Tabaha is one of the two characters in Cradle which our protagonist gets to interact with. Fans of the game know that a Kyivan student Liubov Zhiekova was the visual model for the mechanical girl Ida. But who is this man hiding under such expressive eyes of the flying tram mechanical driver? His name is Cagri Cankaya and he definitely deserves you to know more about him.

Çağrı Çankaya was born in Bursa, Turkey, on January 1, 1984. The author of unique project "Designer On The Road" in which he traveled the world just by doing design, without any personal saving and credit card from 2011 to 2014. In 3 years of the world trip he has traveled around 84.000 km, has been in 23 countries and 45 cities, has worked in more than 30 design or advertising agencies and has given lectures in 25 universities. Cagri entered the Guinness world record by jumping from a plane at an altitude of 11.000 feet and creating a design in the air with 200km/h free fall speed. Winner of the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Turkey 2015" in the "Personal accomplishment" category. Currently the creative director of his own advertising agency Bravo Works in Bursa.

[SlavaR]: Why did you decide to pursue your career in art?

[Cagri]: It happened naturally. My whole family studied in different art and design universities of Turkey. I had the natural talent and my math was terrible. So art was the direction for me.

[SlavaR]: Which artists or designers do you admire the most?

[Cagri]: There are so many graphic designers I admire and hold respect for, the way they think and do things. However I see design beyond graphics. I think design is a mindset, a way of thinking about how things should be done or how everything could be much better. In terms of usage, practicality, ease of learning, fast to adapt and also aesthetic…

That’s why I admire designers from very different fields like car design: Giorgetto Giugiaro and Walter De Silva. Game design: Hideo Kojima, Amy Hennig and Neil Druckmann. Graphic design: Jonathan Branbrook, Gert Dumbar, Ivan Chermayeff and Paul Rand and the list goes on…

[SlavaR]: The general audience doesn't really know that in 2006 you worked for GSC Game World. How did you, a Turkish Illustrator, end up at a Ukrainian game studio?

[Cagri]: I was a second year university student in graphic design. I sent an email to several game development studios about myself basically saying I am an art and design student who wants to be a part in the game industry. GSC Game World invited me for an internship program. I was very happy for that for sure.



Cagri's workplace at GSC office

[SlavaR]: What projects were you working on at GSC?

[Cagri]: We were working on a real time strategy game called Heroes of Annihilated Empires.

[SlavaR]: How did your friendship with Illya Tolmachov begin?

[Cagri]: We met each other in the GSC Game World. He was the guy who showed me around Kyiv, we had many experiences together and our friendship grew naturally. He also taught me how to use drawing tablets and do digital art. Later on he came to Turkey several times (he was even on my wedding, he was my witness) and I visited him in Kyiv later on. We still keep in touch and talk from time to time. He is a very important person and a valuable friend to me.



On the left stand Valentine Yeltyshev (PR manager) and Illya Tolmachov. On the right, you can see Oleksii Sytianov ("S.T.A.L.K.E.R." Lead game designer), Eugene Grygorovych ("Heroes of Annihilated Empires" Project lead) and Sergiy Grygorovych (CEO of GSC).

[SlavaR]: Illya taught you how to use a graphical tablet. How hard was it to switch from traditional to digital art?

[Cagri]: A bit weird in the beginning but really fun, for a person who is good and in love with Photoshop. I think I warmed up to it quickly.

[SlavaR]: Illya said that it was impossible for him to focus on drawing fantasy characters while the project he wanted to work on was developed next to him (I am talking about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.). Have you been in a similar situation?



After "Heroes of Annihilated Empires" Illya Tolmachov finally became working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. projects as an art director

[Cagri]: Yes. I think S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was more like the star project in the studio. I would of loved to be part of it as well… But honestly, I was just an intern and the studio didn’t expect much from me. I was very young and still learning things back then. I think they (GSC) were more beneficial for me than I was for them.

[SlavaR]: How would you describe the atmosphere at GSC at the time and the people you worked with side by side?



With PR Director Oleg Yavorsky (in the center)

[Cagri]: They were really friendly and helpful. I think I could have done more there and for them if I had today's mindset back then. I was very junior and they were like brothers to me. Showing me how things work, how they do, create, design, draw for games. There was a small room in the studio with a sign on it that said: “quick sex”. I understood how fun and easy going their mindset was when I saw that door :)

[SlavaR]: What impressions did Ukraine make upon you during the first visit?

[Cagri]: Lovely! I admired the beauty of nature and also the people. Everytime I visit Ukraine I imagine living there. Like leaving everything I have in Turkey and moving to Ukraine, live an easier life, more minimal and easy going maybe. Now I have an advertising agency in Turkey with a small team. There are around 15 people at the office. But sometimes I dream of leaving everything and living in Ukraine. This is just a dream of course. I don’t know if that happens in life or not. But Ukraine is very important for me because it was the first country I saw outside of Turkey. I visited South Korea (Seoul) first and then flew directly to Ukraine (Kyiv).

[SlavaR]: In October 2010 Illya Tolmachov left GSC with several like-minded people and founded Flying Café for Semianimals in order to develop own game. Was it your own idea to join the project or did Illya pitch it to you?



On Khreschatyk, the main street of Kyiv, in 2012

[Cagri]: At the time I was planning to make a world trip just by working as a designer around the world. I was aiming to make designs wherever needed and survive with no money in the pocket. I mean I had no savings to budget a world trip and my idea was to make it on the way :) So I asked Ilya about coming back to Ukraine during my world trip and spending a month with the development team. I asked for accommodation and food only :) He said sure why not and that’s how I came there for the second time.



Cagri's workplace at Flying Café

[SlavaR]: What was your reaction when Illya and his colleagues explained to you what Cradle is?

[Cagri]: I said WTF! A first-person game with no guns, no shooting etc… It was like a puzzle game with some walking simulator elements however It was many years before Death Stranding. So nobody heard anything about walking simulators. It was a different idea. A big difference to what was happening in the gaming world during those days. And there weren't many indie titles back then. So It was a brave undertaking. I remember I told Illya that this game idea is a weird one and not many people are going to like it. He told me that he doesn’t care much about general expectations or sales. He was more interested in a game he really wanted to make. It was his own dream and he achieved it. I'm glad to be a part of it.

I started my work on the project with logos for each pavilion of the Gerbera Garden. Later on I also helped on some textures like spider webs, magazines etc.



During the interview for "Igronavty" television program (QTV Ukrainian channel)

[SlavaR]: Before being cast as Tabaha for Cradle, you passed a small casting test. What do you think impressed Illya and the other guys so much that you were asked to play the role?

[Cagri]: Hahahah! That was hilarious. They asked me to move my eyebrows. I have a natural talent for facial mimics. So they were really amazed with the faces I can do with my mimics. We laughed so hard when I was trying to impress them with my faces. And during the face mocap sessions I was doing mostly unhappy, grumpy and angry faces…



Face mocap sessions for Tabaha and Ida

[SlavaR]: How did it feel the first time you saw Tabaha with your eyes in the game?

[Cagri]: I felt very happy. Because I was checking many of my personal boxes in Flying Café for Semianimals. Being part of a game development team, being a character in a game and all these things were a big honour for me and an unforgettable moment in my life.



In-game Tabaha

[SlavaR]: Have you played Cradle after its release? How do you like the final result?

[Cagri]: Of course, Illya sent me an original copy with a signature on it. I really enjoyed seeing things we have done together in the game. And seeing my name on the credits made me very happy.

[SlavaR]: What genre of games do you prefer? Could you name your favorite games? How often do you get to play?

[Cagri]: Honestly I can play anything except for sports games. I want a storyline, level design, characters, new game design ideas, some new universe with its own unique set of rules to immerse myself into. Sports games don't offer that at least to me. I really enjoyed Naughty Dog’s "Uncharted" and "The Last of Us" series. From the old times Illya and me have the same game as a favourite masterpiece "Another World".



Another World — 20th Anniversary Edition

I usually prefer fast paced games. Maybe because I am older now or lack the time, I don’t want to deal with long story texts or hard puzzles that take days to solve nor do I want to get lost on the way. When I was younger I had more patience. Nowadays I guess I just want a more smooth experience.

[SlavaR]: In your opinion, what condition is the game industry in right now, after ten years? Someone says it's degrading and dying in pursuit of profit. Is it that bad? How do you think it could be fixed?

[Cagri]: I think there are many new AAA IP's coming out in the world. Let’s look at PlayStation 5. It’s having maybe the worst generation in terms of creativity. There are no new games. Always remakes, remasters of existing games. I don't see any exiting exclusives PS5 that would excite me to buy the console. Especially after I've completed every exclusive on PS4. Spider-Man or God of War are like an episode with new weapons, new skins but nothing to excite me with. We need new games! I mean new IP's completely new games made with creativity.

I can understand making a game is super expensive now. And a triple-A game with no fanbase is too risky for a business. But someone should do it right?

I am also really excited about virtual reality but I would like to see more serious big titles made for VR instead of small tech demos.

[SlavaR]: If Flying Café for Semianimals will gather again and invite you to a new project, would you be inclined to join?

[Cagri]: Count me in.

[SlavaR]: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?

[Cagri]: I feel really sad because of the war between Russia and Ukraine. I am ashamed as a person for humanity and still can’t believe these things are happening even in the year 2023.

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Cagri Cankaya site[cagricankaya.com].

The author thanks Maeda K. for help with translation.