The "Professor" is Back in the Saddle—Looking for a New Gig in the Video Game Industry
Lisa Brown, or, more infamously known as "Prof Brown" to her (now former) colleagues, is out once again hunting for a new job in the video game industry. Rather than taking the proverbial "hint" and pivoting to a different career path and exiting entirely, she’s decided nope - it's time to double down and go for broke while making her triumphant return. Despite a disastrous tenure at Firewalk Studios, she is somehow undeterred, ready for whatever comes next.
According to insider sources contacting me, her presence at the studio created an extremely hostile work environment, earning her the label on the team of a walking HR nightmare. I initially spoke about this situation in greater detail in the above video. Employees reportedly walked on eggshells any time they were around her, unable to function in the toxic atmosphere she fostered. If you did not address her as she demanded, she would contact Human Resources, and try to get you written up for insubordination. Again, this is all hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt, but at he same time, seeing how things went down exactly as my insider told me they would, I'm quite confident in their take here.
To recap the disaster: Concord, the project spearheaded by the now defunct Firewalk Studios, was a catastrophic failure of epic proportions, costing Sony more than an estimated $400 million.
Not only did the game completely flop hard, but Firewalk Studios itself shut down, and all customer purchases were refunded and Concord itself was taken offline forever. It’s hard to fathom how someone with this track record on their resume would even consider resurfacing in the industry. Yet here we are... About one month removed from the crater that was created
Lisa’s LinkedIn profile boldly describes her as a “Principal Gameplay Designer with history working in the AAA console and indie spaces.” She highlights her experience with “character kits, weapons, accessibility systems, and gameplay feedback systems” and touts her commitment to “mentorship” and “continuous professional development.” But mentorship and collaboration seem ...questionable... given the accounts of her previous behavior.
The insider told me that she would often use 'mentorship' as an avenue to push authority and use them as an opportunity to try and establish a power imbalance, where she would subtly speak down to others in the meetings, for the sole purpose of propping herself up. Pair that with how she required her coworkers to address her as 'The Professor' and you got yourself a recipe for disaster.
Quotes That Raise Eyebrows
In a recent LinkedIn post, Brown announced:
“The new year is nigh, and I'm back in the job hunt game! I'm looking for senior positions in Gameplay Design, Game Feel/3Cs, and gameplay-related accessibility. HMU, down to clown.”
This nonchalant attitude seems a tad out of place, even for someone in the game industry, for someone whose last major project caused such massive losses and industry-wide embarrassment that it set the industry back decades. It’s as if she hasn’t hit rock bottom or even begun to grasp the gravity of her professional failures.
Her continued insistence on being addressed as “Prof Brown” rather than her actual name of Lisa was... ironically, reportedly part of the same problem at Firewalk Studios. According to my insider, this quirk wasn’t just a playful nickname—it became a focal point of her ego and DIRECTLY contributed to the hostility in the workplace there. Instead of fostering collaboration, her behavior alienated her peers and turned routine work interactions into a minefield.
Why Her Return Should Raise Concerns
If Brown’s LinkedIn is any indication, she seems eager to bring the same baggage to her next role - as if she hasn't learned anything at all. Her plea for “senior positions in Gameplay Design” and “gameplay-related accessibility” might resonate with studios desperate for experienced designers, but the industry needs to take a hard look at her track record. Concord’s failure is a glaring warning sign... and I'm not sure what company would take a flyer on her at this point. Wokeness in games is beginning to (hopefully) taper off, and her approach isn't one that is in demand these days.
The best course of action for Brown might be to step back and prove her capabilities independently. If she truly believes in her ideas, then creating her own indie game would be a more fitting venture. If she really cares about gaming as much as she claims and knows as much as she does about development, this is the perfect opportunity to prove it to the world going solo. Let’s see how well her concepts sell without the safety net of a major studio’s budget... But then again, I think we all already know that answer.
Godspeed to the Next Employer
“Committed to mentorship” and “down to clown” aside, Lisa Brown’s next employer is going to need more than just luck. The ripple effects of Concord’s failure and Firewalk’s closure are still being felt, and bringing her on board would potentially spell disaster for any studio making that leap. The video game industry is tough enough as it is without taking on a walking HR nightmare. IMHO, Brown’s next job hunt should involve a different industry entirely...
For now, we’ll be watching to see if anyone dares to roll the dice. This should be interesting.
~Smash
