Name: Andrew Montemayor
Job Title: 2D Animator
DnD Class: Bard
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
Pokemon Go Team: Valor
Empire or Rebellion: Rebellion
Turtle: Green Sea

When did you first get started in games and how?
When I was six years old, my dad got me a Sega Genesis. It was my first console and my very first experience with videogames. I didn’t own much games for it at the time. It wouldn’t be until I got a Playstation that I really got into gaming as a hobby. The Genesis was still my first console though and I still have fond memories of old 16-bit games.

How did you first get started in the game industry?
Akupara Games, actually. Prior to this, I worked predominantly with animation studios and in the animation industry. It was great being able to apply what I knew as a designer and animator for a completely different medium.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
Comic Books. I grew up with comics and to this day, they’re something I occassionally go to whenever I have artist’s block. There’s just something about comics: the art, the composition, the unique way it tells stories—that when I read them, the ideas just start flowing.

What is your favorite video game or series?
I’m a big fan of superhero games and especially ones that feature Spider-Man in it.

What is your favorite tabletop game?
Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve always been drawn to the collaborative storytelling aspect of pen and paper role playing games. Once my friends and I start a quest, knowing full well it can play out in the most unexpected ways possible, it’s a lot of fun.

If Akupara could partner with any person, who would you want to work with?
I would say Klei Entertainment. Their 2D games have a great style that’s straight from a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s something that’s not too far from the games we do at Akupara.

What is your proudest accomplishment with Akupara?
Animating on The Metronomicon. It was a fun project to work on, being able to animate the main characters and play up each of their personalities was great. I remember holding the physical copy of it in my hand and knowing that I’ve worked on it made it really special to me.

Check out our other Meet the Team blogs here. And as always if you want to connect with Andrew or any other member of the Akupara team, join the Akupara Discord!