Career

 Currently

As of mid-2019, I have been working at Sony’s Santa Monica Studio in the role of a Design Manager for multiple design teams. Here I help assemble, enable, and serve high performing design teams so that they can do their best work. Being back in the Sony family after 20 years is a special feeling.

Consulting

Between 2017 and 2019 I worked as a consultant for my company, Psychopomp. 

Psychopomp was a boutique video game industry consultancy, encompassing the following, 

• Game design consultation

• Game development consultation

• Video game industry knowledge & experience

Psychopomp helped a range of large and small teams to realize their creative goals and achieve the highest possible quality products via consultation, team augmentation, and custom designs. Tailored services were targeted toward a range of client types, covering dev teams, publishers, IP/rights holders and indy dev.

Halo Wars 2

Dev/Publisher: 343 Industries & Creative Assembly / Microsoft Studios
PlatforM: Xbox One & Win 10
Role: Design Director
Time on Project: First 6 Months & Final Year

Responsibilities:

• Creating a Halo quality campaign

• Collaborated with dev team on mission design, structure and flow 

• Ensuring game had the soul of a Halo console title

•  Design consultation and support to the dev team

• Weekly mission reviews

Halo: Spartan Strike

Dev/Publisher: 343 Industries & Vanguard Games / Microsoft Studios
PlatforM: iOS & Win 8 devices
Role:Design Director
Time on Project:1 Year (Concept to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Ensuring game had the soul of a Halo console title

• Design consultation and support to the dev team

• Helped with overall game balance

• Worked with dev team on weapons and mechanics

• Weekly level reviews

Halo: Spartan Assault

Dev/Publisher: 343 Industries & Vanguard Games / Microsoft Studios
PlatforM: iOS & Win 8 devices
Role: Design Director
Time on Project: 1 Year (Concept to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Ensuring game had the soul of a Halo console title

• Design consultation and support to the dev team

• Helped with overall game balance

• Worked with dev team on weapons and mechanics

• Weekly level reviews

Halo 4

Dev/Publisher: 343 Industries / Microsoft Studios
PlatforM: Xbox 360
Role: Design Director
Time on Project: 13 Months (7 months dev to ship & 6 months of DLC)

Responsibilities:

• Directed Multiplayer content from external partners

• Ensured external content was of the same quality as that produced in-house

• Helped external partners understand what it was to be Halo

• Provided feedback and guidance on content

• Weekly map reviews

Overstrike (Became F.U.S.E.)

Dev/Publisher: Insomniac Games / Electronic Arts
PlatforM: PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project:1 Year of Pre-Pro (Switched to Director of Design for studio)

Responsibilities:

• Initial prototyping of core gameplay mechanics, systems, etc.

• Collaborated on design of the core gadgets used by the agents

• Designed, built, and implemented test environments

• Designed and collaborated on vertical slice demo

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time

Dev/Publisher: Insomniac Games / SCEA
PlatforM: PlayStation 3
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project: 1.25 Years (Concept to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Managed a design team of 12 people

• Collaborated on the scope and structure with the Creative Director

• Guided level and feature implementation

• Designed the 'Sub Woofer' analogue weapon

• Re-designed the 'Vapedia' level

Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty

Dev/Publisher: Insomniac Games / SCEA
PlatforM: PlayStation 3
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project: 1 Year (Concept to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Managed the design team of 3 people

• Collaborated on the new Wrench Abilities

• Gameplay & economy tuning and balancing

• Designed the 'Viper Caverns' level

• Designed and implemented the player training section

• Implemented the 'Hoolefar Island' hub level

• Implemented the 'Azorean Sea pt2' level

Resistance 2

Dev/Publisher: Insomniac Games / SCEA
PlatforM: PlayStation 3
Role: Supporting the team shipping the game
Time on Project: 3 months (Alpha to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Took WIP final level (which was behind schedule) through to ship

• Collaborated in implementing final boss

Ratchet & Clank: Tools Of Destruction

Dev/Publisher: Insomniac Games / SCEA
PlatforM: PlayStation 3
Role: Senior Designer (reporting directly to the Creative Director)
Time on Project: 2 Years (Early dev to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Created metrics for world and object building

• Designed the 'Gelanator' gadget

• Designed and implemented the following levels

  • Zordoom Prison

  • Fastoon

  • Mukow

• Collaborated on the space shooter mode

• Designed and implemented the 5 space shooter levels

James Bond: From Russia With Love

Dev/Publisher: Electronic Arts
PlatforM: PlayStation 2 and Xbox
Role: Senior Designer
Time on Project: 1 Year (Mid dev to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Member of the 'Combat and Controls' team

• Created metrics for interactive objects

• Analyzed levels for camera issues

• Implemented several of Bond's gadgets

Tomb Raider: Legend

Dev/Publisher: Crystal Dynamics / Eidos
PlatforM: PlayStation 2 and Xbox
Role: Senior Designer
Time on Project: 1 Year (Concept to mid dev)

Responsibilities:

• Led the efforts of the level design team

• Designed 2 levels for the game - 'Tokyo' and 'Russia'

• Worked on prototypes levels, scenarios and events

Legacy Of Kain: Defiance

Dev/Publisher: Crystal Dynamics / Eidos
PlatforM: PlayStation 2 and Xbox
Role: Senior Designer
Time on Project: 1 Year (Mid dev to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Designed and implemented the 'Sarafan Stronghold' level

• Designed and implemented 'The Citadel' level

Legacy Of Kain: Blood Omen 2

Dev/Publisher: Crystal Dynamics / Eidos
PlatforM: PlayStation 2 and Xbox
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project: 2 Years (Early dev to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Managed the design team of 6 people

• Designed the combat system to fit the camera and controls

• Collaborated on the design of the 'Dark Gift' powers

• Redesigned and implemented 'The Canyons' level

• Gameplay tuning and balancing

Colony Wars: Vengeance

Dev/Publisher: Psygnosis / SCEE
PlatforM: PlayStation
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project: 1 Year (Concept to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Managed the design team of 5 people

• Collaborated on the 'play the other side' storyline

• Designed new weapons systems and 'tools' for the various spacecraft

• Implemented approx 1/5th of the game's missions

Colony Wars

Dev/Publisher: Psygnosis / SCEE
PlatforM: PlayStation
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project: 2 Years (Concept to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Collaborated on the controls and camera

• Created the CW universe fiction and foundation storyline

• Designed weapons systems for the various spacecraft

• Worked with several different programmers on enemy/ally behaviors

• Gameplay tuning and balancing

• Implemented approx 1/3rd of the game's missions

Krazy Ivan

Dev/Publisher: Psygnosis / SCEE
PlatforM: PlayStation
Role: Lead Designer
Time on Project: 1 Year (Early dev to ship)

Responsibilities:

• Collaborated on the controls and camera
• Designed the enemy behaviors with the game's Lead Programmer
• Gameplay tuning and balancing