Nine years ago, Richard Cheah arrived “late and sweaty” to his interview at Streamline Studios, a video game development studio with headquarters in Malaysia.
With a background in medical bioscience, Richard didn’t exactly have a lot of game-related experiences to boast about in his interview.
But after a year of research work, he had decided that science and academia weren’t for him. So, when a friend in Streamline introduced the company to him, he took a leap of faith.
“I actually thought I wasn’t going to get the job,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Little did he know that nine years later, he would be settling into the role as a manging director (MD) at Streamline Studios Malaysia.
Getting the job done
It’s clear that Richard has come a long way from his days of having no experience in the video game industry, and he knows it.
He was hired as a junior project manager in 2013, then promoted to project manager in 2015, senior project manager in 2016, general manager in 2018, and finally, MD just this month.
Richard believes that he’s a fitting candidate for the managing director role since he’s seen first-hand the industry ups and downs as well as worn multiple hats over the course of his career with Streamline.
Since joining the team in 2013, he has worked on major projects such as Street Fighter V, Balenciaga, and Cyberpunk 2077, all of which are well-known AAA games.
Even with his confidence in his capabilities, Richard said he was humbled by the trust placed in him when he was told about the promotion.
“As the saying goes, ‘the reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more’,” he said. “I recognise my new responsibility to ensure that the Malaysian team continues to grow and deliver for our clients.”
Into the mainstream
Other than focusing on strategic goals and execution for the international company, Richard also has bigger ambitions for the future of gaming.
“I want to bring the video games industry into the mainstream,” he said. “Malaysia has a small but passionate talent pool of artists, programmers, designers, and other roles required for the games industry, but in the public’s eye this still is not seen as a ‘serious’ career.”
With his new role as MD, he wants Streamline Studios to continue raising and nurturing new talents and leaders in the industry.
Richard is confident that the studio will be a part of the future of gaming in Malaysia. He points to how invested the company is in the region’s games and tech ecosystem as justification.
On a personal level, Richard has also proved to be a thought-leader in the games industry, having spoken and/or participated at various industry events such as Nordic Game, Level Up KL, and Malaysian Careers Fairs.
Just two weeks ago, Richard and the Streamline Studios team were also recognised by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) for their contributions to the local digital ecosystem.
“As we continue to work with local schools and government agencies, we will promote knowledge-sharing and the positive influence video games has on growing economies,” he shared. “Streamline is hiring across all disciplines for our Malaysian studio right now.”
In the pipeline for Streamline
Beyond having worked on major client projects in the past, Streamline is also known for original titles such as Axon Runners and Bake ‘n Switch, just to name a couple.
According to Richard, his promotion won’t really impact the development of the studio’s original titles.
With that said, Richard hinted that Streamline’s original games will be making moves at the end of 2022. “These games are fully developed by our team here in Malaysia,” he revealed.
Unfortunately, the studio can’t share more yet. If its past titles are of any indication, though, we look forward to hearing more about these Malaysian-made games.
Featured Image Credit: Streamline Studios
