Room 8 Voices: Meet Slav Kotov!  

Welcome to Room 8 Voices, a new series about the people behind the projects. With Voices, we’ll strive to highlight the unique journeys and experiences of our specialists—those whose creativity and dedication powers everything we do.  

Our goal is to bring you closer to the people who make our company what it is. Through interviews with all our specialists, from senior leadership to junior talent, we’ll share their stories and take pride in the incredible ability within our team. 

Today’s voice is Slav Kotov, Art Producer at Room 8 Group! 

If you want to become part of the Room 8 Group team, explore opportunities here.

Slav Kotov: Turning favorite hobby into a career you love!  

Slav Kotov has been passionate about games his entire life. Now, he is the one who takes care of projects as an Art Producer in Room 8 Group. In his interview, Slav shared how he drifted to game dev and what he enjoys apart from being a producer.

You joined Room 8 Studio as a Junior Producer three and a half years ago and grew to a Senior during this time. What was your experience before Room 8 Group? 

I worked in the American logistics industry for six years and was responsible for finding solutions to transportation issues, coordinating processes, and negotiating with clients in US markets. The most routine part of it was making cold calls. Needless to say, this was the least creative job in the whole world! It was monotonous, repetitive, and uninteresting. It paid well, but over time, I realized it wasn’t for me. Though I should admit, I gained valuable management experience there, which has been helpful in my role at Room 8 Group. 

How did you become a producer in the game development industry? 

I’ve been interested in games for over 20 years. It was not only about playing them that did it for me, but the overall industry, development, competition, and the battle between companies. I knew I wanted to get into game dev. Yet I didn’t realize there were positions where I wouldn’t have to create/design anything but rather manage and coordinate processes. That’s what I’ve always enjoyed and excelled at. 

Over time, I became aware of and interested in project management roles as some of my friends transitioned into similar roles in the IT sector. At the same time, a critical moment arrived when I realized I needed a change. In my free time, I engaged in graphic design and tasks related to image manipulation. I enjoyed it, and I even took on some freelance projects. I thought I had some technical skills and decided to try it and switch to this field. The job search didn’t go smoothly because nobody wanted someone without experience. That’s when the idea came to look for opportunities in management roles within the game development field. 

Interestingly, even now, when my friends discuss what I do, many who have no connection to the game development industry think I draw something myself. 

Can you explain what the role of a producer means? 

The word “caretaker” comes to mind here. When a project comes in and enters its development phase within the company, the producer should be the caretaker who ensures that everything goes well from its inception to its delivery. The producer is responsible for managing all the processes, but they don’t create the product themselves.  

A producer’s job is to maintain a constant balance between the client and the team to keep the cooperation going while still trying to make sure that all the involved people are happy on a daily basis. We handle all communication, feedback, and constant quality checks of the product. A producer needs to be confident that everything is balanced, that the client is satisfied, and that the processes are running as they should. It’s also very important for me that my teams genuinely enjoy their work. 

What do you like about being a producer? 

I think I’m privileged, as I like about 95% of what happens in my job. Not everyone gets such satisfaction from their work. I was very fortunate to find my place, and the company played a significant role. I enjoy communicating with people, planning, and organizing, and was lucky to find the role with responsibilities built around that. 

I don’t really enjoy configuring technical details that much, such as working in Jira or creating numerous tasks. Yes, it can become tedious, but even in that, I try to find interesting and useful aspects. Luckily, at Room 8 Group, those tasks make up only a small percentage of everything I do.  

Tell us about the projects you’re currently working on. Do you have any favorites, whether current or in the past? 

When I started working there was a major project with The Sims. We worked on it for over a year. Besides this, I’d like to highlight two major projects that I’m currently deeply involved with: Apex Legends and Diablo IV, each lasting over two years at this point. 

I should absolutely also mention the project. A small team worked on the project, but we made it into the credits! It was a significant moment for me, as those were my first credits ever, and it happened in such an incredible franchise as Star Wars. It was very gratifying and surreal. Four years ago, I had no idea what life had in store for me, and now I’m in the credits for such a massive franchise in an industry I’ve always loved.  

What do you do in your free time, if producers even have free time? 

I believe that the availability of free time depends on your ability to structure your day. I play the ukulele and go to the gym – they’re hobbies, a pleasant way to unwind, and a real-life upgrade. Taking walks is an important part of my daily routine. I read almost daily, though I prefer audiobooks nowadays and mostly listen to fiction. I have a list of things I like and want to do in my personal life, and I run through it daily to choose activities.  

Should I even mention that I play games? Sad to admit, but I enjoy game as a service things quite a bit where you log in as a “gamerholic” when you see a friend online and want to play with them. For us, those are Rocket League and Fortnite. Yes, 30-year-old guys play Fortnite and enjoy using Zoomer dance emotes because I’m too old for them in real life. On the other hand, I’ve always been a big fan of story-driven games. I like to play story and mechanics driven games, currently playing Lies of P and find it really appealing. 

For my colleagues, I’d recommend Twelve Minutes and Artful Escape – they are not long but will be interesting even for those who don’t consider themselves super gamers. My other favorite is the Fallout series and the new Star Wars Jedi game, where I mention myself in the credits, which is very cool. Among recent releases are Remnant 2 and Party Animals. Awesome games that I highly recommend!