ARNO SCHMITZ (GUERRILLA)
Known for Killzone Shadow Fall, Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West
Arno Schmitz is a technical art director at Guerrilla Games. He first joined the company as a character artist, where he worked on games such as Killzone Shadow Fall, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Horizon Forbidden West as well as Burning Shores DLC.
From Passion to Profession is a personal journey from art hobbyist to technical director.
In this talk, Arno will share the lessons, challenges and breakthroughs that shaped his path in the AAA games industry. From his student years in Breda to shipping titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.
This talk offers practical insights on how to harness your passion, adaptability, and creative ambition, and how to leverage personal work to build a lasting and fulfilling career.
Arno studied Game Architecture and Design at the Breda University of Applied Sciences and later at the Florence Academy of Art, where he completed the Intensive Drawing program.
Outside of work, he enjoys traditional figure drawing/sculpting, and working on personal projects, ranging from modelling fantasy characters, to creating 3D Portraits of his family members.
