Derek Wicks
Operations Manager & Creative Director
Laura Castillo
Game Designer/3D Artist/Game Developer
Matthew Garwin
3D Character Artist/ Prop Artist & Game Developer
Dominic Smith
Game Programmer & C++ Game Developer
Marcus Thinn
3D Environmental/Prop Artist
Derek Wicks – Operations Manager & Creative Director
Derek is the Chief Executive for this project. His greatest strength lies in hiring talented programmers and artists to work on a shared vision—one he believes can one day rival major titles like ‘Call of Duty.’ Derek is also skilled in creating original music and sound effects, leveraging his full home studio and years of experience releasing music since high school.
His passion for multiplayer shooters began with ‘Modern Warfare 2’ in fifth grade, sparking his dream of becoming a game developer. Over the years, Derek has taught himself music production, 3D art, programming fundamentals, game design, business, and marketing. His experience in customer service has honed his communication skills, making him an empathetic leader who deeply values the contributions of his team.
Derek’s emotions are both his strength and weakness—they fuel his passion, empathy, and commitment to his team’s success. His main goal is to ensure the team collaborates effectively, using their unique skills to bring the project to life. He has a clear vision of what needs to be done to release the game within a year and is determined to see it through.
Chase Thacker – Game Programmer & C++ Game Developer
Chase is the team’s most experienced and driven Technical Artist, specializing in C++ programming, Blueprints, and Perforce. He is truly the final piece of the puzzle, bringing invaluable expertise in Unreal Engine 5 and a deep understanding of first-person shooters—giving him a clear vision of what’s needed to efficiently and effectively complete our game project. His mastery of essential game development principles has been vital to our progress, and without his contributions, none of this would have been possible.
Chase, alongside Dominic, has consistently excelled in task management, staying well ahead of schedule compared to the rest of the team. He works at a remarkable speed, much like Martin, completing a significant amount of work in a single day. More importantly, he has the foresight to anticipate challenges and sees the bigger picture, ensuring the project stays on track.
Ira Villaruel – 3D Artist General/Environmental Artist & Game Developer
3D Modeler, Character Artist, and AutoDesk Maya specialist with a focus on Organic Modeling, Sculpting, Environmental Art, and Level Design. In addition to his strengths in character concept art, his greatest asset is his adaptability—he’s not afraid to step outside his core skillset and tackle new challenges for the success of the project.
He brings logical, big-picture thinking to the team, offering reasonable solutions that help guide the project’s direction. Hardworking and reliable, he consistently meets deadlines, seamlessly shifting between different tasks to contribute effectively. His expertise extends to texturing, retopology, and baking textures, ensuring assets are game-ready for Unreal Engine. He has a solid understanding of workflow and the game development pipeline, making him an invaluable asset to the project.
Laura Castillo – Game Designer/3D Artist/Game Developer
3D Character Modeler, Animator, Concept Artist, and Texture Artist, proficient in AutoDesk Maya, with a diverse skill set spanning character design, animation, and concept art. Laura excels at producing quick, efficient concept art—particularly in character design—while also delivering clean, precise animations at a steady pace. Their eye for game design is unmatched, providing the clearest vision for the Cyberpunk vs. Solarpunk aesthetic in the project.
In addition to concept art, Laura has contributed significantly to story creation, working closely with Marcus on the game’s lore. While capable of hard surface modeling, they prefer organic modeling, but can tackle weapons and other assets with equal skill. Laura is highly versatile across various programs, able to contribute to a wide range of game design tasks, from texturing to clothing design, where they bring a unique and stylish approach. Their ability to seamlessly integrate these talents makes them an invaluable asset to the team.
Matthew Garwin – 3D Character Artist/ Prop Artist & Game Developer
3D Modeler and Character Artist with expertise in AutoDesk Maya, specializing in organic modeling and sculpting. One of his greatest strengths is his initiative and eagerness to learn beyond his core skills. If a task falls outside his usual scope, he’s quick to adapt, tackling new challenges to ensure the success of the project. His level-headedness and insightful advice make him a valuable contributor to the game’s development, and his passion for 3D art, especially character design, shines through in his work.
He is skilled in texturing, retopology, and baking textures to create game-ready assets for Unreal Engine, consistently delivering high-quality work with minimal supervision. His ability to stay on task and meet weekly deadlines is impressive, and he’s an excellent communicator, unafraid to offer his input to further improve the game. His dedication and proactive approach make him an essential member of the team.
Martin Howard – 3D Environmental/ Prop Artist & Game Developer
A 3D Modeler and Blender artist specializing in Hard Surface Modeling, he excels in rapidly creating assets from scratch. His greatest strength lies in his speed and efficiency, preferring to complete each model quickly and move on to the next, keeping the work fresh and exciting. He thrives on modeling complex game assets and embraces challenges in intricate designs. His passion for 3D modeling turns every project into an enjoyable experience, seeing his work in Blender as more ‘fun’ than ‘work.’”
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Dominic Smith – Game Programmer & C++ Game Developer
An extremely versatile and experienced C++/Blueprints programmer, he is quick, efficient, and highly effective in his craft. He’s not only a skilled developer but also a great listener with a keen ability to learn and implement complex programming within Unreal Engine. His passion for programming is evident in his ability to work tirelessly for hours, making him the ideal person for implementing game functions and features in Unreal Engine 5.
He has successfully completed nearly every task assigned to him, tackling programming challenges with confidence and ease. Out of everyone on the team, he has made the most progress in learning and adapting to the Unreal Engine project, emerging as one of our strongest programmers. Without his contributions, our game’s programming functionality would be far behind. He has put in more time than anyone in Unreal Engine, and, along with Chase Thacker, is the go-to person for any Unreal Engine 5 programming-related questions. His mastery of Blueprints has been flawless, and he is sure to become an even stronger asset to the team as time goes on.
Marcus Thinn – 3D Environmental/Prop Artist
Marcus is a 3D Modeler, Prop Artist, and Blender expert whose greatest strengths lie in his listening skills and exceptional talent for storytelling and game lore creation. While he may not be the most advanced 3D artist, he more than makes up for it with his ability to import game-ready assets into Unreal Engine and his strong creative background in crafting compelling stories. Marcus has a deep understanding of what it takes to build an immersive game world and is invaluable when it comes to creating believable characters, locations, and narratives.
He excels at coming up with names for characters and places, and his calm, level-headed approach means he doesn’t get discouraged easily. Marcus is highly adaptable and receptive when it comes to task management, and his modeling skills, particularly in weapons design, are improving daily. His contributions to both the creative and technical aspects of the project make him a key asset to the team.