LogIn3D Material Artist Niki Marinov joins 80 Level's 10th anniversary celebration to talk about how the game industry has changed since 2015 and explain why he doesn't like calling himself an "artist."
Niki Marinov
Since we last spoke, I've been quite busy with a few game releases at Frontier, such as Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin and Planet Coaster 2, as well as getting myself noticed with a nomination in the Substance Insanity Awards 2023.
For the last couple of months, I collaborated on a very exciting project with Adobe, and that being my very own Substance Signature 3D Collection, which I decided to base on my very own culture (since that brought me a lot of success with my winning piece from the Meet Mat 2 contest). And to top all that, I got to present it at this year's GDC.
The Artistic Journey
I never liked to call myself an artist, even though everything in my life is surrounded by creativity and curiosity. I like to think of myself as someone who's very good with 3D digital tools that aid me in creating virtual worlds.
My fascination with 3D started when I was around 13, and I pursued my passion through school and university until I got my break into the industry. I can find inspiration everywhere, but mostly I find it through the viewfinder of my camera while traveling and exploring different cultures. What people managed to accomplish without any modern technology before is far more impressive than anything I will ever create. It's rather humbling and inspiring.
The Change of the Game Industry Since 2015
I believe that games were made with a lot more intent in the beginning, focusing on storytelling and creativity rather than solely looking at profit. A lot of the companies now just pump as much content as they can each year, and I find this to be just too much for me.
A couple of things started to change for the better, such as Game Developers started to be paid fairly for the most part, and other industries not looking down on us so much. There are also a lot of resources online to help everyone get up to speed fast, which I could have only dreamed of when I was learning. While this has become better, companies still like to exploit developers' biggest weakness – passion.
And the obvious elephant in the room – all of the layoffs, which have left many people without their livelihood. This is probably the worst thing to happen in our industry, but I do believe we will bounce back up soon.
The rise of procedural tools and technical art has significantly changed how we approach generating content for games. It's fast, versatile, and incredibly powerful, and in the right hands, it can rival traditionally hand-authored content.
Niki's Most Challenging Year
I believe 2024 was the most challenging year for me, where I had to balance work, survive layoffs, and deal with some unexpected health complications. And so far, 2025 feels like my most successful year with me doing my very own Signature 3D Collection with Adobe, going to GDC for the first year and actually getting to do a talk there, having four shipped titles behind my back, and it's still April.
Conclusion
I would like for artists to be more open to change, be kinder to each other, and know their own worth. 80 Level has started many careers, including mine. It's a wealth of knowledge on how to get into the industry, and it's one of my favourite places on the internet. I wish you immense success and to continue being this helping hand in more artists' journeys.