A Publishing Speaker Series: Raphael van Lierop

Tue. Nov. 22, 2022

As the founder and creative director of Hinterland, Raphael van Lierop has focused on creating immersive environments and engaging gameplay. The studio’s first title, The Long Dark, was first released in 2014, and has been undergoing expansion and development since. The story-mode, entitled “Wintermute,” has released four of the five episodes, and the game has over 10 million players worldwide. Often noted as one of the best immersive survival video games, The Long Dark puts the player in Northern Canada at the end of the world.

Van Lierop will be speaking with students in Dr. Christina Fawcett’s ENGL-2612-001 Science Fiction course via curated Zoom Q&A, on Wednesday, December 7 at 9:30 am. The session, which is open to members of the UW community, will focus on the first episode of the story mode, entitled “Do Not Go Gentle.” Van Lierop will speak about apocalypses, immersion, and gameplay, as well as about publishing Canadian narratives, accessible gaming, and global IP distribution. Please send any questions for van Lierop to Dr. Fawcett at c.fawcett@uwinnipeg.ca before November 30^th.

Raphael van Lierop is the founder and chief creative officer at Hinterland, an independent game developer and IP creator based in Vancouver, BC. After a dozen years working on award-winning franchises in the triple-A industry as a director, producer, designer, and writer, van Lierop founded Hinterland in 2012 to create thoughtful, innovative worlds that engage players in the joy of exploration.

Believing that interactivity is at the heart of all future entertainment, van Lierop is passionate about original IP creation, bringing experiences to life through ethical and sustainable business practices, and proving it's possible to lead a team humanely while also producing best-in-class experiences for players.