SUNRIZE : MECHANITE.

SUNRIZE : MECHANITE, and BADFRIEND Games are a passion project born from a SCAD school assignment, and where I am presently developing my Design and Management skills. It is a table-top strategy game where 2-4 players build and customize giant modular mechas to do battle across distant stars.

Position:

Creative Director, Design Lead.

Company:

BADFRIEND Games LLC.

Duration:

Ongoing.

Project link:

badfriend.games/sunrize

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

Skills Used:

Systems and Mechanics Design
Concepting and Prototyping
JIRA and Miro for Agile Production
SCRUM Workflow Coordination
QA Testing and Documentation
Data-Driven Systems Balancing

Key Achievements:

Directed a 12+ member cross-disciplinary team across design, art, and QA pipelines.
Engaged over 1,000 players through digital and physical playtesting.
Showcased at 12+ conventions and tradeshows, generating 500+ sign-ups and over $9,000 in grants, awards, and merchandise sales.
Earned 6+ awards for design, production, and IP innovation.
Developed modular, data-driven systems for faster iteration and balanced gameplay.

When I founded BADFRIEND Games, it started out as a team of 2, but over time, as the project grew my team grew in both skill and number. Presently, I manage 12+ team members including myself, as well as handling outreach and coordination with contract workers and other experts. Since graduating SCAD, we have gone on to show our flagship game, SUNRIZE : MECHANITE, at a number of different tradeshows and conventions, including Momocon, SEGE, Dreamhack, and Southern Fried Gaming Expo, and GENcon as well as winning numerous awards for our efforts in Design, Production and innovation.

In my day to day, I design the mechanics and systems for SUNRIZE : MECHANITE, as well as using tools like JIRA and Miro to coordinate and manage an 8+-member team to deliver playable builds ahead of schedule, while maintaining a collaborative, feedback-driven workflow. Ultimately, my managerial work is focused on building a creative and cooperative environment, where every member of my team inspires one another to improve.

I oversee the full development lifecycle, from concept and early prototypes through iterative playtesting and convention demos. My design work sees me primarily using spreadsheets to numerically balance game mechanics. I Engineer data-driven balancing systems using spreadsheets and QA analytics to refine mechanics for competitive balance and accessibility. At its core, SUNRIZE : MECHANITE is designed to be modular, fast paced, and accessible. Using an interchangeable mech-building system and modular game pieces to allow players to express skill and strategy.

Throughout development, I have implemented Agile/SCRUM workflows and QA feedback loops which guide the team through iterative design and testing. These processes reduced iteration time by over 20% and drove delivery of polished builds for conventions and playtest events. My role combines creative leadership with technical execution, ensuring that both player feedback and production milestones are consistently met.

Prev Project