April 13, 2026

Why Vision Still Matters

Introduction

When I read that Felix Schade, the solo developer behind Morbid Metal, tossed aside an entire origami art direction because it “didn’t feel like me,” I felt that in my bones. Not because I’m out here folding cranes, but because every founder I know reaches a moment where the thing they are building looks right on paper but feels completely wrong in reality.

And that disconnect always shows up in hiring too.

Felix chose gritty sci-fi over origami elegance. Tech leaders often choose the wrong hires for the same reason: because the original plan looked tidy, structured and rational. But tidy and truthful are not the same thing.

The Cost of Building Something That Isn’t You

Felix told TechRadar that his early origami concept “worked, but it didn’t really feel like me.” That one sentence could be the unofficial thesis of half the mis-hires in tech.

Here’s what I mean. I see founders do this all the time:

• Hire for the company they think they should be
• Hire for what investors might like on a slide
• Hire the safest, tidiest CV because it looks neat

Then three months later they’re whispering to me that something feels off. Not wrong. Just… not them.

That’s the danger. You can build something functional that drains your momentum because it isn’t aligned with what you actually want to create.

Creative Alignment Isn’t Fluff. It’s Fuel.

When Felix switched art direction from paper aesthetics to gritty sci-fi, the project snapped into focus. Suddenly he wasn’t just making a game. He was making his game. That kind of alignment creates speed.

Hiring works the same way. When you bring in people who amplify your identity instead of diluting it, three things happen:

• Decisions get faster
• Execution becomes cleaner
• The team feels energised

Misalignment doesn’t show up in performance reviews. It shows up in your gut.

Why Companies Keep Choosing Origami

The origami art direction was gorgeous. It wasn’t wrong. It just wasn’t Felix.

This is where companies stumble. They mistake quality for fit.

I see incredible candidates who are absolutely not right for certain environments. Not because they lack skill. Because they lack resonance.

The question isn’t “Are they good?” It’s:

• Do they move the world in the same direction as you?
• Do they bring energy to the version of the company you are actually building?
• Does the team feel more like itself with them around?

You can’t spreadsheet your way to those answers.

The Gritty Sci-Fi Test for Hiring

Let me give you a simple framework inspired by Felix’s pivot.

Ask yourself these three questions before hiring anyone:

• Would this person still thrive here if we stripped away all the polish and operated at our most raw, scrappy and honest?
• Does their presence pull us closer to our true identity or further away?
• If our culture were a game world, would this person feel native or imported?

If you hesitate on any of these, you’re probably looking at your version of the origami art style.

Conclusion

Felix Schade didn’t choose gritty sci-fi because it was safer. He chose it because it was him. And the moment he did, the entire project found its voice.

That’s the lesson for every leader hiring today. Don’t recruit for the neat paper version of your company. Recruit for the bold, messy, honest one you’re actually building.

If you want people who help you feel more like your real self as a business, not less, that’s what we do at Xist4.

And I promise, no origami required.

Back to news