have your warm clothes on, you don’t feel too cold.

“I never felt like an outsider because from the time that I have come in, everyone has been so welcoming, people are helping me, I talk to a lot of people, I have never felt like I didn’t belong."

DE: What makes your work life distinct at DE?

Sameer: I like that I get to work with people who come from different ethnicities, from different religions, and from different countries. I never felt like an outsider because from the time that I have come in, everyone has been so welcoming, people are helping me, I talk to a lot of people, I have never felt like I didn’t belong. DE is super flexible about your time. They are not at all rigid about it. If I was in India, and I had a doctor’s appointment, I would get stressed. But here, you can go out and then make up your time. They trust you. They do not micro-manage you.

A couple of things I really like are pretty simple. I don’t have to worry about my breakfast, lunches, or snacks. Everything is provided. You don’t have to worry about it, or waste time thinking about it. So, you never waste time, and you never go hungry! Your stomach is always full. I mean, I am bad about this. I am single right now, and it’s just like one big problem for me is now out of my head. I don’t have to think about it. I can worry about the more important things at work.

DE: What is your favorite Canadian meal so far?

Sameer: The soups, which are different in India. Also, I am not used to eating with a fork, knife or spoon. Most of the food I ate in India I ate with my hands. I am getting used to it! It’s different. We used to eat a lot of curries, but here it’s all different.

DE: What is your desk like?

Sameer: I’m pretty new. My desk is relatively empty, I am sad to say. I have an AI book on my table called AI Game Programming Wisdom. I have a few Warframe comics that were lent to me, and there will always be a coffee cup. That’s it. Pretty clean.

DE: What do you like about London, Ontario?

Sameer: The best part of London is that there is no traffic. I have started liking the snow. Everything is accessible by foot. The city is small. In India you have to drive or take trains. Here, everything is very close.

DE: Do you feel like you are developing your career at DE?

Sameer: Absolutely. I worked with another developer before in India before coming here, and it was a nice company, but it was a little bit corporate. There were many talented people there! But the work we are doing here at Digital Extremes is pretty advanced. The tech is amazing. It’s definitely helping my future. I get to work with so many talented people.