#MeetIronGalaxy – Adi Sinha

Welcome back to an interview series where we hear from people who help shape some of your favorite games. Today, we are speaking with Adi Sinha, a developer who started working with us in our Nashville studio last year. Let’s learn about Adi and his first year at IG.

Iron Galaxy: Hey there. Tell our friends on the Internet who you are and what you do at Iron Galaxy?

Adi Sinha: All my friends call me Adi, and I am a Software Engineer. I was working in India before going to grad school at Rochester Institute of Technology and beginning my journey in the games industry. Most of my day-to-day tasks involve reading documentation, talking to leads, discussing test plans with producers, working with QA to get said plans validated, and - of course - coding. While this may not seem like a glamorous affair from an outsider’s perspective, I can assure you that watching a new feature that I worked on in the latest build of a game or fixing a challenging bug always makes everything worth it in the end.


IG: Those responsibilities are essential to game development! What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

AS: The most challenging aspect of my job is rubbing shoulders with the super geniuses that have been doing this for a while. Every engineer I have interacted with so far, whether it is someone from IG or our partners, has been a knock-out showstopper. It is very inspiring for me personally to try as hard as I can to live up to their gold standard. On a more technical aspect, gaining the foresight to work with low level systems that affect teams across all disciplines is always going to be tough especially when these systems are coupled tightly.


IG: You’re trusted to collaborate with all these engineers for a reason. Thanks for doing what you do. What is the one skill you learned growing up that you use the most in your role?

AS: Unrelenting tenacity! Training to be a tennis player for most of my early life had this quality drilled into me by my coaches. I also learned that to be an athlete, the most important aspect is to show up, be consistent, and learn how to enjoy the monotony. It is no surprise that I enjoy doing documentation and eating the same quadruple chicken burrito from Chile Burrito every day. I live for the grind!

Fun fact: I was the youngest tennis player to represent my school in an interschool tournament. I was the only third grader in a team full of sophomores and seniors.


IG: You must’ve been at a whole other level than your other schoolmates. What’s your proudest moment as a member of the Iron Galaxy team so far?

AS: Knowing I have the fastest mile time. I welcome all challengers! Jokes aside, it would have to be the moment where the technical plan I proposed to solve a regional release blocking issue was accepted by our partner! Presenting this plan to all the higher-ups was nerve-racking but listening to the feedback from their principal engineers and senior management felt incredible!


IG: For the people out there who’d like to listen to you, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who’d want to follow in your career’s footsteps?

AS: I would relay the advice that my lead, Joseph Simons, gave me early on. Game development is a marathon, not a sprint. Be consistent, watch your pace, and finish strong. Burnout is a severe problem in our industry, so this piece of wisdom really resonated with me.


IG: Advice to live by in many facets of life. What is the best thing about working at a video game development company?

AS: The product! Also, all my nephews think I am by far the coolest uncle ever.


IG: Someone’s got to keep gaming cool in the family! What’s your favorite perk at IG?

AS: The snacks! Our new fitness initiative and our Operations team at the Nashville studio do an excellent job stocking the kitchen with all kinds of healthy snacks. I need fuel to keep the engine going!


IG: Speaking of moving parts working together to create momentum, how collaborative are you with different teams across Iron Galaxy?

AS: I have not had much opportunity to collaborate with different teams on official projects. I briefly worked together with QA (Shout out to Allen Altenor and the team) which really sped up the development process. Most of my cross-team collaborations have been with our partner.


IG: We’re all about our partners at IG! What is the most rewarding aspect of creating things that other people experience?

AS: Just knowing that I played some small role in creating an experience that made other people’s lives a bit brighter (hopefully).


IG: Mission accomplished, Adi. What is the best impact you’ve ever seen a video game have on someone’s life?

AS: Video games can bring people together. I made some good friends while playing Dark Souls on this side of the ocean so meeting them in person after all these years felt surreal.

IG: As an early athlete and active participant of IG’s fitness initiatives, it sounds like being physical has remained consistent for you. How has fitness played a role in your life?

AS: It has kept my body and mind strong, taught me discipline, and has always been the one constant in my life throughout everything.


IG: What memories of India do you miss the most?

AS: I miss playing badminton in the winters and then drinking Masala soda after, which would make your eyes water from the abnormal amount of carbonation.


IG: Sounds like a refreshing way to spend the day. What are your favorite sports - and why?

AS: I love Tennis and Soccer. I grew up with Tennis idolizing Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Soccer is just an extremely popular sport in India and my friends from high school and college played it fanatically, so it was fun getting entangled in that world.


IG: Surely you mean Football? Enough of us have watched Ted Lasso now to follow your lead. Where in India did you grow up?

AS: I grew up in the city of Kolkata (Calcutta) in the state of West Bengal, known for sweets, the Durga Puja, and the Royal Bengal Tiger!


IG: You mentioned burritos being a staple in your daily diet. Give us the rundown on all the fixings in your personal burrito.

AS: A chicken burrito with extra chicken, a little bit of rice, black beans, mushrooms, guac, jalapenos, olives, green chilies, and hot salsa.


IG: Yum. The daily order makes sense now. Let’s get more personal, rapid-fire style. What is the one song most likely to earn you a speeding ticket?

AS: Nightcall by Kavinsky.


IG: What game have you spent the most time playing?

AS: League of Legends. Recovering addict!


IG: What movie have you seen the most times?

AS: Bladerunner 2049.


IG: What has been your favorite series to binge?

AS: Breaking Bad. I do think Better Call Saul is up there too.


IG: Complimentary favorites to enjoy. How about your favorite video game?

AS: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. A game that revolutionized melee combat with its posture system and parry mechanics. Unlike other From Software games, the story is a lot easier to follow and has a great cast of characters.


IG: What would be your dream motorcycle to own and ride?

AS: A Harley-Davidson lowrider. My father owned a classic Royal Enfield which was his pride and joy so this would be mine!

IG: The classic tastes have carried over in the family. Which historical period would you like to experience first-hand?

AS: I would like to visit ancient Greece and experience the birth of the Olympic games!


IG: What fictional universe would you choose over our own?

AS: I would not choose any of them. The fictional universes that come to my mind are brutal for a common person going about their business, so I would just stay here.


IG: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would you invite?

AS: I would just invite my dad. He is my role model and best friend all wrapped into one. Plus, we have always supported rival soccer clubs across all leagues so the banter would be flowing for sure.


IG: Wholesome, familial response. Which historical figure would you want to show the modern world? What do you think they’d say?

AS: Vincent van Gogh. I would love to see what he thinks of all this AI art that is flooding our lives these days.


Thanks for lending an ear to our questions. We appreciate you bringing so much of your personality to our development team. The folks at the Nashville office will have to remain on their toes as you motivate them to stay fit! Our engineering team and partners are lucky to have you.

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Interested in working with a person like Adi? Our Recruiting Team is actively filling distinct roles right now! You’re invited to visit our Careers page anytime and to apply where your skills work best.

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