Experience

As a member of Niantic’s “Tiger Team,” I’m part of a pioneering group of spatial computing experts based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Over the past decade, our team has been at the forefront of creating world-first mixed reality (XR) games and experiences, blending cutting-edge technology with real-world interaction.

We play a critical role in supporting game teams, such as Pokémon GO, to conceptualize, build, and ship AR-focused features and experiences that delight millions of players worldwide. Beyond supporting live games, we also explore the future of augmented reality by working on internal prototypes. These span a range of hardware, from the latest head-mounted displays to everyday smartphones, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in spatial computing.

I co-founded a company focused on augmented reality, bringing together some of the most talented individuals in the industry. We collaborated with top-tier studios both locally and globally on innovative XR projects, including contributions to skatrix.io, Destination Mars, Qualcomm, and Niantic. Several other projects we worked on were confidential and not publicly disclosed.

One of our key achievements was the development of the StoryXR framework, designed to accelerate the creation and deployment of XR projects. I was also deeply involved in the successful acquisition of NZXR by Niantic, marking a significant milestone in our journey.

Contracted to a billion-dollar company renowned for leading the field in location-based AR games on mobile, I successfully collaborated with their London-based team while working remotely from Wellington, NZ.

Part I:

I supported the team as they took an internal project to green light by assisting with prototyping and proving out gameplay concepts. This allowed the main development team to focus on building for scale. Additionally, I provided technical art support, ensuring the project met high standards of visual and functional quality.

Part II:

I assumed responsibility for delivering a unique augmented reality experience to accompany the main build. Working closely with the Creative Director and Lead Game Designer, I collaborated with the in-house AR SDK development team, testing experimental features and providing feedback to refine the technology. I also analyzed and optimized the AR SDK systems, feeding results back upstream. My optimization efforts significantly improved performance, increasing frame rates from under 15 FPS to over 50 FPS.

"[This] AR prototype is one of the most exciting AR
gameplay demos I seen recently." - CEO

I served as a committee member for the 2017 New Zealand Game Developers Conference, contributing to the successful organization and execution of the event. My responsibilities included managing the conference’s social media channels during the event, ensuring effective communication and engagement with attendees.

I grew the analytics team from a seed idea to a high-performing group of four, seamlessly integrated into the product development and analysis cycles. As the team manager, I oversaw day-to-day operations and personally conducted all interviews for new hires.

I designed and built a gameplay analytics processing pipeline that turned billions of monthly events into actionable insights. I also created real-time dashboards to provide teams with up-to-the-minute information about PikPok’s 30+ products.

Additionally, I developed custom collection and reporting solutions to track key business performance indicators for decision-makers. I brought detailed reports and analysis to product meetings, reviews, and scrums, actively contributing to product decision-making.

I built PikPok’s Technical Art team from the ground up, focusing on improving interdepartmental communication, troubleshooting, and performance optimization. I was responsible for the art department's production tools and the entire content pipeline, developing systems in Unity and over four other game engines.

I successfully shipped more than 10 console titles and over 30 mobile titles, including notable games such as Into the Dead, Giant Boulder of Death, Flick Kick series, Rival Stars Basketball, and Robot Unicorn Attack 2.