Marcus Montgomery

Marcus Montgomery

creative director and game design leader

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

Hello. I ama game designer.a salsa dancer.a founder.a wrestler.a hard worker.a mentor.a comic book reader.a coach.a leader.a collaborator.a director.

I am a Game Design Director who believes rapid prototyping, clear process, and respected people make the best games. I love exploring new ideas and empowering others to make their visions come to life.

SKILLS

LEADERSHIP

Leadership doesn’t always mean you have be in charge, but it does mean taking charge of the areas you can control.  I setup a design processes to encourage creativity and initiative from all team members.

CREATIVE DIRECTION

Guiding a project and the people working on is extremely rewarding.  I like working with a team to define and refine concepts.

GAME MECHANICS

I love to create game mechanics from player abilities to enemy behavior and skills.  This is the meat of the game and I love to find some hook to entice players.

SYSTEM BALANCE

Once the game has all its moving parts, I love to start tuning the game.  This is where the rubber meets the road of game design.

WHY SLEEPY GENIUS?

Have you ever been about to fall asleep, your mind spinning from the challenges of the day, when suddenly you sit up in bed and exclaim, “I’ve got it!”? That is a moment of Sleepy Genius. You may find as you are clear the mental cobwebs from a long night’s rest, a perfect moment of clarity provides a solution to a long-standing problem… this too, is Sleepy Genius. We have all experienced it, and sometimes those moments contain our absolute best ideas.

MY WORKS

Power Rangers: Legacy Wars

Power Rangers: Legacy Wars

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Zombie Gunship Survival

Zombie Gunship Survival

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

TOME: Immortal Arena

TOME: Immortal Arena

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

DANCE CENTRAL 3

DANCE CENTRAL 3

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon

Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Turn-Based War Game Development Work

Turn-Based War Game Development Work

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Platformer Development Work

Platformer Development Work

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Astro Boy Development Work

Astro Boy Development Work

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

1942: Joint Strike

1942: Joint Strike

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Gauntlet DS – Unreleased

Gauntlet DS – Unreleased

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

Rise To Honor

Rise To Honor

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

ARMY MEN: AIR ATTACK 1 + 2

ARMY MEN: AIR ATTACK 1 + 2

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

UPRISING X

UPRISING X

(CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO)

LET’S GET IN TOUCH

marcusmontgomery@yahoo.com

Oakland, CA 94607 USA

DROP ME A LINE

    SUMMARY

    BUILDING TRUST, DELIVERING CLEAR DIRECTION AND
    LEADING GAME DESIGN EFFORTS FROM CONCEPT TO LAUNCH

    Veteran game design leader with deep expertise building player centered experiences by building trusted cross-functional collaboration among essential partners.  Adept at reducing the gap between project vision and team execution with a calm and positive attitude while delivering clear, actionable feedback, direction, and guided mentorship.  Ensures strong results from concept to release through player research, structured playtests, and developing strong design methodology frameworks.

    • I embrace rapid prototyping to reveal unknowns and push development forward.
    • I establish design processes to encourage creativity and quality while meeting deadlines.
    • I empower teammates through clear feedback/documentation, playtest organization, and mentorship.

    WORK HISTORY

    2022

    Design Director

    XBOX GAMES STUDIOS PUBLISHING – MICROSOFT

    Multiple Unreleased Projects (PC and Xbox platforms)

    Provided expert design guidance for multiple unreleased PC and Xbox projects, fostering strong partnerships, internally championing partner visions, and shared subject-matter expertise in player controls. Delivered targeted feedback to drive gameplay improvements and player engagement, while also actively pursuing personal and team development.

    2018

    Product Manager

    OCULUS

    Oculus Home (PC-Oculus Rift), Scoreboards (Oculus Quest) 

    Developed product requirement documentation and defined success metrics, driving project refinements that elevated user engagement and enhanced the quality of the VR OS experience.

    2018

    SENIOR GAMEPLAY DESIGNER

    NWAY, INC

    Power Rangers: Legacy Wars (iOS, Android)

    Led creation, implementation, and balance of new and existing warriors in a live, competitive mobile fighting game.

    2016

    LEAD GAME DESIGNER

    LIMBIC SOFTWARE

    Zombie Gunship Survival (iOS, Android)

    Led design efforts by coordinating the design staff, guiding the engineering team, and overseeing gameplay systems balance while acting as the creative liaison with our publishing partner in Germany, fostering a strong and collaborative relationship.

    2015

    LEAD GAME DESIGNER

    GLU MOBILE

    Unannounced 3rd Person Shooter (iOS, Android)

    Spearheaded the development of enemy AI, player weapons, and user-generated level creation

    2012

    LEAD GAME DESIGNER

    KIXEYE

    TOME:Immortal Arena (Web Browser, Steam)

    Spearheaded systems and live-ops design initiatives that improved player retention, optimized matchmaking fairness, and enhanced team workflow efficiency.

    2006

    SENIOR DESIGNER

    BACKBONE ENTERTAINMENT

    Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360, Kinect); Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (XBLA, PSN); 1942: Joint Strike (XBLA, PSN); Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon (XBLA, PSN); Gauntlet (DS; Unreleased)

    Led the design team, collaborated with other leads, and drove concept development on many projects. Improved studio processes, developed best practices, and fostered team building.

    2001

    SENIOR DESIGNER

    SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT

    Rise To Honor (Playstation 2) ; Unreleased 3rd Person Action Game (PSP)

    Authored core design documentation and coordinated cross-discipline and designer efforts focused on level design and the implementation of player attacks, enemy AI, and fight mechanics.

    1998

    LEVEL LAYOUT DIRECTOR

    THE 3DO COMPANY

    Army Men: Air Attack 2 (Playstation); Army Men: Air Attack (Playstation); Uprising X (Playstation)

    Designed and balanced core gameplay systems, enemies, and player abilities for multiple console titles. Collaborated with cross‑functional teams to turn creative concepts into polished, playable experiences from concept through final implementation.

    EDUCATION HISTORY

    Computer Science

    CORNELL COLLEGE

    I got my Bachelor of Arts Degree at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Ia.  I majored in Computer Science.  My education enabled me to learn a variety scripting languages really quickly.

    DOWNLOAD MY CV

    You can download my CV in pdf format if you like. I am currently looking work. I love working with teams to make ideas come to life.  With the correct prototyping, process and people anything can be done.

    DOWNLOAD CV

    VIEW MY LINKEDIN PROFILE

    You can view my LinkedIn profile. I am currently looking work. I love working with teams to make ideas come to life.  With the correct prototyping, process and people anything can be done.

    MY LINKEDIN PROFILE

    TESTIMONIALS

    KYLE TUNISON

    KYLE TUNISON LEAD GAME DESIGNER / KIXEYE

    I would like to focus my recommendation of Marcus around his high quality as a design leader and mentor. Where he is truly exceptional is in his capacity to be a thoughtful, active listener. In a creative industry like ours, I do not list this attribute lightly. His capacity to not just hear what people say, but to truly listen, is among the best I’ve worked with. I have worked with many otherwise smart and talented leaders who lack this particular critical quality. More impressively still, his thoughtfulness has no affect on his ability to be decisive when it is necessary and to guide any team he is a part of. I’ve watched him steer ships of various sizes while always maintaining a cool head. I feel confidence in that when Marcus is leading a team, or any piece of that team, that the quality that results will be as good as it can be.

    I have learned a great deal from my time working with Marcus, not merely about design itself, but about the games industry as a whole, and I would be more than happy to find myself on a team with him again.

    MICAH RUSSO

    MICAH RUSSO INNOVATION CONSULTANT AND ENTREPRENEUR

    Marcus was invaluable during my time as Creative Director at Backbone Entertainment. As the studio’s Lead/Senior Designer, he led the design team, collaborated with other leads, and drove concept development on many projects. He also suggested numerous improvements for studio processes, best practices, and team building while mentoring other designers. Marcus is extremely knowledgeable in current games, their development, and history. He also has expert skills ranging from design direction, leadership, and implementation to functional prototyping (e.g. a playable prototype that led to 1942: Joint Strike). I would happily add Marcus to any team in the future.

    SCOTT HOWARD

    SCOTT HOWARD GENERAL MANAGER / ELECTRONIC ARTS

    Marcus has so many attributes that help a team succeed, it is hard to list them all here. First off is his wealth of experience in designing games including console, mobile, browser, free to play and premium. Whatever he works on, he can pull from years of knowledge as both a developer and life long gamer. Next is team collaboration. He is at his best when working on a team, both bringing out the best in him, but he bringing out the best in others, and not just his design peers, but the whole team. Lastly is his thoughtfulness. Marcus constantly is focusing not just on what is the right solution, but are we implementing it in the right way. That can be right for the team, the budget, the time line, or just ease of development. Nothing that Marcus does is without thought and careful consideration. I look forward to the chance to work with Marcus again.

    MORAKOTH TANG

    MORAKOTH TANG SENIOR GAME AND UX DESIGNER / LEAPFROG

    Marcus is one of the best people to work with. He’s a great designer and knows all the ins and outs of many design disciplines and I can talk about that all day, but what I truly value in Marcus is his seniority and leadership qualities. He has been the voice of reason on many projects we worked together/. He keeps the team calm, collected, and focused. As a lead in many of the products we worked on I recognize time and time again qualities that standout are: honesty, clear communication, confidence, positive attitude and approachability. He’s honest in his assessment and lets you know how the situation it is. Being upfront with the realities of the situation allowed me and many of the time to be honest with our work as well. It’s inspiring and goes a long way when quality is important. He clearly communicates not only within the design team but cross disciplines to get what we need done. He makes sure the goal is clear so that everyone on the team is on the same page in order to achieve it. He never waivers in his confidence in himself and his team which I believe is his best character. It’s encouraging when deadlines hangover us. Marcus is always confident in his ability to lead but his confidence in the team’s ability creates a cohesion and trust for everyone. I personally grew under Marcus’ mentorship and he has taught me a lot about being a good designer but he has also shown me a lot about being a good leader on a team.

    OMID FARIVAR

    OMID FARIVAR UX RESEARCHER / FACEBOOK

    Marcus is one of the greatest people to work with. Ever. He also happens to be a great game designer, which is good because that’s his job.

    Heading to work everyday knowing I was going to be working with Marcus made me feel super warm and fuzzy inside. He has a great knack for just knowing what’s missing to players, what to tune next, or what makes something fun or not. As a researcher, I invited him to watch sessions regularly. I often didn’t need to give this guy any deliverables, because a debrief was enough. He just GETS IT. And I love that in people I work with!

    Marcus rocks and I hope our paths cross again in the future.

    GLEN MCKNIGHT

    GLEN MCKNIGHT DESIGNER EXTRAORDINAIRE /Â OTHER OCEAN GROUP

    Marcus is one of those designers you want to be, quick, sharp, clever, & funny. Those qualities translated directly into his work which always challenged design conventions & were informed by his wealth of experience. Marcus is a master of taking an army of so-so AI with basic behaviors, and tweaking and tuning them into being fun, interesting and diverse set of opponents. And when it came time to direct ideas on new player behaviors and mechanics, Marcus had a incredible knack for knocking out visual prototypes of new mechanics.

    Beyond his solid core of design sensibilities, he is also great at leading and mentoring Jr. Designers to rise above their new skill sets and become great designers. Always positive & willing to motivate others to be more than they are also extended to the entire team, who could look to Marcus for guidance when things got rocky. Marcus is a designer I would look forward to having on my team at any opportunity.

    ACCOMPLISHMENTS

    • Gameheads Advisory Committee Member and Instructor since 2014, guiding aspiring game developers from underrepresented communities.
    • Instructor at the GDC Game Design Workshop since 2018, providing expert training in foundational game design methodologies.
    • Founder of the wearegamedevs.com, a website dedicated to featuring diverse game developers.

    INTERESTS

    • Hip Hop over Rap
      • Love 90’s era hip hop, but have an appreciation for some artists today with their spirit.  I believe Rap – Lies = Hip Hop.
    • Sonic over Mario
      • Sonic was the icon I grew up with.  While his games have suffered in recent years, he embodies the twitch action and spirit I love in a character.  Bayonetta has similar traits.
    • Wrestling over Football 
      • I participated in both sports while growing up.  I love wrestling more.  Qualified for State competition twice and continued wrestling in college.
    • Salsa over R+B
      • If I go to a club, I’d rather it be salsa.  The act of partner dancing reminds me so much of wrestling, but without the competition.  There is still body manipulation, but it is with the permission of your partner.