Kiki Wolfkill
{{Short description|American video game developer}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kiki Wolfkill
| image = Kiki Wolfkill SDCC 2015.jpg
| alt = Woman with short, dark bobbed hair, a dark shirt, and a small necklace stands in front of a microphone against a blue backdrop.
| caption = Wolfkill at San Diego Comic-Con 2015
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|07|07}}
| birth_place = Seattle, Washington
| occupation = Video game artist
Executive producer
| employer = Microsoft
| known_for =
| notable_works = Midtown Madness series
Project Gotham Racing series
Fable series
Halo series
| spouse =
}}
Kiki Wolfkill (born July 7, 1969) is an American video game developer. Wolfkill grew up in Pennsylvania and studied journalism and art at the University of Washington, road racing competitively on the side. At Microsoft, she transitioned from developing multimedia for Microsoft Encarta to working on art for Microsoft's video games, including the racing series Midtown Madness and Project Gotham Racing.
Joining Microsoft subsidiary 343 Industries in 2008, Wolfkill served as executive producer on Halo 4. Wolfkill oversaw the Halo franchise transmedia at 343 Industries until 2023, when she became head of intellectual property expansion and entertainment at Microsoft.
Early life
Kiki Wolfkill was born on July 7, 1969, in Seattle, Washington. She moved at a young age to New Hope, Pennsylvania, where she grew up on a farm.{{cite web|last=Freeman|first=Marc|date=July 28, 2014|url=https://news.microsoft.com/stories/people/kiki-wolfkill.html|title=Kiki Wolfkill; Game Theory|website=Microsoft|access-date=April 19, 2021|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418210253/https://news.microsoft.com/stories/people/kiki-wolfkill.html|url-status=live}} Wolfkill's parents were competitive racers, and she was around cars and motorsports from an early age. She learned to drive at 13, and her father taught her and her brother how to race by taking them to a track on weekends.{{Cite web|last=Beresford|first=Trilby|date=September 28, 2016|title=Meet Kiki Wolfkill: Head of Transmedia at 343 Industries Game Studio|url=https://amysmartgirls.com/meet-kiki-wolfkill-head-of-transmedia-at-343-industries-game-studio-6b4aefe35ae4|website=Amy Poehler's Smart Girls|publisher=Medium|access-date=April 17, 2021}} Wolfkill recalled her parents giving them a great amount of latitude to be creative growing up, and that they were raised without regards to traditional gender roles.
While Wolfkill played video games growing up, she did not believe it was a viable career choice.{{cite book |last=Marie |first=Meagan |date=December 4, 2018 |title=Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play |chapter=Kiki Wolfkill |pages=104–105 |publisher=Prima Games |isbn=978-0-744-01993-3 }} Wolfkill was inspired by her father's career in journalism and her mother's Chinese heritage to study Chinese history at Cornell University. After spending time in Seattle before the start of term, however, Wolfkill decided to move to the West Coast. There, she attended the University of Washington, getting degrees in Chinese history and broadcast journalism, with a minor in art. She intended to make documentary films.
During college, Wolfkill started racing. In 1993 she placed second in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Club Racing. The following year, she won the SCCA Northwest Region ITS Championship. Starting in 1996, she participated in road racing competitions in the SCCA and Porsche Club Racing circles.{{Cite web|author=Staff|date=March 17, 2002|title=Wolfkill slays competition|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/mar/17/20020317-041109-1058r/|access-date=April 18, 2021|website=The Washington Times}} Wolfkill also taught racing while pursuing her studies.{{Cite web|author=Staff|date=May 15, 2017|title=Meet Kiki Wolfkill, one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People 2017|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/person/kiki-wolfkill|access-date=April 18, 2021|website=Fast Company|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022014438/https://www.fastcompany.com/person/kiki-wolfkill|url-status=live}}
Career
After college, Wolfkill interned at multi-purpose computer software company Asymetrix. Following that, she worked for Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft's digital encyclopedia. At Microsoft, Wolfkill transitioned to multimedia for video games, including Microsoft Flight Simulator, CART Precision Racing, and RalliSport Challenge. She joined Microsoft Game Studios in 1998, working as art lead on games including Midtown Madness before being promoted to art director.{{cite journal|last=Corcoran|first=Martha|date=June 2002|title=Speed Geek|journal=Sports Illustrated for Women|volume=4|issue=3|page=64}}
Wolfkill was able to use her racing background to provide input on the company's racing games. The studios would beg Microsoft executives for access to their expensive cars to gain reference material. For Midtown Madness, Wolfkill drove cars rigged with microphones around a racing track to gain authentic audio. With later racing games, the art teams used computer-aided design data to build the cars and dynamometers to test the machines.{{cite web|last=Wright|first=Stephen|date=April 28, 2018|url=https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/04/life-in-virtual-pit-lane-the-war-stories-of-video-game-car-design/|title=Life in (virtual) pit lane: The war stories of video game car design|website=Ars Technica|access-date=June 20, 2021|archive-date=July 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716073100/https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/04/life-in-virtual-pit-lane-the-war-stories-of-video-game-car-design/|url-status=live}} In 2001, Microsoft released their first video game console, the Xbox. Wolfkill transitioned from PC-exclusive games to console titles, such as Project Gotham Racing, Fable, and Mass Effect.
343 Industries was created by Microsoft to manage the Halo franchise following the departure of developer Bungie. Wolfkill looked at a variety of Microsoft studios to join as an executive producer. Meeting with 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross, Wolfkill was impressed with Ross' vision for the studio, and joined 343 Industries in 2008.{{cite web|author=Haske, Steven|date=May 30, 2017|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history/|title=The Complete, Untold History of Halo|work=Vice|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315011247/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|archive-date=March 15, 2018}} Wolfkill served as executive producer for Halo 4. Wolfkill and Ross spoke out against sexist comments in the game, threatening permanent bans from the Xbox Live service for offenders.{{Cite web|last=Johnston|first=Casey|date=November 1, 2012|title=Good riddance: Halo 4 creators threaten permabans for sexist comments|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/good-riddance-halo-4-creators-threaten-permabans-for-sexist-comments/|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112011903/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/good-riddance-halo-4-creators-threaten-permabans-for-sexist-comments/|url-status=live}} Wolfkill executive produced Halo: The Master Chief Collection in 2014, before transitioning to overseeing the company's broader transmedia efforts.{{Cite web|last=Aubrey|first=Dave|date=April 18, 2019|title=343's Kiki Wolfkill: We've Had Growing Pains over the Years as a Studio, Now We're Excited for What's Coming to the Halo IP|url=https://wccftech.com/343s-kiki-wolfkill-weve-had-growing-pains-over-the-years/|website=Wccftech|access-date=April 18, 2021|archive-date=March 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316034225/https://wccftech.com/343s-kiki-wolfkill-weve-had-growing-pains-over-the-years/|url-status=live}} Wolfkill left 343 Industries in 2023 amid reorganization of the studio, becoming head of intellectual property expansion and entertainment for Microsoft.{{cite web |last=Deschamps |first=Mark |date=February 1, 2023 |title=Halo Producer Kiki Wolfkill Reportedly out at Xbox |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/halo-343-industries-kiki-wolfkill-out-xbox/ |access-date=February 3, 2023 |website=ComicBook.com |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203005930/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/halo-343-industries-kiki-wolfkill-out-xbox/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |date=2023-04-17 |title=Halo franchise executive leaves 343 Industries in latest shakeup |url=https://www.polygon.com/23687130/halo-343-industries-leadership-frank-oconnor-joseph-staten |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=May 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503221341/https://www.polygon.com/23687130/halo-343-industries-leadership-frank-oconnor-joseph-staten |url-status=live }}
=Awards and honors=
In 2013 Fortune magazine named Wolfkill one of the "10 Most Powerful Women in Gaming".{{Cite web|last=Gera|first=Emily|date=October 31, 2013|title=Kiki Wolfkill and Amy Hennig join Fortune's list of top 10 most powerful women in games|url=https://www.polygon.com/2013/10/31/5049958/kiki-wolfkill-and-amy-hennig-join-fortunes-list-of-top-10/comment/194297809|access-date=June 20, 2021|website=Polygon|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203115/https://www.polygon.com/2013/10/31/5049958/kiki-wolfkill-and-amy-hennig-join-fortunes-list-of-top-10/comment/194297809|url-status=live}} Fast Company included her as one of 2017's most creative people, and journalist Meagan Marie included Wolfkill as one of 100 game developers profiled in the book Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play. Wolfkill is part of the advisory board for the Tribeca Games Award as part of the Tribeca Film Festival, along with Hideo Kojima, Sam Lake, Bing Gordon, and Geoff Keighley.{{Cite web|last=Kerr|first=Chris|title=Tribeca launches inaugural Games Award, assembles high-profile advisory board|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/tribeca-launches-inaugural-games-award-assembles-high-profile-advisory-board|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=Gamasutra|date=September 24, 2020 |archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030201529/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/370779/Tribeca_launches_inaugural_Games_Award_assembles_highprofile_advisory_board.php|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=September 24, 2020|title=Tribeca Film Festival Elevates Games for 2021, Opens Submissions for First Games Award|url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/tribeca-games-film-festival-2021-award-1234781030/|access-date=November 10, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031233807/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/tribeca-games-film-festival-2021-award-1234781030/|url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
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External links
- {{Twitter|k_wolfkill|Kiki Wolfkill}}
- {{MobyGames developer|35946/|Kiki Wolfkill}}
{{343 Industries}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfkill, Kiki}}
Category:American people of Chinese descent
Category:American video game artists