In Dev to Dev S01 E09 I sit down with John “Bau” Bautista, a veteran combat designer whose path runs from arcade halls and QA grindhouses to leading teams on AAA franchises. Bau’s journey is about persistence, rule‑breaking, experimentation, and turning melee combat into storytelling through rhythm, space, and feel.

Bau learned to “game the system” on Centipede, discoveringhow feedback, rhythm, and pattern mastery turn rules into a playground. Those noisy, social arcades shaped his belief that games are experiences you feel, not just stories you watch.

A Monty Python quip during a Midway interview opened thedoor to QA, where meticulous repro steps and player empathy formed his design backbone. That QA foundation became the scaffolding for his to-date 26 year career across multiple AAA studios.

From spacing and mind games to impact and reaction, Bautreats melee as a language. Through studio closures and even lost credits, he kept chasing clarity of feel and the “celebration moments” that tell players an action truly landed.

Now as Lead Combat Designer, Bau draws lessons from every game - polished or messy. His advice: assume good intent, study widely, and focus on resonance between player intent and game response.

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Find Bau At:

• ⁠https://x.com/JustCallMeBau⁠

• ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/justcallmebau/⁠