Julien Wera
@werejul
🎮 COO @ Shiro Games 🔨 Working on Wartales, SpaceCraft, Farever, Frostrail, and more 🌐 Previously: Moon Rover, Battlefield, Mirror's Edge, Crusader Kings, Plants vs. Zombies, and a whole lot more. 🇫🇷🇸🇪 Frenchman lost in Sweden.
Finished the last book of the Dandelion Dynasty saga from @kyliu99.bsky.social. I can't say it was an easy read, but sticking with it was well worth it. Epic. Homeric. Like a modern version of the Iliad with Chinese inspirations. I can only recommend it. #Books #BookSky
Very happy with the launch of Farever last month, sitting in Steam’s top sellers list in great company. I look forward to continuing building this world with our players for the years to come.
Not to play on the clichés or anything, but #Farever, a game made by a French team based in Bordeaux, has a cheese dungeon whose boss is a giant mouse called Reblochonk who damages you with a DoT attack named "Fragrant Wheel". I have no further comments.
I stumbled on "To Be Taught, If Fortunate" by Becky Chambers and couldn't put it down—read it straight through. A poetic, moving take on space exploration. #BookSky
Dear The Internet, my players are about to finish their first #Shadowrun #ttrpg campaign and I'm looking at the other published campaigns for how to torment their Runners next, any suggestion for where to go next ? Assuming @mitchgit.bsky.social will have an opinion.
Project Hail Mary was good and quite respectful of original book material which I had really liked as well. Go see it ! (And read the book as well, of course)
Finished Yakuza 3 Kiwami/Dark Ties. The Yakuza franchise is my gaming comfort food. There was nothing groundbreaking in this new remake, but it made me happy to play through Kiryu's adventures once more with modernised gameplay, and the Dark Ties story was a nice addition. I liked it. Play it !
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was less impactful than the previous movie, but it was a lot of fun. Go watch it, ideally with your kids so you can then spend time explaining to them about all of these Nintendo characters they've never heard about (unless they play Smash Bros of course).
Instant recommandation en français: « Gaming: Sociologie du Jeu Vidéo » par @jpdubrulle.bsky.social et Enora Lanoë-Danel est une lecture courte, accessible et enrichissante sur le statut des joueurs et joueuses en France. J’ai apprécié, et même appris des trucs ! #BookSky
Didn’t expect to get Kyriu breaking the 4th wall to provide some parenting moral support in #Yakuza 3 but here we go. This series about Japanese gangsters keeps the wholesomeness coming.
"Bowling with Corpses & Other Strange Tales" by @mikemignola.bsky.social was a wonderful random discovery at the local library, a perfect read for a cold afternoon next to my son who was reading about dragons in more age-appropriate stories. Read it, that way Mr Mignola will make more (hopefully).
After being away from France from 20 years, I shopped for fresh food at the Sunday market in Bordeaux today and realized how much I took for granted when I was growing up here. I also realized that I'm gonna get really fat really fast, but who could blame me, really ?
Playing Yakuza 3 Kiwami. Games from this series are my comfort food. I amble between silly fights and even sillier mini-games, and this relaxes me like no other game ever does. Also makes me extremely hungry because... so much food-related stuff. Play it. Play them all !
And I haven't even mentioned Northgard, Evoland, Dune: Space Wars, and a lot more to come, but maybe it's time I stop with the self-promotion. Anyway, I'm excited and... now back to work.
Happy to announce that I've joined the very fine folks at @shirogames.com as COO & Head of Publishing. It's a great studio full of talented and kind people and I couldn't be happier to be helping out with games going from Wartales and Northgard, to new productions like SpaceCraft and Farever.
And here's another strong listenig recommendation: the Game Maker's Notebook with @nicholasherman.bsky.social, hosted by @alexaray.bsky.social on the story behind Dispatch which was my favorite game of the year even though I discovered it very late. gamemakersnotebook.libsyn.com/narrative-de...
Catching up on my podcast listening. This episode of the Game Maker's Notebook with @jesawyer.bsky.social and @alexaray.bsky.social is very good for any lover of RPGs or... just games. Have a listen. gamemakersnotebook.libsyn.com/obsidians-jo...
Posting the first game I actually completed ? Was so long ago I can’t be 100% sure but my money would be on Choplifter for Sega Master System. I have the vague memory that it was a tad easier than the other games of the time. Must mean I managed to finish it 😅
Those would be crazy good numbers in any industry. Here's to hoping that they'll send some positive vibes up the chain and drive a recovery of the investment sector so we can see great new things emerge in the future...
Based on this report from @alineaanalytics.bsky.social, games made in Sweden generated 20% of Steam's total revenue in 2025, with 16% coming out of the city of Stockholm only. Talk about punching above your weight. The report: substack.com/@gamedevrepo...
My holiday read: "Mastering Community Management" by @victoriatran.bsky.social. My time as a Community Manager might have been almost 20 years ago, I much appreciated both the practical advice and the overall philosophy and push for more kindness. A recommended read for all industry professionals.
Just finished Dispatch and it’s got absolutely no right to be this good. The writing, the tone, the acting, the art, the rhythm, it all just blew my mind. Also, perfect game to escape during the holiday break. Well done @adhocstudio.com. So well done.
#Avatar Fire and Ash was a very pretty blockbuster full of the usual plot holes, and strangely similar to The Way of Water. I expected to travel and discover more of the planet, but it’s mostly heroes fighting the same(ish) baddies, at the same spot for the same reasons ?
7. Le Jour Où l'Humanité a Niqué la Fantasy Karim Berrouka Literally: "The Day Humanity Fucked Fantasy", special mention for this book available only in French. French punks writing fantasy. Yup. It's exactly what you're imagining and more.
6. Heretical Fishing by Haylock Jobson During a moment of very high stress I asked for a recommendation on something light and funny that would help me relax. Heretical Fishing was this. The story of a good-hearted Australian with magical powers who ends up teleported in a fantasy world.
5. Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Brilliant, gorgeous, unexpected and modern, Saga is a gripping tale that manages to get my guts twisted for its protagonists. Haven't read it all yet but I'm devouring it as fast as my local library can give them to me.
4. Hellboy by @mikemignola.bsky.social I didn't read the whole series but enough to reassert my love for Hellboy and Mignola's work. It's just so incredibly well written, and the fact that most stories have their origin in folk tales just gives it a shine that very few graphic novels can match.
3. This Is How You Lose the Time War by @amalelmohtar.com and @maxgladstone.bsky.social Beautiful and poetic love story through time and space. Now always easy to follow but well worth the effort.
2. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin Of books and love and life, from the beautiful to the tragic. I know Zevin's mostly been renown for "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" but that I felt that Fikry's life was a lot more poignant.