I Joined Respawn Entertainment!
I’m now a Technical Game Designer at Respawn Entertainment as part of the Star Wars team. Which is crazy…
I’ve been following Respawn Entertainment ever since its inception. I remember hearing the news and being excited that the core of people that made one of my favorite games, Call of Duty 4, were going to be out on their own with full creative freedom. Since then, Respawn has made good on that initial potential several times over and it’s clear that Respawn’s interests stretch far beyond one genre or one intellectual property. Just this last week the debut trailer for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a new VR-exclusive from the team at Respawn, dropped during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live and it looks awesome!
And so when the opportunity came up to join their Star Wars team, it was a definitive no-brainer for me.
I just finished my first week at Respawn and, to be completely honest, I’m still wrapping my head around it all. And although I’m currently working remotely, I’ll be moving in a couple weeks to live in Los Angeles permanently. Which, again, is another surreal thing to put into words.
I’ve wanted to move to California ever since I watched The O.C. in high school (that show absolutely rules btw so don’t come for me like that). Originally being from the suburbs of NYC, going to school in Buffalo, and then living in Chicago for the last 6 years has left me entirely sick of the cold weather. Plus I miss the coast! Chicago is an amazing city, but it’s difficult to escape the it without driving for a couple hours—and even then it’s still just so flat. But I will miss it because it does mean and represent a lot to me—including many important relationships and my first job in the industry at NetherRealm Studios (NRS).
At NRS I was working as a Software Engineer on the gameplay team helping make fighting games. When I joined back in 2016, I didn’t love fighting games, but over time I absolutely fell in love with their systems, competition, and community. After two shipped titles, a GDC talk, many major tournaments, countless new friends, and 4+ years of work, I felt like I had exhausted my impact a bit. The excitement of learning a genre I knew little about in order to serve its audience had worn off, I didn’t want to live through another Chicago winter, and I was looking for a new challenge in my role as well. I didn’t want to be just an engineer anymore and instead wanted to design as well. NRS just wasn’t the right fit for me anymore, but I’ll always be grateful to them for giving me an opportunity. They helped me attain my dream career of working in video games and for that I’ll always be in their debt. But it was time for me to move on—though only for the right opportunity.
I played Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order earlier this year for the first time. Not playing it when it launched in late 2019 was a big mistake, as it may have been my personal game of the year (though Control is really special). The back half of the game is packed to the brim with jaw-dropping moments that make it an excellent story on top of its layered combat systems and fun exploration.
When I saw they had a Technical Game Designer position open, I knew I had to apply. I wanted to transition my career into a more design-centric role to bring more of my ideas to life, but I also didn’t want to stop implementing those ideas to become a pen-and-paper designer (no offense to those who are, but it’s just not for me personally). I honestly thought getting the job was a pipe dream because of the discipline switch and because Respawn is such a coveted developer. But I put together the best portfolio I could and took my shot.
And now I’m a Technical Game Designer on the Star Wars team. One of the biggest intellectual properties in the history of pop culture. At one of the industry’s best studios. This is crazy!
I don’t really have anything poignant to say. I just wanted to capture this moment as I transition my career and move across the country to live in LA. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. I’m incredibly grateful for this life and I’m ecstatic to be where I am right now.
Until next time, I’m off to re-watch all the Star Wars movies in timeline order!
