Romuald Capron left Arkane Studios in October, less than a month after the release of their time-lapse stealth product, Deathloop. But after 16 years at the company, the studio director wanted to try something new and is currently developing a free educational game called PowerZ. I spoke with Capron about what this new project will entail, and how it feels to leave Arkane after such a long career there.
Capron joined Arkane Studios in 2005, and served as executive producer and executive producer before taking on the role of studio director in 2019. Since his departure, game director Dinga Bakaba, co-creator and art director Sébastien Mitton, technical director Hugues Tardif, and executive producer Morgan Barbe were left in charge of the studio.
“Leaving was difficult, the decision was really hard to make, because I was really attached to the set – I am still very attached to the set,” he told me. “But I wanted to test something new, and I left the studio in very good hands.”
It’s something new is PowerZ, an online educational game that a press release tells me wants to be the “Fortnite of Education”, that’s definitely something. Capron is the game’s executive producer, and says it’s an experimental adventure RPG with educational elements geared toward kids ages 8 to 14. Importantly, children were also involved in the development of the game.
“One of the pillars of the project was co-creating the game with the kids, so they could let us know their ideas and we could try and implement them,” Capron told me. “We’re also trying to show the kids how we make games, they’re part of the process.”
While he didn’t tell me much about what the game actually entails, Capron did say it would help teach kids the subjects they learned in school – math, geography, history and all. those things. I’m curious why he would want to switch to something like this, given his background in gritty role-playing simulations, and to be honest, he has some pretty good ideals.
“Improving education is one way to improve the world,” he said. “If we can improve education for the next generation, we can help improve the world we live in today.”
PowerZ is currently under development. If you (or your child) are interested in PowerZ, you can Sign up for its mailing list here.
