CV

Jonathan Charles Evans

Lead Designer • Senior Designer • Scrum Leader

Email: jogo@jogosity.com  Twitter: @Jogosity  LinkedIn: Jonathan Evans

I am a highly experienced creative designer, skilled in all aspects of game development. I am modern, quick thinking and I combine raw creativity and IP generation (Lumo’s Cat, Lumo Deliveries) with significant experience with existing major IP. (Zombie Army, Crazy Taxi, PacMan, Typing of the Dead). I have worked in small indie teams and in large, 100+ team environments.

I have developed games across all major formats including PC, PS4 and XboxOne and several successful titles on iOS

My current role is with Rebellion Warwick on their explosive new undead shooter, Zombie Army 4: Dead War on which I have the role of Senior Designer. This includes the co-leadership of the brand new Horde Mode design, a wholly updated mode including numerous new and innovative features that makes its debut in ZA4.

I am also known for being the creator of the award winning iOS title, Kumo Lumo, (Macworld iOS Game of the Year 2013, App Store Editor’s Choice, Pocket Gamer 9/10 Gold Award)

Key Skills

Creative:

  • Original concept creation – Advanced
  • Level and game mechanic implementation and editing – Advanced
  • Designing with existing IP – Advanced
  • Creative leadership – Advanced
  • System Design – Advanced
  • Narrative Design – Advanced
  • Cutscene and Character Arcs Writing – Advanced
  • Economy Design & Management – Intermediate
  • Meta Game Design – Intermediate
  • UI and UX – Intermediate
  • 3D Level Design – Intermediate

Technical:

  • PC, iOS and Console development – Advanced
  • Technical Design – Intermediate
  • JavaScript – Basic
  • Maya/3DS Max – Basic

Management:

  • Scrum Leadership – Advanced
  • Free-to-Play design strategy – Advanced
  • Development schedule and strategy – Intermediate
  • Client Contact – Intermediate
  • Analytics and Live operation- Intermediate

Misc. Skills:

  • Prototyping
  • Voice-over Direction
  • Social Media
  • Digital storefront copy
  • All relevant software (Office, Illustrator etc..)

Attributes and Soft Skills

  • Creativity and Vision – Creating and delivering new ideas, games and narratives from my own “blank page” – or developing ideas from within the team and client structure.
  • Practicality – Turning a great idea into a fully functional, polished feature, creating tasks, proposing technical requirements and offering direction to the team.
  • Team Collaboration and Communication – Successfully partnering with both the design/art/UX/code and live-ops teams; and with the wider structure of publishing and corporate partners.
  • Player Understanding – Empathising with the players emotional experience and their practical needs in terms of knowledge, tutorials quest and objective communication and feedback.

Experience

Rebellion Warwick • Senior Designer • November 2017 to present day

  • Designed and scripted Episode 1 of the Zombie Army 4 DLC level “Deeper than Hell” – including 3D mesh and layout and all population and scripting
  • Co-led the all-new Horde Mode design for Zombie Army 4: Dead War.
  • Designed and implemented 3 Horde Mode maps – including all enemy population and event scripting.
  • Created the opening section of a campaign DLC level – including mesh whitebox, enemy population and all gameplay logic.
  • Trained and mentored additional team members on the creation of new Horde Maps

Radiant Worlds • Senior Designer • Aug 2016 to Nov 2017

  • Created the rolling Events system for SkySaga: Infinite Isles.
  • Designed and implemented FTUE menu-flow and video tutorial systems 
  • Contributed to creative meta game and retention mechanics

Team Lumo • Lead Designer and Co-Founder • Jan 2014 to July 2016

  • Created, developed and launched 2 original games
  • Designed and implemented all game levels
  • Collaborated with business manager on economy design
  • Contributed to social media and promotional copy

SEGA Hardlight • Level Designer and Script Writer • Nov 2013 to Feb 2014 • Contract

  • Devised and completed level designs for on all primary missions on Crazy Taxi: City Rush
  • Wrote narrative scripts and storyboards for cutscenes
  • Contributed to game structure and progression design

Modern Dream • Lead Designer • Sep 2013 to October 2013 • Post-Blitz project resurrection

  • Led technical design to convert Typing of the Dead: Overkill from light-gun shooter to text-shooter
  • Organised and and acted as main contributor to the text writing process
  • Converted, edited and re-balanced 3 complete levels
  • Contributed to client contact before and after project resurrection

Blitz Games Ltd • Design Manager • Jul 2004 to Sep 2013

  • Game design leadership and team management across 8 projects
  • Conducted staff training modules
  • Contributed to team personal development reviews and recruitment procedures
  • Pitched and presented to internal and external stakeholders and clients
  • Took charge of game system design and level design – notable achievements include:
    • Created Kumo Lumo, an original iOS game – brought to market as Blitz’s first mobile title.
    • Led design on a live, server-based enviromental game including true-to-life ecology
    • Led design team on Kinect launch-window title; including interaction design and game design
    • Designed a procedural “natural language” feedback system for American Idol games
    • Voice over direction on several games including major celebrity cast members (Simon Cowell)
  • Clients include SEGA, Google, Chillingo, Bandai-Namco, Komani, Microsoft and more

Blitz Games Ltd • Designer/Artist • Jun 1998 to Jun 2004

  • Collaborated on game design, level design and scripting
  • Contributed to 3D level and prop modeling
  • Directed cutscenes on several projects.

Public Speaking

I enjoy speaking at games industry events and have built up a good reputation for delivering fascinating ideas about game design with clarity and humour. Of particular note is my lecture at GDC Europe in August 2015 for which I received rankings of 91% positive. This talk was ranked as the 3rd best in the design track, and the 8th best talk in the entire GDC Europe event that year.

  • TIGA: Life After Launch (Leamington Spa 2016) – Porting Emotions (with Steve Stopps)
  • Pocket Gamer Connects (London 2016) – What Kind of an Indie Dev Are You?
  • GDC Europe (Cologne 2015) – Fear Love and Great Big Ideas
  • Pocket Gamer Connects (London 2015) – Design from the Heart
  • Independent Game Developers Conference (London 2015) – Fear, Love and Great Big Ideas
  • Unity Untied (London 2014) – Games for Busy People

Full video – GDC EU 2015 – “Fear, Love and Great Big Ideas”

 Human Stuff

After 19 years in the game industry, I am perhaps more enthused and passionate than ever about creating high quality games, stories and experiences. When I am away from the controller I enjoy reading and writing (I am an enthusiastic fiction writer with short stories and a completed – but not yet published – novel under my belt.)

I also love cooking, walking, photography, astronomy, theatre and cinema, going to the gym, throwing myself through mud during a Wolf Run and down mountains during Snowboarding season.

If I wasn’t making games then I probably would be writing novels or comics because I don’t really know how to do anything apart from making things up. So far this has worked out well for me.

Currently Playing

  • Destiny 2(XboxOne)
  • Jedi: Fallen Order (PC)
  • Dishonoured 2 (PC)
  • Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes (iOS)
  • Apple Arcade (iOS)

Full Game Credits

(see Games Portfolio for more details)

Rebellion: November 2017 to present day 

  • Zombie Army 4: Dead War – Senior Designer 

Radiant Worlds: August 2016 to November 2017

  • SkySaga: Infinite Isles – Senior Designer/Scrum Lead

Lumo Developments Ltd (Co-Founder): April 2014 to July 2017

  • Lumo’s Cat & the Co-op Collider (2016)  Apple TV- Design Director/Game Maker
  • Lumo’s Cat (2015) iOS – Design Director/Game Maker
  • Lumo Deliveries Inc. (2014) iOS – Design Director/Game Maker

SEGA Hardlight: November 2013 to March 2014 (Contract)

  • Crazy Taxi: City Rush (2014) iOS/Android – Level Designer & Writer

Modern Dream: September to October 2013 (Contract)

  • The Typing of the Dead Overkill (2013) Steam PC – Design Manager (Lead Designer) & Writer

Blitz Games Studios: 1998 to September 2013.

  • Paper Titans (2013) iOS – Additional Design
  • Kumo Lumo (2012) iOS – Creator and Design Manager (Lead Designer)
  • Environmental Game (2011) – Web/social game (unreleased)  – Design Manager (Lead Designer)
  • Yoostar 2 – In the Movies (2010) Xbox360 Kinect, PS3 +Eye – Design Manager (Lead Designer)
  • Karaoke Revolution Series – (2004 – 2009) – 4 Titles Xbox360, PS3) – Design Manager (Lead Designer)
  • Pac-Man World 3 – (2004) PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PSP, DS – Design Manager (Lead Designer)
  • Bad Boys 2 – (2003) PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC – Senior Designer/Scrum Leader
  • Fairly Odd Parents – Shadow Showdown (2003) – Cutscene Director
  • Zapper (2002) PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC – Assistant Manager
  • Fuzion Frenzy – (2001) Xbox Exclusive Launch Title – Designer/3D Artist

Education

BA (Hons) Animation – University of Wales – Graduated in 1997

(Course taken at Newport School of Art & Design which was merged into the University of Wales whilst I was studying.)