Community Spotlight - Olivier

Meet the Rare fan who took Sea of Thieves hype to the next level in today's Community Spotlight.

As gamers, we embrace hype more than most subcultures would dare to. Whether it be the launch of a brand new game or an upcoming event like E3, there’s always an opportunity to let hype consume us. A lot of the time it’s hard to know what to do with all that excitement but on the odd occasion, someone steps forth to show the world how to ride the proverbial hype train like a pro. Enter Olivier, the Rare fan we’re speaking to in today’s Community Spotlight, who did just that in his Play It First contest entry, securing him a spot in the fan visit to the studio. Here’s what he had to say!

The man himself!

[Q]: Tell us a little bit about what got you into gaming.
[A]: My first contact with games was Super Mario Bros. for the NES. Actually, I was scared to play. I didn't want to mess up and die so I would just watch my dad play. Then I started hanging with my cousin who was playing Zelda for the NES in front of me. He was more my age so I started to feel like I could play video games too. This led me to finally pick up the controller, then the rest is history!

[Q]: What’s your favourite Rare game and why?
[A]: I can't only pick one, it's a tie between Banjo-Tooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day. When I learned by the end of Banjo-Kazooie that a sequel was planned, I couldn't wait any more! What's crazy about it is that I was dreaming of things like crossover worlds and a train that would bring you from one world to another. When I saw that the elements I wished for were in the final game, it just blew my mind! Banjo-Tooie made that Christmas the best Christmas ever, just look at the picture and see for yourself how much I wanted it!

About Conker, words can't express how amazing this game is. This is one of the only games I've replayed practically every year since the first time I put my hands on it. The attention to detail and personality this game has is just amazing to me. We can all relate to Conker, there's a part of Conker in all of us!

As the saying goes: A picture tells a thousand words and this one has excitement written all over it.

[Q]: What games are you playing currently? Any favourites?
[A]: Nothing at all! I've been really busy and the last game I managed to play was Sea of Thieves when we visited Rare! You might ask yourself, what is this guy doing in a Community Spotlight if he doesn't play many games, huh? To be honest, I'm quite selective and practically only play Nintendo classics (Mario, Zelda, EarthBound) and of course, Rare's games. Recently, there hasn't been much new so you guessed it, I haven't picked up a controller in a while. I plan to play Paper Mario: Color Splash by Christmas though!

[Q]: Your entry for our Play It First contest was hilarious! What sort of work went into setting it up?
[A]: Thanks! To be honest, I didn't think I'd get that kind of reaction from people, I'm glad you liked it! It was about one week of filming and editing on and off. I'd say the hardest part was to get people involved with my ideas, but I'm glad I could put it together the way I wanted to!

[Q]: We were curious and found your other short films. Can you tell us more about those and what got you into filmmaking?
[A]: If you're talking about some of the live action films I made, it's pretty much just for fun! There is nothing really serious about these. Back in high school one of my friends had a camera and we started making some "jackass" films. This evolved and turned into more generally wacky films. I'd say I never stopped making films since then!

A still from Olivier's film titled 'SHARK', featuring Olivier dressed as, well, a shark!

[Q]: We had to ask: how did you do the aerial shot of your car driving around the block in your contest entry?
[A]: Ah, that question! After filming most of the film, I felt like it was missing something for the finale, so the idea of this shot came naturally. I asked my dad to drive around the block and set up a drone to film it from above.

[Q]: Being one of our Gameplay Trailer stars, what was it like to play Sea of Thieves for the first time?
[A]: That was amazing! It was just crazy to be part of all this, I mean, this has been my favourite game company since I was nine years old. It's literally a dream come true!

[Q]: What moment from your trip to visit Rare stands out the most?
[A]: The whole trip was crazy to me, everything was beyond what I expected, real talk! But I guess my highlight was when I got to shake Gregg Mayles' hand. I don't know if he realised how much I was excited to meet him but I was burning inside!

[Q]: If you had to choose a pirate name, what would it be?
[A]: Captain Plaster, probably.

Olivier with Rare veteran Gregg Mayles during his visit earlier this year.

[Q]: What kind of hobbies do you enjoy outside of gaming?
[A]: Probably filmmaking as you pointed out earlier. I don't know if you can call it a hobby, but I quit my full-time job in 2015 to create a pitch for an animated series. Things escalated and I'm now doing the whole pilot episode alone, which I plan to share online next year. There are clear Rare influences in what I'm creating so I hope you guys will enjoy!

[Q]: What are you looking forward to most in Sea of Thieves?
[A]: Definitely the exploration! As much as I loved playing with everyone when we visited the studio, I must admit, I'm more of a loner. I can't wait to sail my ship and go explore every corner of the world by myself!

[Q]: Share a fun fact about yourself. Anything is fair game!
[A]: In high school, my dream was to work at Rare and make videogames! I went to college to learn 2D and 3D animation. Things evolved and I fell in love with films. I worked in a commercial studio for two years and I'm now creating my own TV show. I can say with confidence that Rare changed my life!


And there you have it! We’d like to thank Olivier for taking the time to answer our questions and as fans of weird and wonderful characters, you can be sure that we’re looking forward to checking out his TV pilot when it launches! As always, more Community Spotlights are on the cards so until then, keep an eye on our Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels for the latest on Sea of Thieves