#MeetIronGalaxy - Kay Saviskas

Getting a game across the finish line for players to enjoy takes a superb attention to detail. To make sure a game is ready to play on the platforms where they belong, development teams rely on quality assurance team members. Today we’ll hear from one of the QA specialists who puts games to the “test.” Let’s meet Kay Saviskas. 

Iron Galaxy: Hello. What’s your name and what’s your role here at Iron Galaxy? 

Kay Saviskas: Hello! I am Kay, I am a QA Certification Specialist here at IG. In addition to providing direct help to our dev team by raising up any stability or quality issues seen in-game, I also help by pointing out any issues that could prevent a game from being published on a specific platform, per each platform’s certification requirements. 

‍I also dabble in localization QA and Art QA if possible/available! 

IG: Those are very specific skills. Thanks for bringing them to Iron Galaxy! What’s the best thing about working at a video game development company? 

KS: I get to work with people that are so similar to me, yet so different! It makes collaboration so interesting, knowing that all these people from all different walks of life get to come together with a shared passion for game development. 

IG: True that. What is the most rewarding aspect of creating things that other people experience? 

KS: I find a lot of joy in knowing that I help make things that are tangible and will most likely be remembered for a very long time. (If I’m lucky!) In a way, I make my own mark on the gaming world, no matter how big or small that contribution is. 

IG: It’s a safe bet that you’ve worked on someone’s favorite video game of all time. That’s no simple contribution! We’ve come to understand that you moved to Chicago from Canada. Enlighten us on life before Chi-Town. What are some of your favorite Canadian foods? 

KS: You can never go wrong with a smoked meat sandwich, poutine (even better if it has smoked meat on top!), or some pouding chômeur for dessert. Yes, it has its own Wikipedia page! 

IG: Do you prefer your Pouding chômeur warm or cold?

KS: Warm! Even better when the maple syrup is bit bubbly still. With the cold ice cream on top, it's amazing!

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IG: What video game features fashion you’d find appealing to see IRL? 

KS: If there was a way to include Dress Spheres from Final Fantasy X-2 into real life, I’d be the first to jump on the opportunity to get something like this! It would make getting ready in the morning so much easier and faster!

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IG: What's your favorite individual dressphere for Yuna, Rikku, and Paine? 

KS: Ooh that's a tough one! I would say...  

For Yuna – Black Mage (which often ends up being my go-to dressphere for her in the game), I love the look of the Alchemist dressphere for Rikku, and Dark Knight for Paine. Obviously, their default dresspheres are so iconic, but those are my favorites for sure! 

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IG: What styles would be in your personally curated dressphere? 

KS: I've been through so many different phases fashion-wise that I would definitely incorporate them all, and easily switch them depending on my mood for the day! Classic Lolita, Fairy Kei, Mori Kei, Cottage Core, Casual Goth, Dark Academia and Whimsigoth just to name a few! Even better if I can get the hair color/hairstyle to match. 

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IG: What was it like growing up as a gamer when your first language was French? 

KS: It was challenging, for sure! Games were rarely available in French back then, without accounting for lesser-known releases at the time. It forced me to attempt to understand what was happening on screen through other means, which made context clues crucial when playing video games as a child. 

Video games were a contributing factor to learning English at a young age as well, for which I will forever be grateful! 

IG: Video games win again! Do you have any pets? 

KS: I do! I have a 6-year-old son named Tony, whose favorite pass-time is being a menace. My partner also has a 4-year-old cat named Ellie. 

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IG: Nice to meet you, Ellie and Tony! What’s one of your favorite projects? 

KS: Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
 

ACNH is where I learned a lot, localization-wise. It was a massive, challenging project that definitely made me think out of the box when it came to adapting translated material to a specific audience (North American French, in this case!). 

IG: What a cool opportunity! What is your hometown? 

KS: Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, Québec, Canada! Also known as “Terrebonne Ouest”, a small town that has definitely grown over the years. I remember when the street behind my home finally got paved after being gravel for most of my childhood, it was huge for us! My knees were finally given a rest after falling off my bike in that gravel way too many times in the past.  

IG: Aside from playing video games, what is a favorite hobby of yours?

‍KS: I enjoy playing the piano, drawing, embroidery, and going to the gym! Though all these hobbies can be linked back to video games directly; I’ve mostly picked them up in an attempt to reproduce things from some of my favorite video games. Video games soundtracks, fan art, and using video game characters as inspirations at the gym! 

IG: What is one place that you hope to see one day? 

KS: Honestly, any destination that has an accessible and proficient public transportation system. Germany, Japan, South Korea, to name a few! 

IG: What is your favorite book or series? 

KS: A recent favorite has been Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang. Its main topic/message aside, has been scratching the localization part of my brain. Languages, how they’re affected by culture/history, and how they evolve as a result is so interesting! 

IG: What’s the one song most likely to earn you a speeding ticket? 

KS: The Coma Machine by Between The Buried And Me. The entire Coma Ecliptic album, for that matter! 

IG: What game have you spent the most time playing? 

KS: Persona 5 Royal, without a doubt! I’ve done way too many playthroughs of this game, I’ve stopped counting the hours that I’ve invested in it. 

IG: We’re sure that doesn’t even factor in your original playthrough of P5. Those corrupt adults need their hearts stolen! What’s one superpower that you’d like to have? 

KS: Teleportation, without a doubt! No more plane tickets, and no more moving trucks! 

IG: You get one wish. You can’t wish for more wishes. What do you wish for? 

KS: For everyone to have access to housing, food, employment, and free/easy access to health care. 

That’s more than one, but I just want people to be able to thrive.

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‍You wished for people to thrive, that’s one for us! With that final question, we’ll wrap today’s interview. Thanks for kickstarting our #MeetIronGalaxy interviews for 2025, Kay. Learning about you, your hobbies, and your journey toward game development before working on such esteemed titles was really neat. It’s also awesome hearing from a member of the QA department, we’ll follow-up with you to see who else from QA we can feature next!

Stay close to our socials and check out our news page to stay up-to-date with everything Iron Galaxy. 

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