Masi Oka Discusses Producing IGF WINNER Outer Wilds

Masi Oka's name is traditionally linked with the television screen instead of the gaming screen, but the star of Heroes and Hawaii Five-0 has always had been drawn to the world of gaming. "I grew up loving games and am still a big gamer myself," said Oka, a former World of Warcraft guild officer. "I love creating things, and loved the idea of creating something from zero to product in a shorter span of time.  Movies can take many years, sometimes tens of years from conception to finish, while games can be created in a fraction of the time."

Oka in fact worked as a digital artist at George Lucas' famed VFX house Industrial Light & Magic before stepping in front of the camera. Two years ago he decided to create Mobius Digital, a studio dedicated to exploring fun, quirky, innovative games with rich story worlds.

"When I was building my studio, I sought out talent at the USC Interactive Media and Games department demo day," Oka explained. It was there that he saw Outer Wilds for the first time. "It was love at first sight. The only game that really caught my eye and I found that I would want to play was Outer Wilds." 

At the time it seemed like the chance to bring Mobius and Outer Wilds together had passed: creator Alex Beachum had decided to take a designer position at Microsoft. 

Oka hired Loan Verneau, fellow USC alum and creator of 2014 IGF nominee Paralect, to be lead designer at his studio. It so happens that Verneau & Beachum were best friends and co-collaborators in grad school, and when Beachum returned to Los Angeles, he came to work at Mobius.

Pictured (L to R): Alex Beachum, Masi Oka, and Loan Verneau

Oka plays Outer Wilds in the Mobius office.

Outer Wilds then went on to win the Grand Prize as well as the Excellence in Design at the 2015 IGF Awards, and an agreement was reached to finish the game at Mobius. 

"Alex and Loan have been with Mobius for our first two title releases and it was just natural to continue the journey." Oka mused. "We have a great vision and roadmap for the project. "

"The biggest shift is staffing a few new members and transitioning into developing on a different platform," Oka continued. "We've been on mobile the whole time, so we're excited about the new challenge." 

Filming takes Oka across the world, but when he's in Los Angeles he plays an active role in the direction of Mobius by giving critical feedback, arranging business deals, and helping shape the creative vision of the studio.  When asked of his role with Outer Wilds, Oka said, "My role will be to support the team and Alex's vision.  I will be involved in giving creative input, but more practically with fundraising, QA and marketing."  


Asked on whether his celebrity would play any role in the production, Oka said, "It's very possible but it'll all be kept under wraps.  We definitely like putting Easter Eggs on all of our content, so you might see something."

Producer Avimaan Syam & Oka

The first two years have been an adventure for Oka, and he sees a positive future ahead for his team:  "I hope we can grow Mobius into a studio that can shape the future and open up new markets for interactive games and storytelling." 

Masi & the Mobius Team