BRETT  JOHNSON

SEATTLE, WA
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TECHNICAL GAME | EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
  • Problem Solving – Comfortable working with ambiguity and driven by “big challenges”. Collaborate with teams to define the problem space, evaluation criteria, break complex problems down actionable pieces and iterate toward successful creative and/or technical solutions
  • Rapid Prototyping – Able to iterate on ideas quickly, in build, with new and existing content
  • Multiplayer/Social Design – Utilizing latest behavioral science to build social frameworks for global IP. Created new, genre defining social experience for Microsoft’s new server backed platform.
  • Technical Skills – C# / Unity, Unreal, Maya, modeling, texturing, lighting, tools and pipeline development, best practices and standards to support an iterative design process
  • Inventor/Patents – Author and patent holder in areas of human computer interaction, haptics, procedural content generation, audio, multiplayer/social design, and peripherals/input devices
  • Indie Game Experience – Shipped two indie titles from concept to completion using Unreal and Unity, including all code, game and UI design, and 2D and 3D content.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

ELECTRONIC ARTS / POPCAP, Seattle, WA

2015-2017

Sr. Designer – PvZ2, PvZ Heroes, Unannounced Title

Recruited to help PopCap develop effective Free to Play designs for its Plants vs Zombies IP. Developed, prototyped, and delivered designs for multiple Plants vs Zombies products and live services utilizing latest behavioral science, player data, and industry trends.

  • Delivered high fidelity prototypes and content for live games, resulted in more focused production and faster content creation
  • Built functional prototypes in Unity for game and combat mechanics resulting in faster iteration of game concepts and design development
  • Redesigned QA feedback loop with remote team in Romania, resulting in faster, more consistent, higher quality feedback, enabling quicker response times for the live services game team

 

AMAZON, Seattle, WA

2013-2015
Sr. Designer – Multiple titles, Multiple Platforms

Recruited to help establish AGS (Amazon Game Studios). Develop design standards, mentor designers, and deliver designs to showcase Amazon’s hardware and software technologies.

  • Leveraged data, analytics, and user research to cultivate hypotheses and inform product
  • Lead a team to develop a product roadmap for Amazon’s cloud rendering technology. Resulted in studio wide excitement for the project and the team praised for its highly collaborative process
  • Developed prototypes for other teams resulting in faster design iteration and concept development
  • 8 patent awards in areas of input, audio, computer vision, content creation, and artificial intelligence

 

Z2 LIVE, Seattle, WA

2012-2013
Sr. Designer – MetalStorm Aces

Contract work to gain experience developing mobile Free to Play games and live services.

  • Improved content pipelines and process, resulted in higher quality, faster production, more content at launch, and sustainable as a live service
  • Designed and modeled 3D multiplayer environments to facilitate highly competitive play and avoid weakness inherent with aerial combat while showcasing the engine’s high quality rendering
  • UI design, unit balance and progression curves, audio design support

 

iWin, (Remote) San Francisco, CA

2010-2011

Sr. Designer – 1 vs 100 Mobile

Recruited to lead iWin’s mobile/social initiative based on my experience with the 1 vs 100 global IP.

  • Delivered functional prototypes, design documentation, and evaluated various 2D and 3D technologies for consideration in product development
  • Coordinated with international developers to review designs and create development schedules
  • Mentored designers to improve their mobile designs

 

Microsoft, Redmond, WA

2008-2010
Sr. Designer – 1 vs 100 Xbox LIVE, Kinect Adventures

Recruited to showcase Microsoft’s new server-backed-games platform. Lead Designer for 1 vs 100, a critically acclaimed, massively casual trivia game show that pioneered a new genre – live programmatic games. Earned Guinness world record for “most contestants in a game show” with over 114,000 simultaneous players.

  • Developed prototypes to evaluate design direction and surface technical requirements/limitations
  • Created and managed all design documentation to deliver feature development on time and to spec
  • Cross team collaboration with IP holders, back end developers, avatar creators, and legal department
  • Provided audio design, wrote dialogue and directed VO sessions
  • Awarded multiple patents related to the Xbox LIVE Primetime Service and game design

 

Sony Online Entertainment, Bellevue, WA

2007-2008

Sr. Designer – The Agency

Develop PvP and PvE designs for action based MMO title using the Unreal engine.

  • Prototype, test, and incorporate feedback for PVP and PVE designs to set direction for the product
  • AI modeling/scripting (bots) to simulate realistic multiplayer behaviors
  • Developed tools and process resulting in improved production quality and consistency across team

 

Gas Powered Games, Redmond, WA

2005-2007

Sr. Designer – Supreme Commander, Space Siege, Throne of Agony(PSP)

  • Oversaw design for external development of Dungeon Siege PSP
  • Developed content pipeline enabling a single designer to deliver ~35 multiplayer maps for Supreme Commander at production quality and under schedule
  • Space Siege – Prototyped concepts to creatively leverage studios aging technology for a new product

 

PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Cranky Pants Games – Evil Dead: Regeneration – pipelines/mechanics/character/weapon/level design

Escape Factory – Space Quest, – Lead Level Designer, pipelines/tools/mechanics/character design

Gas Powered Games – Dungeon Siege – Lead Level Designer, pipelines/tools/character design

Valve Software – Half Life, TFC – Helped develop scripted event system, prototypes contributed to the foundation for Half Life 1,  helped with tool development allowing for rapid iteration, designed various levels for HL1, including multplayer level Stalkyard, and TFC, “The Hunted” map.

 

EDUCATION

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.

Completed 116/128 credits toward a Bachelor’s Degree Biochemistry/Biophysics