Making Games from Home – Sound Design with Rovio’s Can Uzer

Since the Finnish government recommended a move to remote work in mid March, all employees at Rovio’s Espoo, Finland HQ have been working primarily from home. We (and everyone else in the world for that matter) have all had to adapt to new ways of working, whether that means outfitting a home office with extra ergonomic accoutrements, changing the way we communicate and conduct meetings, or grappling with how to stay socially connected when everyone is ensconced in their own home office bubble.

One thing is certain for us at Rovio, the games must go on. To show how Rovians have been adapting to the changing times, and to show others who are stuck at home what goes into making games when working remotely, we introduced a series of videos called Making Games from Home. Previous episodes in the series covered how to create new character concept art using Procreate, how to draw the iconic Red character of Angry Birds fame, and how level design works in puzzle games like Angry Birds Match.

In the most recent episode of the series, we join Rovio sound designer, Can Uzer, who shows us how it is possible to create amazing game sound effects using everyday items found at home. All you need is a coffee maker and you’re halfway there. Can joined the Rovio audio team in 2019, working as a sound designer on Angry Birds Dream Blast and Sugar Blast, among other games. Take a look inside his process below as he recreates the sound effect for a shattering magic jar in Angry Birds Dream Blast, first recording various sounds in his kitchen, then combining and processing the sounds in Reaper, then finally implementing the new sound into the game in Unity.

Stay tuned to Rovio’s YouTube channel for more episodes of Making Games from Home coming soon, see what else is cooking behind the scenes, and learn more about the people behind our games.