JAMES WITCOMB
GAME DESIGNER
Currently Associate Game Design Director at Criterion Games (Electronic Arts).
From pitch to post-release, I have developed a comprehensive design skillset from a career
spanning multiple genres and platforms. With a proven track record of owning and delivering features to a high standard and a reputation for dependability. Experienced in empowering, coaching and leading a team of designers.
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CREDITS
2014
Worms 3
iOS, ANDROID
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Level design for 30+ single player levels
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UI Design
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Post-release updates and content design
2014
Flockers
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC
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Console port controls & UI changes
2014
Schrödinger’s Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC
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Level design for 50+ single player levels
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Console controls
2015
Flockers
iOS, ANDROID
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Built/scripted contraptions as level dressing
2015
The Escapists
XBOX 360, XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4
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Rebuilt prisons
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Narrative design of NPC Dialogue
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Escape scoring/rating system design
2016
WORMS 4
iOS, ANDROID
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Level design of single player campaign missions and multiplayer maps
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UI design
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Economy design
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Loot and reward system design
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Design and balancing of new weapons
2016
WORMS WMD
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC, NINTENDO SWITCH
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Design of the random level generation system for multiplayer levels, and creation of the base seeds used for all levels
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Level design of building interiors
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Wrote new speech banks and updated old speech banks for new in-game actions
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Weapon crafting system balancing
2017
The Escapists: Prison Escape
iOS, ANDROID
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Controls/input design for mobile devices
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UI redesign for mobile devices
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Tutorial redesign & scripting
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Difficulty rebalancing
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Social features design
2017
Yooka Laylee
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC, NINTENDO SWITCH
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Level Design for mini games
2017
The Escapists 2
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC, NINTENDO SWITCH
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Systems design for prison routines and escape methods
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Design and creation of 10 prisons, including layout, dressing, and A.I. patrol routes
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Game balancing (including item spawn rates and A.I. behaviours)
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Scripting and animation of over 60 in-game cutscenes
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Narrative design for NPC dialogue and Escapists lore
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Quest design and logic scripting
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Design lead for all post-release content, creating the concept/theme for each and doing all design-related implementation in engine:
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The Glorious Regime DLC
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Wicked Ward DLC
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Santa's Shakedown DLC
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Big Top Breakout DLC
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Dungeon's And Duct Tape DLC
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Snow Way Out DLC
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2019
Genesis Alpha One
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC
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UI design for the main menu, new game and results (campaign success/fail) screens
2019
The Escapists 2: Pocket Breakout
iOS, ANDROID
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Controls/input design for mobile devices
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UI redesign for mobile devices
2019
Automachef
PC, NINTENDO SWITCH
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Design of Contracts mode, a sandbox career mode
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Tutorial design and scripting
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Level design and objective balancing
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Console control design
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UI design and implementation, including creation of UI assets/animations
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Narrative design for central story
2019
Blasphemous
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC
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Design consultant providing regular feedback on builds, leaving to improvements in movement, level design and combat
2020
The Survivalists
XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION 4, PC
Responsible for procedural systems, and for defining the game lore, as the expert on 'The Escapists' lore, making sure that the title retained the humour and dialogue style expected for 'The Escapists' universe.
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Procedural quest generation system design
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Procedural location name generation system design
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Level design for locations/set pieces
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Narrative design of diary entries/lore
2020
DiRT 5
XBOX ONE/SERIES X/S, PLAYSTATION 4/5, PC, STADIA
Design owner for user generated content systems, including in-game toolsets and interfaces for sharing/promoting created content.
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Design lead for Playgrounds, an in-game level editor for players to create and share their own challenges
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Design lead for multiplayer party modes
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Level design for multiplayer game mode arenas and campaign challenge arenas
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Design and balancing of the Gymkhana game mode
2022-2024
Need for Speed Unbound
XBOX SERIES X/S, PLAYSTATION 5, PC
Predominantly involved during year 2 of live service, being part of the Kaizen Team - A year of rapid, agile development and incremental improvements for Unbound. Involved from high-level design right down to in-engine implementation.
Volume 9 - "Lockdown'
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Design lead for Lockdown, a multiplayer PvPvE extraction mode
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Created the initial Lockdown concept/pitch
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Foundational design of each feature area of Lockdown - From high level game flow to individual gameplay beats and experience goals
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Oversaw
Volume 7 - "Drift & Drag'
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Design lead for Leagues, a solo progression system within the Free Roam multiplayer
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League Implementation / balancing
Volume 6 - "Head to Head'
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Design lead for PVP mode, a dedicated space for players to focus on pure competition
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PVP implementation / content scheduling
Volume 3
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Design lead for Linkups, communal challenge spaces that reward players for working together to beat increasingly difficult challenges, against the clock
TBA
BATTLEFIELD
TBA
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?
EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION
Criterion Games (Electronic Arts)
2023 - Present
2022 - 2023
Associate Game Design Director
Game Designer II
Codemasters
2021 - 2022
2022 - 2021
Senior Game Designer
Experienced Game Designer
Team17
2013 - 2019
Game Designer
The University of Huddersfield
2009 - 2012
Computer Games Design (BA Hons)
SKILLS
Leadership
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Design Leadership & management
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Hiring to build design departments
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Mentoring of hard & soft skills
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Efficient documentation standards and processes
Creative
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Pitch documentation & presentation
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Experience-first design
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Designing for player archetypes
Design
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Systems
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Game modes
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Level
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User Interfaces
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Economy
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User Generated Content (UGC)
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Gameplay Scripting
SOFTWARE
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Frostbite
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Unity
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Confluence
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Jira
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MS Office Suite
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Miro
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Photoshop
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Illustrator
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Figma
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Source Control (Perforce, Plastic etc.)
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PowerBI
