Places I've lived in
Pune | 2 Ubisoft internships
HCMC | Gameloft internship
Recife | Boyhood
Valenciennes | GD & Management M2 (Supinfogame - Rubika)
Newcastle | GD at Ubisoft Reflections
Newcastle | AI Designer at People Can Fly
Profile
Skills
My key skills are prototyping, my knowledge of design methods, and most importantly, communication.
Over time and through various projects, I developed a passion for Game Design. I specialize in systems, 3C and AI but I'm also very interested by progression, tutorials, and readability.
When designing a feature, I always think of my responsibilities as problems to solve, through both rational documentation and prototyping. The key offer several solutions. Indeed, there is never a 100% fit, you always end up with a list of pros and cons. Even though I push for one of the options in particular, keeping others on the side allows me to bounce back quickly!
During my studies and jobs, I tried out as many positions as possibles: Level Design, UI, UX, Sound Design, Management, Marketing, Programming, Art (checkout my artworks here). In a team, a Game Designer is a bridge: knowing the other roles technical and creative constraints is a huge plus to discuss and understand their intentions.
On a day-to-day basis, I stay positive, and open-minded. Those traits developed a high sense for human relations and a motivational-oriented leadership.
Career goals
I enjoy working on a lot of aspects of Game Design, AI and systems being my favorite, while also being interested by progression and systems. My past student, personal, and professional projects showed me that I felt the most fulfilled when I had more dependencies with not only other designers but also artists, programmers, sound designers, producers etc... In short: I love communicating!
Once I gather enough knowledge and experience, I would love to become a Lead Game Designer, making me able to handle important responsibilities, carry a vision, advice game designers, teach methodologies, and communicate with all direction and other disciplines!
Background
I am very adaptable, being born of a French father and a Flemish mother. When I was 11, I moved to Brazil and studied in an American School so I embraced two more cultures and languages.
After my High School graduation in 2015, my experience at Gameloft in Saigon, Ubisoft in Pune, India, and later in Newcastle, UK, helped me develop that multicultural background from a professional point of view.
Passions
Apart from videogames, I spend time playing classical guitar and listening to music. I'm a huge Hip Hop head and regularly share friends' work on my youtube channel.
Physically active, I go to the gym and occasionally do yoga and bouldering to channel my energy. I also enjoy team sports such as football, basketball, and voleyball.
Apart from that, I've got an odd obsession for flags and bake bread on a daily basis!
Timeline
Start
1997
Born from a French father and a Flemish mother in the Paris suburbs, I grew up in a diverse environment. Like many children, I was passionate by games, but frustrated when I felt that they could be improved!
5 games that made my childhood:
2008
Moving out for the 1st time
Living in Brazil and going to an American school all of a sudden made me very adaptable, while embracing two new cultures and languages.
My will to join the game industry grew more and more as time went by...
5 games that made my boyhood:
Back in France
2015
Came back to get the French scientific baccalaureate diploma (computer science minor) with honors.
Even though all courses were interesting, I didn't feel a true connection. I was rather motivated by level editors, Unity tutorials, or simply by writing game concepts.
Summer 2015
Gameloft internship
Just one day after my school exams, I flew to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a Game Design internship in one of Gameloft's studios.
It was my first step into the industry. I understood the true position of a GD within a development team.
I first helped making documents for Dragon Mania Legends updates, before switching to a team making minigames: small advergames inside Gameloft games, lasting 40
I enjoyed sharing concepts, presentation documents, as well as giving feedback and discussing with artists, programmers, and producers.
Game Design Bachelor
Fall 2015 to summer 2018
At the end of my internship, I started a Bachelor in Game Design at Supinfogame - RUBIKA, Valenciennes, in the North of France.
I made my first team projects (board games and small game prototypes), learned about about Game Design and Level Design theory, while also having diverse courses on marketing, programming, management, data analysis, 3D modeling, drawing, art history, filmmaking, perspective, colors etc...
This allowed me get a better global picture of what other roles inside are doing, as well as extending my global knowledge.
Spring 2017
Selected for the FIJ
During my bachelor's 1st year, I dedicated a lot of time on Ha'Garta, a tower defense board game set in a fantasy universe, for 4 players, from conception to printing.
Because we believed in the projet and had some great feedback from playtesters, we decided to participate to the Protolab, a contest for board game authors to showcase their project at the Festival International des Jeux de Cannes, Europe's second biggest board game festival.
During the event, I learned a lot about communication, pitching, and explaining rules while keeping players engaged!
More game events
2017
Because I enjoyed presenting and wanted to extend my network, I decided to grab every opportunity in the field to showcase games for other developers.
I also loved meeting passionate players and directly connecting them with their experience face-to-face, whether it was a mobile game, an indie games, a board games, or a AA games:
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Joan of Arc at the Essen Game Fair
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Final Fantasy Brave Exvius during a private event
Spring 2018
Going for the GDC!
After helping presenting Hyper Olympic at the Paris Games Week 2017, an alternate controller based on the 1983 hit called "Track & Field", I wanted to create my own.
I took advantage of a study workshop with Tatiana Vilela Dos Santos aka 'MechBird' about the topic to gather a team of designers and artists, and make an alternate controller with the help of my best friend who at the time, had made a small robot project for his studies in electronics.
The result: Mark Wars, a 1v1 AI game with a marker pen as a controller, which got the team selected to the Alt. Ctrl category of the IGF 2018 at the GDC, an incredible experience, learning closely from actors of the game industry.
Ubisoft internships
Summers 2018 and 2019
Right after the GDC event, I had an opportunity to reach the Ubisoft India studio manager as I was quite interested by doing internships there and learn about India, a country which at the time I was afraid off.
Following an interview process, I went to Pune during the 2 upcoming summers, in-between my studies, to assist the production of a Prince of Persia: Sand of Times Remake as a Game Designer.
During the 1st internship, I mainly worked on document templates for Level Designers, making Player Journeys, dialogues with Sound Designers, achievements and assisting GD/LD training.
During the 2nd internship, I took more responsibilities by mainly working on controls and the AI, through both documentation and prototyping, with the help of programmers and animators.
Fall 2018 to summer 2020
Game Design M2
Following my bachelor in Game Design, I continued with a Masters' in Game Design & Management, primarily focused on workshops and classes with professionals from the industry including:
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AI with a The Witcher 3 Lead Designer from CD Projekt Red
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Level Architecture with a Level Architect from Arkane Studios
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Concept Phase with a former design director from Ubisoft
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UE4 prototyping with External Technical Director
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Hypercasual games with Voodoo
My most important student project was Battle Cars, a 64 player Car Battle Royale developed with 6 other students during my graduation year.
Ubisoft as a Junior
Fall 2020 to April 2022
Post-graduation, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to be: a Game Designer in AAA studio, being responsible for key features and having communication being a central part of my job.
After a few hard choices to make and a long research process, I was very thankful for being selected as a GD for Ubisoft Reflections in Newcastle through the Graduate Program.
I'm currently working there on a AAA to be announced, surrounded by experienced designers and a lovely team!
Spring 2021
First talk
Thanks to UKIE and Ubisoft Reflections, I had the opportunity to do my first design talk with other professionals during an online student conference.
It's a 20 minute presentation about making your GDDs clear and convincing (01:45:30).
A few things to improve but I had a great time!
Mentoring game jams
May 2021 to now
Through both work and Loisirs Numériques, a french association, I've started taking opportunities to help teams of students in game jam, sharing my knowledge and helping out in a few fields such as game design, level design, sound design, management, and programming. One of these projects was "La Galère Volante" through the BJV Game Jam, which gave me a new perspective on mentoring.
April to December 2022
Ubisoft as an intermediate
After 1.5 years of working at Ubisoft Reflections on the new AAA, I was promoted from Junior to Intermediate Designer. It reflected new responsibilities, such as taking the ownership of features having a bigger impact on the game, whether 3C-oriented, progression-oriented, or supporting other larger aspects, as well as guiding newjoiners and more junior designers.
BAFTA YGD Jury
June 2022
Invitation to participate to the Jury for the 2022 edition of the BAFTA Young Game Designers Awards, where I analyzed concepts from 15-18 years old kids and discussed about them with other professionals. A great experience showing talents of the future and discover different views within the game industry!
January 2023 to now
People Can Fly as an AI Designer
After almost 3 years at Ubisoft Reflections, I decided to take on a new challenge and join People Can Fly as an AI Designer. It was an opportunity to focus on the field of AI, which I'm passionate above, and learn a company culture different from what I've experienced in the past, and improve my prototyping skills in the Unreal Engine to become a more versatile Game Designer.
More to come... thank you for reading!