Starting a Studio, Thriving Post-Layoff, Working at Epic Games, the Rise of UGC, Hiring Is Broken, Street Fighter: The Movie, Empathy, and Building Games for Fortnite with CEO Alan Noon of Drill Creative, Inc.

In this episode, I caught up with Alan Noon, founder and CEO of Drill Creative, Inc., to discuss his journey from decades in the game industry to launching his own studio. Alan shared how his work on UEFN at Epic Games, including shipping Deserted Domination and the big GDC reveal, plus his desire to return to hands-on game creation. After a layoff, he quickly turned the setback into an opportunity, forming Drill Creative to build games within Fortnite’s ecosystem using UEFN’s powerful tools for small, nimble teams. We explored the rise of user-generated content (UGC), which Alan likened to the early days of the iPhone App Store, when hobbyists had room to experiment and innovate. He highlighted challenges like monetization and platform restrictions, which can limit developers’ ability to build sustainable businesses and lasting IP. Alan also reflected on the importance of empathy, collaboration, and creating opportunities, offering advice for developers to focus on tangible work, stand out, and take initiative in today’s competitive market. Finally, Alan shared insights on industry trends like AR, VR, and AI, as well as his excitement for UGC’s growing potential. With personal stories and sharp observations, Alan delivered a thoughtful look at the evolving game development landscape. Bio: From a career that spans AAA to indie dev and now UGC, Alan Noon is a cross-discipline game industry veteran, having shipped on all manner of platforms including arcade, console, PC, mobile, VR/AR/XR, and class 3 slot machines. Presently he leads Drill Creative, Inc. as CEO and Creative Director, building games for Fortnite with UEFN. Show Links: * Elimination Confirmed is Out! - Fortnite website * UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite) - website * Street Fighter (movie) - Wikipedia * Valley of the Ancient - Epic Games website * Deserted: Domination - Epic Labs website * Incredible Technologies - website Connect With Links: * Drill Creative, Inc. - website * Drill Creative, Inc. - LinkedIn * Drill Creative, Inc - Twitter/X * Alan Noon - Twitter/X Game Dev Advice Links:  * YouTube Podcasts - check out this episode with a guarantee of 100% more video * Patreon - career coaching through the Gain Wisdom membership * Game Dev Advice hotline: [phone] * website - show notes, links, stuff * [e-mail] - reach out! * Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices