Senior Advisor - Analytics
Jean Yves Lapasset
“I know that I know nothing.” - Socrates
Skills
Analytical
Strategy
Surviving in virtual jungles
Building virtual zoos and cities
Key achievements
- Built & led the Market & Analytics Division at Sega
- Credited on 150+ games
- Participated in the acquisition of Amplitude & Two Point
- 20+ years of releasing hits
- Played and appraised more than 2 500 games
On the lookout for
Innovative experiences, new ideas that can speak to broad audiences, developed by passionate developers, who think players first.
Backstory
Born and raised in Annecy, then spent 15 years in Lyon, where I had the opportunity to start working in the games industry in 1998 at Infogrames.
From there, I was lucky enough to be given the possibility to grow and build & grow my skill sets across various publishers Atari, then Bandai Namco, Sega, Tate Multimedia, from data analysis, corporate strategy to production, consumer insights, UX, etc.
I consider myself as an “all rounder”, with a deep knowledge and understanding of video games mechanics & design, but also business models and trends. I also think that sharing experiences and knowledge is key in our industry, to remain on top of new trends & disruptive experiences.
Fun facts
What was the first game that really hooked you? What moments do you remember?
My initial memories go to the Microprose days, with games like Airborne rangers, but also the amazing arcade cabinets you could find in the early 90s (Street Fighter II, After Burner or Virtua Striker a bit later), and the Sega games (I still have Shinobi & Castle of Illusions original boxes). The big reveal for me was though a bit later, with Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil and Tomb Raider on consoles, when on PC Warcraft II, Command & Conquer, Counter Strike or Unreal Tournament) and Championship Manager ruled my world.
It was such a privilege to work later in some of the companies that made me dream (or have nightmares?) during my Teenagehood. The thing is I love so many games I could mention 5-10 per decade that really struck me and revolutionized the industry.
How have games influenced or shaped you?
Games are a medium that can tell stories your imagination can still craft beyond pixels. Nowadays, even if visuals reach astonishing heights, you can still dream beyond the imperfections of a friendly story with an NPC in Dragon Age or Mass Effect, or when you just defeated Molten Core in World of Warcraft with 30 “virtual friends”.
Playing a lot of strategy, city builders and life simulation games helped me a lot developing analytic skills, trying to think out of the box to overcome various challenges.
Which game character resonates with you?
I could be very serious and mention the likes of Lara Croft, Nathan Drake or Elly & Joel, because those storylines all resonated with me in a way. But I would say Sackboy, from Little Big Planet. Media Molecule achieved to create a damn good & funny character from a doll. It is a huge symbol of all the creativity video games stand for.
If given a superpower in a game, which would you pick?
Predict the future :)