iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

ME: So I hit the hyperspace button to go light speed? ASTEROIDS: Even better. You instantly go somewhere random nearby. Which might be inside what you’re avoiding.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Expecting to see wild intersections of art and math as both domains grapple with challenges and opportunities from AI. Both seem equally rocked and finding new need of community to meet rapidly changing landscapes.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Happy Halloween from my new game Monster Bank! Play with big funny monsters, make your own movies. Design, art, animation, music, writing, 100% by me, by hand. 2 years 7d/wk in the making. Coming April 2027 #solodev #creaturedesign #artdirection #indiegame #cutemonsters

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Home Alone. But he's not really alone. There's a xenomorph.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Seeing lots of devs freak about supporting folding phone screen formats. I can't seem to worry. Been playing my web game on ultrawide big screens, portrait phones, landscape tablets, and dynamically rotating while everything adjusts and plays fine.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Everyone at the donut shop upset I’m using Bayesian reasoning to select. Must be frequentists.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Family mealtime dull? Hi, I’m John Coltrane and I’m here to jazz things up with Hamburger Helper’s all new A Glove Supreme. It’s a five… four finger explosion of flavors. [horn noises]

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Full interview is out (easier to watch). So fun. Covered lots (looong career). 1990 - 92: "Working with" HR Giger (Dark Seed), and Syd Mead (CyberRace) 92 - 94: Comanche/voxels and the 1st VR games at Novalogic (92 - 94) ... 1/5 #gamedev #indiegames #solodev www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGEC...

youtube.com

The Untold History of Skylanders, The Matrix, Neversoft & A Game Designer's Life | Joby Otero

YouTube video by Ralph Barbagallo

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Had a blast in the interview hot seat w/ @flarb.com. Spans my career & approach. Indie games, AAA, toys, robotics/AI…and back to solo dev. Full interview out tomorrow. Here’s a playlist of clips. For even more bite-sized stuff, check his channel. #indiegames #solodev youtube.com/playlist?lis...

youtube.com

Joby Otero Interviews - YouTube

Some of my interviews from my career in games, toys, robotics, and AI.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

What if particles are super cute close up. Photons zooming around everywhere like puppies. Quarks bundled together like bunnies staying cozy. The universe warm and fuzzy at the most fundamental levels. Quantum Adorability Theory

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

What if he's been trying to say *electrons* are rigged. Like they should get to stay in the nucleus. At least until charges are dropped.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Maybe Godzilla was just trying to communicate his thoughts on modern architecture.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Gonna tell my grandkids this was Bengio, Hinton, LeCun

Three of The Onion’s man on the street stock photos, presented as godfathers of AI

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I wonder what % of Game of Thrones / House of Dragons fans know George R. R. Martin is executive producer on another show that deserves more attention: Dark Winds

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Judging by all the plastic rings in the sea, I think fish may be drinking too much soda.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

A challenge that is at its extreme for artists and others who seek original goals: A growing world seeks increasing attention from individuals, resulting in less time for one's inner world. "You have to be very selfish to be original"--Miles Davis

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

When you’ve been working in 3d art/tech this long “normal” hits different, and “hit” hits different.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

CERN: If we collide engelbert humperdinck with benedict cumberbatch at high enough energy, we’ll produce a name so powerful anyone who thinks it can think of nothing else. Just an endless sequence of …

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Fun watch for physics meets philosophy fans. I don't usually like when science gets too philosophical. But such legit and skilled science communicators transcend the usual traps.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Bet 3D artists relate: The more vertices a model has, the heavier it feels psychologically. I have models with millions of verts that feel like a TON. If I optimize the same model to a few thousand verts, it may look ~identical, but *feel* like a piñata. #3dartists

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Amazing what you can blame on your spleen. No one knows what it does. Did my spleen cause the 2008 financial crisis? We can’t rule it out.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

What the recordings don't show is that the dinosaurs struck the asteroid first.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

They’re called “infantry” because ancient wars were fought by legions of babies.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

💖 BOOKS (inc audio) Sad to think of all the joy and growth we miss by not reading books as much anymore. Other media is great, but nothing replaces the thinking that accompanies books.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

It’s a lie! The 4th isn’t a quarter of July, but 1/31st, or 4/31 at most. But productivity gains = more in less time. A typical American worker today produces at least 20x the economic value they would have in 1776. So, Happy at Least 4th of July 1776 $! 🇺🇸

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Something that’s terrifying but also keeps me optimistic is how much America’s love is faddy.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Starting art from scratch is like opening presents from my subconscious. "Oooh, what's in here today?". 🎁

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

New gig. Same as the old. Captain of an imaginary boat.

Joby Otero next to captain’s wheel at Santa Barbara pier. 2026.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Happy 100th birthday, Miles Davis, and RIP, Sonny Rollins. Giants of music. Miles is one of my biggest creative influences. Sonny inspired me to play sax, along with John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Maceo Parker, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Charlie Parker, and others.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

$2.05 doesn't close the gap for me, but I feel like there's Red Violin story here.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Fun and true thing I get to tell myself about making my solo game: Tough job, but nobody’s gotta do it.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

If side scroller games taught me anything, it’s that I can survive whatever, as long as my enemies come at me on a single axis.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Too bad Game Developer magazine isn’t around anymore. It’d be fun to write a short post mortem on my solo game. What went wrong: I was stupid. What went right: I was genius. The End

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

As an indie game dev from Southern California, lemme just say, it wasn’t me. I didnt do it. True indie devs are too busy to go out for dinner.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I like to imagine my cells through a microscope and it’s like a trillion player Tetris tourney. When the pieces hit the top is when I need a nap.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

When the electric pig bees found a juicy new patch of coiled spring flowers. Sharpie, gel, + a little snapseed. 2019. #pendrawing #cuteart #indiegames #solodev

Pig Bees. Sharpie and gel pen drawing by Joby Otero. 2019.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Tony Hawk’s Velocirapture: Jurassic Skate Park There’s something there gang.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

My nordic space buddy Oontz, avoiding noisy people and pick pockets. 🎼OONTZ, OONTZ, OONTZ! Sharpie n' gel. 2019. #indiegames #gameart #pendrawing #design

Sharpie and gel pen drawing by Joby Otero for Monster Bank. 2019.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

A few of the many sketches I did for "Sacrifice" (2000 Shiny Entertainment). I called this creature type "Sawman", which had a giant ban saw mid-body. I had a version in-game at one point. We took it out for game balance and tuning. #oldgames #gameart #conceptart #rtsgames

Pencil concept art drawings by Joby Otero, for Sacrifice, by Shiny Entertainment. Drawn some time between 1997 and 2000.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Early (2019) UI concept doodle of my game Monster Bank or Project Hail Mary 2 preview #indiegames #doodles #solodev #cuteart

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

I did a lot of stipple ink drawings as a kid. Here's a 5" x 7" ish one from 87 or 88, with some photoshop paint-over I did on it just now. #penart #indiegames #solodev #stippling

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

LOVED Project Hail Mary 💖🐹🐙🎩

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Fire breathing hamster dragon. 2019. Sharpie n' gel. She'll be mighty angry if I don't put her in my game. She'll be mighty angry no matter what. #indiegames #penart #cuteart #gameart #solodev

Drawing by Joby Otero. Fire breathing hamster dragon. 2019. Sharpie and gel on brown paper.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Sharpie and gel drawing of an idea I've made variations on for decades: seeds, explosions, etc, that grow into full-featured livable and living structures. 2019. #penart #indiegame #solodev

Surreal pen drawing by Joby Otero from 2019.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Some of my earliest monster & hero doodles for Monster Bank. Their minds full of horrors beyond our comprehension. #indiegames #solodev

Sharpie and gel pen art for Monster Bank by Joby Otero.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

More pen art favies from ~1990. What's this got to do with my game Monster Bank? The game is partly a repo for all my styles. #pendrawing #indiegames

Surreal pen drawing by Joby Otero. Circa 1990-ish.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

April 1st doesn’t hit the same now that it’s every day fools.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Imposter syndrome can be good. It can mean you're still pushing yourself even after success. I've been making art and games ~since I could talk. Had a great career. I still feel incompetent ~1/2 the time. But I know it's largely because I'm aiming for something that hasn't been done.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

You don't see a lot of panda centipedes hanging with dragon fish and rabbits anymore. So I drew some for the good ol days. Ballpoint and gel pens. 2019. What's this got to do with my game? Monster Bank will feature as many of my art styles as I have time for. #inkdrawing #solodev #indiegames

Weird, cute, funny ink art by Joby Otero. 2019.

Weird, cute, funny ink art by Joby Otero. Plus Photoshop filters. 2019.

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Joby Otero @jobyotero.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

"Dreamcow Caravan" or something. When cows graze in my dreams they get real big n' tall and people move into em. Sharpie and gel pen. 2019. #ink #solodev #indiegames #cows #dreams

Funny art by Joby Otero. 2019. Sharpie and gel.

Funny art by Joby Otero. 2019. Sharpie, gel, and a little Snapseed.

Funny art work in progress by Joby Otero. 2019. Sharpie.

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