Luis Izaguirre shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Luis, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, what’s bringing me the most joy is spending time with my fiancée. We’re celebrating five years together with an upcoming trip to Tokyo, and I couldn’t be more excited. She’s my favorite person to share life with, whether it’s exploring new places or just enjoying the quiet, everyday moments. This trip feels like a celebration of everything we’ve built together, both personally and creatively.
On another note, I’m also incredibly excited about the progress of our trading card game. It’s a physical TCG with digital integration, and seeing it come to life has been surreal. It’s part of the larger universe we’re building at XLStudios, the creative studio I co-founded with my brother. Over time, I infused it with my own struggles, beliefs, and growth. But it was my fiancée who gave it heart. Her presence turned passion into purpose, and now every part of this universe is a quiet celebration of the love and connection we share.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey, I’m Luis Izaguirre, also known as Lockdown.
I’m a storyteller, game designer, and co-founder of XLStudios, a creative studio I built with my brother to push immersive experiences, through art, games, and narrative.
At XLStudios, we’re developing a 1000-comic series that explores the raw, complex relationships that shape us, while exporing the vast Oblivion universe we developed. It’s a story rooted in personal truth, emotional depth, and the belief that connection, no matter how messy, is what drives us forward.
We’re also creating a physical trading card game (TCG) with rich lore and original creature archetypes. Each archetype features unique mechanics and thematic depth, with subtle nods to anime and gaming culture. While the game is played physically, we’re integrating simultaneously developing a digital version, with features such as being platform-adaptive, login systems, and localization to enhance gameplay, track progress, and connect players across devices.
Beyond games and comics, we’re building a community through Discord, always keeping accessibility and fan engagement at the core.
At XLStudios, we don’t just create, we amplify stories, emotions, and connections. Whether it’s through a card’s ability, a comic’s panel, or a shared moment at a game night, we want people to feel something especial.
Last, but more importantly, I got engaged and I’m very excited for that chapter.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Bonds break when pride and fear overshadow empathy and love. When we stop listening, when fear, envy, or the pressure to appear unbreakable push us apart, we bend or fracture. Not always because we want to, but because we don’t know how to stay whole in the face of pain.
But bonds can be restored, when there’s still respect and love. Through truth. Through vulnerability. Through consistency. Through the quiet, deliberate choice to show up, even when it’s hard.
It’s not about pretending the cracks never happened, it’s about choosing to fill them with something stronger.
There are many Japanese themes woven into the story I’m crafting.
Think of it as a Japanese-Honduran fusion, a blend of cultures, emotions, and mythologies.
One legend I hold close is the Akai Ito, the Red Thread of Fate. It’s said to tie the little fingers of two destined souls. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it never breaks.
Another concept I love is kintsukuroi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold.
The cracks don’t disappear; they become part of the object’s beauty. That’s how I see relationships.
Not as fragile things to shield from damage, but as resilient forms that carry their history with pride.
In my work I explore these fractures and repairs, because I believe connection isn’t perfect, but it’s worth restoring.
But when it’s real, and when it’s worth it, restoration makes it more beautiful than it ever was before.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I’m always giving up, every single day. But I won’t let anyone say they broke me.
Not because I’m invincible, but because I refuse to let the weight of doubt define me.
There’s a song that resonates deeply with me: “Prove” by ONE OK ROCK.
I like think of it as the unofficial theme song of the universe I’m creating.
It speaks to the constant need to prove ourselves, not to others, but to ourselves.
To keep evolving. To keep showing up.
To give people the chance to prove they’re more than what the world expects.
That belief isn’t just part of my creative work, it’s part of my life. It’s what led me to make a promise to my fiancée at the start of the year:
I won’t give up on us. Even if the skies get rough, I’m giving you all my love.
I’m a passionate individual. I don’t deal in absolutes, but when it comes to love, projects, or relationships, I believe you should burn hot enough to keep the flame alive, or it’ll simply fade.
And no matter what happens, I’ll keep trying.
Because it’s in those moments, especially the hard ones, where showing up matters most.
And that’s the phrase I live by:
Do your best.
Because whatever the outcome, no one can take away the fact that I gave it my best.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
My fiancée’s.
She doesn’t just support me, she challenges me, grounds me, and reminds me why I started this project. Her perspective helps me see beyond my own intensity, and her belief in me is often the reason I keep going when I feel like folding.
Her ideas aren’t always loud, but they’re steady. They show up in the way I write about love, in the way I build relationships in my stories, and in the promise I made to never give up on us.
She’s the heart of the emotional blueprint of the universe I’m creating.
When I see her, I like to think of her as Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. She is the kind of person who sees through the noise and finds the heart within. A gentle and noble soul, content with the little things in life, sharing a movie, getting a massage together, rubbing her feet, covering her with a blanket to make sure she’s resting, opening up with me, and cherishing our playful moments when we fool around like kids.
She once dedicated a message to me: “Para el joven aún es niño de corazón.”
And in that moment, I knew she was the one.
Because she saw in me what Sophie saw in Howl, a man with the heart of a child.
Although I don’t share much of my personal life on my accounts, as I like to keep things private, all my work is dedicated to celebrating the amazing partner she is.
And I can only hope to be as amazing as she is.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope they talk about the world I built.
Oblivion is a universe born from childhood wonder, sparked by the magic of Cardcaptor Sakura, the mystery of kaiju like Godzilla, and the emotional storytelling of Studio Ghibli.
It started as a dream, a place where imagination could run wild. But as I grew older, I poured my struggles, beliefs, and questions into it. It matured with me.
And then, everything changed. The fire was already burning, but my fiancée gave it a soul.
She became the heart of this project. Her presence turned passion into purpose. She reminded me that stories aren’t just about spectacle, they’re about connection, about love, about showing up for someone even when it’s hard.
Although I keep my personal life private, every piece of this universe is a quiet celebration of the amazing partner she is. I hope people see that in the work. I hope they feel the love, the fight, the resilience.
And I hope they say:
“He built something that mattered. Something that made people feel and be shared. And in the end, he never stopped trying to give it his best.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://xlstudiosllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xlstudiosllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/XLStudiosLLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LockdownXLS
- Other: https://comic.xlstudiosllc.com/
https://www.instagram.com/Lockdownxls/@lockdownxls
https://www.tiktok.com/@xlstudiosllc
Image Credits
© Luis Diego Izaguirre Sierra / XLStudios. All rights reserved.
