Mike Wikan

Michael "Mike" Wikan is an American video game designer and developer. He served as Senior Game Designer at Retro Studios for eleven years, leading the design of Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "@jdsirani I was Senior Designer on MP, not Senior Producer and Project Lead in the MP Trilogy Compilation (the only Designer who worked on them from beginning to end, strangely enough). Currently Creative Director for Booz Allen Hamilton Corporation. Just correcting your article." Jan 26, 2019 8:42 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/1089156593244164097 Wikan was later part of a four person team converting the three games into the Metroid Prime Trilogy, and was the only member to have been involved in the development of all three games.KIWI TALKZ. #105 - Mike Wikan Interview (Metroid Prime Trilogy, Game Design, Crunch, Booz Allen Hamilton etc.) September 6, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlbeRLmfCHk He also led the design of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Wikan departed from Retro in 2011 and is currently the Creative Director at Booz Allen Hamilton.
==Biography==
Wikan is a classically trained fine artist who first entered into the world of video game development in 1993, when he began working as a Concept Artist for n-Space, later moving into the role of Lead Game Designer when he taught himself to create models. He worked there until 1997, when he left and joined Infogrames as a Lead Game Designer. Wikan departed from Infogrames in 2000 to join Retro Studios.
==Metroid Prime series==
Wikan has described the Prime series as a "labor of love",Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "@artbaretta thanks for the Metroid Prime article. For most of us it was a labor of art and love and I am so pleased you feel this way." Jan 8 2017 6:17 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/818053969935290369 and said that he was greatly influenced by the Valérian and Laureline comic series while working on Prime.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "@lucbesson Valerian Graphic Novels had a huge impact on me when I was creating the Metroid Prime games for Nintendo. Can't. Wait." Mar 20, 2017 11:49 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/844033273487642625 After the original game was released, a fan showed Wikan her Prime tattoo.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "Hah! The only similar experience i can offer was after we released Metroid Prime one of the fans showed me her Metroid Prime Tattoo! My Wife told me I couldn't let me keep that, lol." Dec 8, 2019 7:58 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/1203660029477490688 At one point during development, he and Karl Deckard had a graph paper map of the entire game in their shared office. Wikan was responsible for prototyping and laying out the game's levels, designing the artificial intelligence and bosses, and scripting.
Because of the working conditions in the final nine months of Prime's development, Wikan was among a number of employees planning to leave. He had two job offers from rival companies. The change in leadership after Prime from Steve Barcia to Michael Kelbaugh led to a drastically improved work culture.
Wikan and Kynan Pearson gave interviews to issue 4 of the fan Switch Player Magazine regarding their wishes for Metroid Prime 4.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "Glad to contribute! Working with Kynan and the gang onthe [sic] games was a treat." Jun 16, 2017 2:29 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/875782497367470083 Wikan was pleased when it was announced that Prime 4 was restarting development under Retro, and remarked that at least three designers from the original series still worked there.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "I'm glad you enjoyed them! Glad MP4 is back at Retro. Still at least 3 Designers there who worked on the originals." Feb 26, 2019 7:02 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/1100546555755589634
==Subsequent career==
In 2011, Wikan left Retro Studios to work at id Software on what eventually became the 2016 reboot of Doom, and then at E-Line Media as a Design Director on Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa). In between these roles, he ran a design consulting business. Wikan is currently the Creative Director at Booz Allen Hamilton in San Antonio, Texas. He regularly speaks at conferences dealing with innovative and experiential technologies, such as xTech in San Francisco, California. Additionally, Wikan has been a board member of the HOFT Institute in Austin since 2019.
==List of credits==
*TigerShark (1997), GT Interactive Software Corp.
*Duke Nukem: Time to Kill (1999) GT Interactive Software Corp.
*Slave Zero (2000), Infogrames Europe SA
*Metroid Prime (2002), Nintendo of America Inc.
*Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004), Nintendo of America Inc.
*Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007), Nintendo of America Inc.
*Metroid Prime Trilogy (2009), Nintendo of America Inc.
*Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010), Nintendo of America, Inc.
*Never Alone (2014), E-Line Media.
==Trivia==
*GSGT C. Benet's original name in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was M. Wikan, a reference to Wikan.
*Wikan preferred the German box art of Echoes over the American version, which he felt was the "least attractive" of what he had seen at the time."I had never seen the German packaging for Metroid Prime 2! It's gorgeous. In fact the US packaging was the least attractive of all the packaging I saw at the time." September 15, 2017 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155712647986060
*Wikan's favorite Suit was the Dark Suit.Michael Wikan: "And the Dark Suit is still my favorite suit design." September 26, 2020 4:12 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/shinesparkers/posts/5064736973552418?__tn__=-R
*Clark Wen would use Wikan as a foil when fine-tuning the sound of Prime to match the environment and gameplay events.
*Wikan worked on the pitch for the concept of a light and dark world in Echoes with Paul Reed, who came up with the idea.Michael Wikan: "Paul Reed had the original idea for the Dark/Light world (mad props Paul!) And he and I worked out the pitch to Nintendo for it. The other competing idea was a "Momento" based game (like the movie) by some other team members. Nintendo selected the dark/light motif right after we made the pitch." September 26, 2020 4:16 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/shinesparkers/posts/5064736973552418?__tn__=-R
*Wikan grew up in a military family, learning the concept of friction, in which two opposing forces meet each other on the battlefield. During development of Prime, his knowledge of war tactics was helpful in designing the battles with Space Pirates.
*He supports filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts' interest in directing a live-action Metroid film.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "@VogtRoberts Just saw your quote about the Metroid Series. i did the Prime Trilogy ( Design Lead) and would love to see you take a cut at it. I think your film sensibilities would be a good match. -Mike" Oct 4, 2018 4:17 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/1047943841645572097
*In 2020, Wikan commented that he thought Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order heavily reminded him of Corruption.Wikan, Mike (Warlock32). "Star Wars Fallen Order reminds me a lot (A LOT) of Metroid Prime 3. Just saying!" 18 Feb 2020 4:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Warlock32/status/1229873313440239618
*Wikan makes a cameo on track 10 of Harmony of a Hunter Returns, "Prophecy of the Forgotten", voicing the Artifact of Sun hint.
*In February 2023 Wikan claimed that only he and three other people worked on Metroid Prime Trilogy.
==Gallery==
File:Mike Wikan art 1.png|April 5, 2015: "Back in 2000 I was doing the initial pass of level layouts for Metroid Prime. This was one of the scribbles in my notebooks exploring a room idea I had. It survived in a modified form in the final game.Just found this long lost illo in an old sketchbook."
File:Mike Wikan Sheegoth art.png|April 5, 2015: "Found one more Relic from my Metroid Prime days. This was my original Sheegoth sketch as I was working out how it should act in the game." This was drawn as an idea for the concept team, who changed the design.
==External links==
*Wikan on LinkedIn
*Wikan on MobyGames
*Wikan on Thingiverse
*Developer's Voice
*xTech 2017
*KIWI TALKZ interview
==References==
Category:Retro Studios employees
Category:Artists and Designers