LogInTo celebrate 80 Level's 10th anniversary, we spoke to Technical Artist and author of "The Unity Shaders Bible", Fabrizio Espíndola, about his artistic journey and how the industry has changed over the past decade.
What have you been up to since we last spoke? I do believe Visualizing Equations Vol. 2 should be released sometime soon, is there a specific release date you could share with us?
Fabrizio Espíndola, Senior Technical Artist: It's been over a year since we last spoke, and a lot has happened! Between 2022 and January 2025, I was working on some Rovio games. There's one in particular that I'm really proud of, and I think it's going to be released this year. For that project, I worked on a custom lighting system, rendering, shading, and tools, basically, all the things I love. I left the studio 18 days ago (at the end of January) because I just didn't have enough time! Between my books and family, it was impossible to keep up with everything. That said, I have to mention how incredible the team was, some of my closest friends now!
Right now, I'm wrapping up Visualizing Equations Vol. 2 (yep, it's been delayed!) and also working on The Godot Shaders Bible. The latest update for Visualizing Equations Vol. 2 is coming this month, including physical editions (still sorting that out), and The Godot Shaders Bible is planned to be updated until July this year.
What year did your artistic journey begin? What first inspired you to become a Technical Artist, and where do you find inspiration today?
Fabrizio: Oh, it's really hard to say when my artistic journey actually began. My mom still has some old VHS tapes of me drawing when I was six! I think my first inspiration came from sketching cars, especially the Lamborghini Countach (still one of my favorites). But then, like many, I got into anime, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Knights of the Zodiac, those were the good times! Fun fact: I actually started in the industry as a 2D animator back in 2011.
I studied Digital Arts at university and earned my bachelor's degree after five years. I started in 2006 and graduated in 2011. Then, in 2013 (I think?), I joined DeNA when they had a branch in Chile. That's where my passion for programming and technical art really took off. Since then, I've been diving into different techniques, engines, languages, and all sorts of creative problem-solving.
I don't have a single go-to website for inspiration, but I do come across amazing VFX on the internet, Pinterest, for example. Whenever I see something cool, I just ask myself, "How can I make that?" Like with the dice shader! It's a simple concept, but figuring out how to deform the inside SDF shape using the mesh's vertices was something I discovered on my own. Of course, I had probably seen something similar online, but that challenge is what keeps me going.
How would you say the industry has changed over the past decade? In what ways has it improved, and in what ways has it gotten worse?
Fabrizio: Uff, I've met people who became rich in 2014 just by making games and publishing them on the App Store. Nowadays, layoffs are everywhere, and making it big in the game industry is much harder. One of the saddest things I've seen is people who don't even play video games running game companies. That sucks, and I think it's one of the things ruining the industry.
Big companies (except for Nintendo, I love Nintendo) seem more focused on maximizing revenue while giving players nothing in return, often relying on questionable practices. Just look at the recent layoffs, do you think CEOs and shareholders are losing money? Nah. Instead of taking a small hit, they'd rather fire people over a minor loss. That's why I usually don't accept contracts. I'd rather work hard on my books and projects than give everything to a company that doesn't care about me.
And what about the capabilities of our favorite 3D software and game engines then and now, is there anything we can do today that we couldn't 10 years ago?
Fabrizio: I remember using Maya 5 or 6 back in 2006 (the icon was red, if you remember). Compared to Maya 2025, they feel like two completely different pieces of software in terms of capability. Now, you can have real-time ray tracing on your screen with just a click of a button, something that was absolutely impossible when I was in university.
Ten years ago, I was using Unity 5 (Jesus, time flies). Back then, shaders were this mysterious, almost mythical thing, even for talented programmers. Only a handful of people, mostly from Computer Graphics programs, really understood them, and in my experience, they weren't too keen on sharing their knowledge. That's actually one of the reasons I became a Technical Artist. I realized that shaders, tools, and the technical side of things weren't just cool, they were essential for video games and software development.
Reflecting on your artistic path and the past decade, what have been the standout moments for you? Which year would you call the most challenging, and which one the most successful?
Fabrizio: Oh, this is a great question! The most difficult year for me was definitely 2017. That's when I decided to go full "indie," and guess what? I went broke. Because of my decisions, I had some serious problems with my wife and mother. Aida, my wife, was really upset with me, and at the time, our son Santino was just two years old. But I never gave up, and that’s why you know Jettelly today! And yes, Aida is happy again now (women, right?).
Jettelly is, without a doubt, my biggest achievement so far. It started as a studio offering technical and programming services for video games. We even developed a game called Nom Noms. But last year, Jettelly fully transformed into a publishing house dedicated to supporting technical authors. We're now based in Canada, and if you're curious, you can check us out over here.
If you're an author, working with us means you keep the rights to your books and earn six times the revenue share compared to other publishing houses. Plus, we actually market our books, something many publishers don't do. So yeah, it's been a journey, but looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.
What would you wish for Digital Artists, Game Developers, and the 80 Level team for our 10th anniversary in 2025 and beyond?
Fabrizio: Starting with the 80 Level team, guys, you are amazing! You're doing such a great job, and I hope you keep going strong. I'm not sure if you're already the number one source for video game news, but if not, I wish for you to become the go-to platform and the most recognized in the industry.
For Digital Artists and Game Developers, I might say something a bit controversial… but hear me out. A time of evolution is coming, and you need to be ready for it. Yes! I'm talking about AI. That thing is going to give you freedom! But you'll need to tap into your full creative potential. From what I see, a lot of small studios will emerge, using AI as their "employees," completely reshaping the industry. This shift could actually bring balance back to game development, making it feel more like the good old days.
I truly wish you all the best! But remember, success doesn't just happen, work for it, and let luck catch you in the middle of the grind.