By Sam Chipera - [DE]Sam

Dimmed office lights illuminated the anticipation while hesitation swirled the roundtable of the classic Devstream crew, leaving the group to ask: “How should we announce this?” Hours after a session of back-and-forth, the crew traded the stale daytime office air for the confidence of the refreshing summer night’s breeze.

The next day, Steve Sinclair, Warframe’s former Creative Director (now Chief Creative Officer of Digital Extremes), passed the community-adored pink shorts, and with them, his old role to Rebecca Ford as he shifted to a new project: Soulframe.

But the rosy apparel meant more than just one shuffle. This was a big moment for many people at Digital Extremes, including Megan Everett, who took over from Rebecca as the Director of Community and LiveOps.

“When we were sitting on that stage, I remember looking over at Scott McGregor, our then Warframe Lead Designer, and he was very sunburnt that day, so maybe I didn’t read him correctly, but I could see he was getting emotional about what was happening,” Megan said. 

“We just smiled at each other because we're like, ‘Wow, like this is finally happening.’ Rebecca looks at me, and we have a little weepy moment.”

Amidst the passing of the shorts, Megan aimed to be there for everyone working at Digital Extremes.

“I knew my role at that moment was to support them,” she said.

It’s been a year since then. 

The excitement around new roles and responsibilities was undeniable at Digital Extremes, but there came growing pains with such monumental changes. Megan personally struggled with imposter syndrome when she first took over the role.

“I'd never managed that scale of people before and just wanted to do it right,” she explained. “I look up to Rebecca and always will with how brilliant her mind works.”

Just like anyone inheriting a role might, Megan endeavoured to match the beats of her predecessor by herself, often returning to one idea: “What would Rebecca do?” (WWRD, for those so inclined).

Inspired by Rebecca’s work, Megan strived to maintain what the Warframe community loves so much.

“The main goal is to keep what Rebecca and the Community team have built together: continue the transparency; engage with the community; give them opportunities to contribute to the game.”

But amidst her becoming comfortable in the hot seat, Megan continued to come back to one realization: comparison is the thief of joy.

“I didn't want to stumble over my words; I wanted just to have the perfect answers every single time,” she said. “And I tried to do that for a while, and I thought: ‘I feel like I'm messing up more trying to be perfect.’”

She knew how Rebecca approached certain subjects and specific situations — but knowing how she operated, Megan learned to bring her own spin and style to the role.

Finding comfort and security in oneself is challenging, especially in front of an audience. But it’s thanks to that audience — the Warframe community — Megan learned to appreciate how she approaches the camera.

“I do have my own little Megan spin on things. I try to be just me, which is like a goofball, and I don’t take myself too seriously,” she said. “I've learned to just kind of ease back and let my goofiness shine in a way and my, you know, tongue-in-cheek approach.”

Not everything needs to be too serious, and she’s grateful to a community that appreciates transparency and honesty with just the right amount of spice.

“It’s a balancing act, and I don’t think I have it down pat, but practice makes perfect,” she said.

And while Megan leads, the Community Team has her back, too.

“I’ve got an incredible group of people around me in the Community team, and it’s extraordinary that we’ve all been through the ups and downs together over the years — like when we removed Trials,” she laughed. 

“It’s honestly an honor to be their Director, and I hope to make them proud.”

Everything has come together over the last year; whether it’s being herself, learning to charge onward or having fun on stream, Megan knows the future is bright.

“I want to continue making our Devstreams a fun experience; I’m excited to grow Prime Time with the team and keep the casual good times going—and soon we’ll get back into conventions, which’ll be a blast.”

Just like how the TennoCon 2022 announcement was live: no script, just humans being humans, Megan is embracing the moment's chaos with her tongue-in-cheek approach to being the Director of Community and LiveOps.

With TennoCon 2023 coming up, she, like many at Digital Extremes, is ecstatic to be back in the fray of the public and to show off the studio’s appreciation for you, the beloved reader and player, through the games and the platforms we support.

Remember to have a little fun here and there! Think back to who you were last year, and ask yourself next time you’re unsure of yourself: “What would Megan do?”

(WWMD, for those inclined).