By Sam Chipera - [DE]Sam

Digital Extremes’ Eric Vedder has been Concept Director for over 11 years. A legacy like that brings a deep and varied history with Warframe and the studio itself, and he’s had no shortage of memorable moments working on Warframe.

What many of us see in Warframe started as concepts generated by Eric and his concept team coworkers. From the Second Dream to the Plains of Eidolon, to Fortuna and beyond, he’s been an integral part of building these worlds from the ground up. First as concepts, then as a reality for players to enjoy.

Eric’s mind essentially needs to work overtime as a wonder engine: constantly producing and absorbing the world around him to develop a strong mindset and striking results. The imagination he’s developed has led to key moments in Warframe; likewise, the game has had no small impact on his memorable times at Digital Extremes.

“I play Warhammer, Magic: The Gathering, and soccer, and read comic books; it’s all tied together. It all feeds creativity,” he said during our talk.

“Personally, I’ve definitely had some great moments,” he added. “Early on, the fact that this free-to-play game was actually successful, and to see the final product of The Second Dream was very special to me.”

The room that houses the Operator (the player character that controls the Warframes), alongside the storyboarding that led to the big reveal are just a few nuggets of Eric’s creativity. Whether creating initial concepts, or working hand-in-hand with other developers to bring them to life, every piece leading up to The Second Dream was a monumental moment in Warframe’s narrative.

“I proposed this room to Steve [Sinclair, the now Chief Creative Officer], and he really liked the idea, and it took the rest of the team, too, to make it amazing,” Eric said. 

“It was cool that this kernel of an idea I designed really took off.”

And being in the unique position to lead the concept team for over 11 years, Eric is just as excited about working with everyone that’s swapped roles since last February — a paradigm shift he says has “all been positive.” 

“We still kind of feel like a small family-run company that’s very emotional, and very compassionate and very passionate about what we’re working on.”

While the vibes are strong, not everything will run as smoothly as possible all of the time. It took a bit of learning with many people transitioning into new roles. But Eric believes it was a good opportunity for the staff to expand their abilities.

“Of course, with anything like this, it's obviously going to have some speed bumps, but we're focusing on a lot of communication and that’s really helped us grow and move forward.”

Eric is there for the team at all times. Although he’s been with Warframe just as long — if not a bit longer — than some of the other leads, his unique time spent as Concept Lead, and now Concept Director for 11 years, encourages him and his teammates further thanks to years of experience and more to come.

”I’ll do anything for them: my concept team and the rest of the company,” Eric said. “The friendships and how close I’ve gotten to some people, they’re forever.”

Maintaining and keeping the small and compassionate company is something Eric holds closely. Ever since Warframe took off, he’s been adamant about continuing to innovate, create, and engage the imagination. 

New projects bring exactly the kind of innovation that Eric aims for back into view. With two teams now, one on Warframe and one on Soulframe, going bigger and better is ever the goal. He believes the future is bright.

“We’re not just resting on our laurels; we want to keep pushing, and give people more experiences, and share more of our wild ideas and games,” he said.

Being able to share his experiences and his imagination with those at Digital Extremes only keeps his motivation high.

“The character team, the weapons team, all the teams: they’re always pushing ideas and we keep a healthy sense of childlike wonder in ourselves,” Eric said.

And, of course, returning to an in-person TennoCon only further fuels the excitement of putting those passions on display for attendees, both physical and virtual. The live show has Eric stoked for both what’s led to this moment and what’s beyond.

“We had multiple games back before Warframe, and then this was the only thing left,” he said.  “It was a definite high point to be successful here. That success was the first, most exciting experience, and now I’m really stoked about this TennoCon being the first one back.”