Keep warm, stay fearless, play around

RISA TANEDA

ART

Risa has always held a deep love for characters, animals and the human form. She has been building characters in games for over 15 years including the Battlefield franchise at DICE in Sweden, the Mercenaries franchise at Pandemic Studios in LA and most recently, as the Lead Character Artist and Art Manager for Valkyrie Entertainment here in Seattle.

Risa’s family originally hails from Japan, where her great grandfather was a Samurai working for Hosokawa, Lord of Kumamoto.

JIMMY NILSSON

ENGINEERING

A dedicated and passionate gamer, Jimmy is obsessed with building game mechanics that feel great and create fun for players. Before joining Midwinter, Jimmy was a Senior Gameplay and Physics Engineer on the Battlefield and Battlefront franchises. While at DICE, he was also a part of the team working on the Frostbite engine. Earlier in his career, he spent many years making open world and racing games at a variety of different studios.

His proudest moment was at Pandemic Studios, where his last name was given to one of the characters in Mercenaries.

JOSHUA COLINDRES

TECHNICAL ART

One part artist, one part tinkerer, Joshua is driven by his passion for the art of animation and expression. Prior to joining Midwinter, Joshua began his career as a lead technical artist for the visual effects studio Hive-Fx, creating realistic creature rigs, and developing/maintaining pipeline tools. Joshua has also been working as a freelance/contract artist for various gaming studios including Liquid Development and Oculus.

In his leisure time "Other Josh" enjoys plein air painting and eating cheese.

ANGEL VILLEDA

FINANCE & OPERATIONS

Angel has a passion for figuring out what makes a business tick and a life-long love for gaming. Before Midwinter, he led the Business team at 343 industries, where he oversaw the financial and business operations, delved into the mystical arts of strategic planning, and partnered on the design of monetization systems. Before 343, he held several finance roles at Microsoft.

As a Mexico City native, he’s in a never-ending quest for a great taco in Seattle (no luck so far…) but has found a passion for great coffee (French Press FTW!)

DANIEL ALEXANDER

ANIMATION

Since having been introduced to his father’s old Intellivision & Commodore 64 as a small child, Daniel has been a life-long gamer. Later, in his teens, after discovering a passion for animation, he set off to pursue the path of incorporating the two together. He is driven to go beyond his passion for creating and developing games, by infusing life into them through his love and fascination for movement, body mechanics and strong, interesting character performances. Before Midwinter Daniel had the pleasure to be a part of many freelance, indie projects, and most recently, WBgames and Lead Animator for HardsuitLabs.

Daniel’s blood is 3/4 coffee and enjoys spending his free time hitting the city in search for new favorite restaurants and breweries.

REECE MILLS

ANIMATION

Reece is a 3D artist and technical animator, joining Midwinter after fourteen years in the Canadian games industry, where he had the privilege of leading gameplay animation on titles like Punch-Out!!, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and Super Mario Strikers. He is really passionate about making interactions feel just right through animation and gameplay.

In his spare time, you can find Reece reluctantly renovating his house, but he would rather be pvping or drinking a really strong coffee.

KYLE LARSON

ENGINEERING

When he's not perfecting his stand-up routine, Kyle is hard at work learning new technology. As a recent Game Design & Development graduate from RIT, Kyle has worked at various companies, including an internship at 343 Industries, before finding his home at Midwinter. From New York City to Seattle, Kyle is the resident expert at knowing which coast is the best.

You may catch Kyle at the local Improv scene, where he is sure to be in a heated discussion about the latest episode of The Bachelor.

AUDREY MLADINA

PRODUCTION

Audrey loves learning what makes a person tick and how their life experiences and culture shape their world. Before Midwinter, she was in college studying production and game design with a focus on level design and UI/UX. She grew up playing games with her older brother and found her interest in game design in the Halo Forge.

In her spare time, Audrey likes to read, garden, and collect things with flowers/fruit/plants on them. She also lived in a castle keep for a short period in her life, though she was more of a maid than a princess while there.

DANIEL MOONEY

ENGINEERING

Daniel enjoys the visual side of computing, namely real-time and non real-time computer graphics. Prior to joining Midwinter, he was on the D3D driver team at ATI, Lead Rendering Engineer at Pandemic Studios, and most recently founder of semantic data company Moomat.

Daniel lives in Tulsa and is involved with a number of non-profits. He uses his free time to further his STEM initiative "Coding Club", which teaches elementary-aged children in the Tulsa area how to make video games. When he's not working on Coding Club, he spends as much time as possible in Venice, California.

DAVID FELSTEAD

ENGINEERING

David is an avid learner and is driven by an (occasionally unhealthy) need to understand how, and more importantly, why things work. Before Midwinter he spent time bouncing through various iterations of consulting, engineering and management before eventually finding his passion in game development as the analytics and data engineering lead at 343 Industries.

In his spare time you'll find him obsessing over where to find Seattle's best sandwiches and ramen, and trying to balance that with how many extra Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes to take to burn off those extra calories.

TJ PERILLO

DESIGN

TJ has nearly 20 years of experience as a video game designer. His focus is on the subtle forces that shape human behavior, an obsession that also fuels his interests in politics, policy, history, the mysteries of the human story, and hosting parties. Most recently TJ spent 7 years on the Halo franchise and is overjoyed to work alongside so many of his favorite people once again at Midwinter.

TJ enjoys travelling with his wife and their 2 boys, cooking meat, scribbling notes, and making people laugh.

CHRIS FRENCH

DESIGN

Chris has been in the video game industry for 16+ years and is inspired by games that offer a robust sandbox that allow players to experiment, play how they want, and create memorable momnets. Previously Chris worked at 343 industries, Propaganda, Pandemic Studios, InXile, Black Isle Studios, and Rockstar San Diego.

If given the opportunity, in any game, Chris will always choose to be an Orc on the Orc faction. When not playing an Orc, Chris likes to hike, play music, paint miniatures and drink coffee.

MARIO COLINDRES

ART

Mario has always had a passion for art and any challenges that would push him to become better artist. He's inspired by the process of creating believable characters, learning and developing new methods to produce high quality art. Prior to joining Midwinter, Mario was a Character Artist / Hard-Surface Artist for over six years at Liquid Development, an outsourcing studio in Portland, Oregon. It's here where he was exposed to a variety art styles and pipelines from a variety of clients and video game projects, ranging from small mobile games to high-end AAA video games. This cemented his love for video game art and the process behind creating video games.

In his spare time, Mario likes to go kickboxing, indoor rock-climbing, and salsa dancing. He also enjoys going out to catch latest Marvel movie with friends, have a laugh at the local comedy clubs, and recently in the process of learning how to make music.

JOE SOLA

ENGINEERING

Joe has been playing and creating games for most of his life, and lives to make high quality games that feel as good as they look. As a gameplay programmer, he's worked on a variety of titles across multiple genres, from the bloody slasher horror in The Suffering to the adorable back yard battles in Plants vs. Zombies 2.

In his free time, Joe can be found perfecting his Chicago-style thin crust pizza recipe and practicing his combos in fighting games. Dorya!

MATTHEW OAKES

ENGINEERING

Matt is inspired by incredible visuals and technology in games. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Matt aspires to create games that inspire players as much as the games he grew up playing. He is a recent graduate from DigiPen Institute of Technology with a focus in graphics engineering, and was an intern at NVIDIA Research before joining Midwinter.

When he is not drawing triangles, Matt often enjoys exploring the culinary arts.

EVAN KAU

ENGINEERING

Evan is a tools and graphics programmer, greatly enjoys helping others with their problems, and loves creating things for the sake of doing so. Native to the Seattle area, he was led to DigiPen Institute of Technology, wound up in ArenaNet as a Technical Artist Intern, and now resides here at Midwinter.

He has exceptional tolerance for the cold, wearing t-shirts in weather that others need coats and jackets for. He also owes Audrey a lot of money, due to the quantity of puns and dad jokes he's made. (And will likely rack up significantly more debt in the near future.)

CHASE RAYMENT

ENGINEERING

Hailing from rural Colorado, Chase got her start in game dev making maps for Portal 2. Inspired by the lighting provided by the Source Engine as well as visuals and audio in games such as Kentucky Route Zero and Thumper, Chase specialized in graphics and audio programming during her time at DigiPen Institute of Technology.

Outside of work, Chase keeps busy with tech art projects, D&D, music production, and more Dota than is entirely healthy.

MARY OLSON

PRODUCTION

Mary began her career many years ago as a Sound Designer, which became her gateway into a lifelong passion for making games. She’s held many other grown up jobs since - running her own Audio production company working on Sports, Racing, Sims, and Shooters, as an Audio Director for Sony, and Audio Producer, Lead Producer, and Executive Producer for the Halo Franchise.

Mary has 2 grown kids who make her a better person. When not making games, Mary can be found on a mountain, playing music, or trying to expand her world view.

AMANDA HUDSON

OPERATIONS

Amanda is passionate about storytelling and shared adventures. She finds inspiration in the stunning environmental and cultural diversity of the world around her. In a past life, Amanda worked as a lawyer but then the travel bug bit and she found herself in Sweden working in video games as a keeper of the lore.

In her spare time, Amanda is likely lifting weights, attempting to make a dent in her to-be-read list, writing fiction, or off on an outdoor adventure somewhere in the world.

MATT HEINIGER

TECHNICAL ART

Matt is a professional provider of unconventional solutions. He has a knack for improving art pipelines, either through de-tangling complicated processes or finding new ways of doing things. Lately he has been focusing this talent on lighting and materials. Throughout his career, Matt has worked on a number of open world games including This Is Vegas, various Warner Brothers IPs, and most recently the State of Decay franchise.

When not busy developing video games or raising two little gamers, Matt fills his time with claymation, photography, and hikes throughout the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

BEN BATSTONE

DESIGN

Ben is fascinated with what it means to play and how we grow and learn through it. Like most people, he started designing games collaboratively on the playground as a child, but wasn't paid to do it until he was old enough to put childish things behind him (spoiler, he never did). He's built big budget Marvel games as well as tiny documentary games with lots of interesting stuff in between. He once got away with building a set of levels inspired by South American revolutionaries for a match-3 game.

When he's not making or playing games, you can find him digging holes in the earth in an attempt to grow a decent garden. This year's goal: kohlrabi!

HAZEL HAMILTON

ENGINEERING

From a young age, Hazel has always loved to take things apart and figure out how they work. Hazel started her career inventing and engineering at Intellectual Ventures Laboratory with a focus on photography, but that was a stepping stone towards working on games, where she continues to take things apart and put them back together at Midwinter.

Outside of work, she spreads her hobbies wide: from baking to music to backpacking, from gardening to rock climbing, from skiing to occasionally even relaxing and playing the games she works tirelessly to make.

SUSAN SCHWARTZ

UX/UI

Over the past ten years, Susan has worked up and down the west coast making a pile of fun games. She adores the collaborative and creative nature of game development, and can't imagine doing anything else. She's a champion of user-centered design, game accessibility and celebrating the joy in games.

When she's not making and playing games, she's a travel, cooking and crafting enthusiast. It is not hoarding if its yarn! She also designs enamel pins and stickers and is the DM of an all-women DnD group called the Broadswords.

TONY BENSON

DESIGN

Born and raised in Washington, Tony got his start in level design making Halo 3 maps for his friends. As a kid he loved to play competitive multiplayer games with friends such as Halo, Smash Bros, and Overwatch. Tony realized his passion for Level Design while studying at DigiPen Institute of Technology.

While not at work, Tony loves to ski in the winter, longboard and golf in the summer. And continues to work on side projects, DM-ing D&D for his friends, continuing to make maps in other games, and making card games. Tony also continues to play competitive multiplayer games, such as R6: Siege, Valorant, Apex, and League.

KYLE WOLFE

ENGINEERING

Kyle is inspired by good design. Gameplay mechanics, menu layouts, etc. and turning that design into functional implementation. Work isn’t work if you enjoy what you do. He has worked with Unreal Engine for a few years, mostly creating widgets for in-game Menus and HUD across a wide range of projects and industries.

He enjoys playing World of Warcraft with his guild and Dungeons and Dragons with his friends, doing some amateur voice acting, and replaying some of his favorite video games.

BEN BERRY

ENGINEERING

Ben is inspired by worlds that provide constant joy, an escape from reality, and a really good progression system.

He started in games working on Project Gotham Racing 3, Shadowrun, and Viva Piñata. The next 12 years were spent doing side quests, filling out his QA skill tree working in the legal and voice recognition software industries. But now he’s back to making progress in his career’s main campaign at Midwinter.

A lot of his time is spent ignoring his friends list as he completes pause-able single player games from a backlog that never stops growing, while listening to his favorite Kinda Funny podcasts. Ben also enjoys cooking, technology, and the local Seattle sports teams.

MICHAEL SHREFFLER

PRODUCTION

Mike's love of games started with the arcade machines at his local pizza shop in the early 1990s, and has only expanded since. He is fascinated by the connection between games, the passionate communities that build around them, and how great game experiences are crafted. A career in the gaming industry felt almost predestined, and after 8 years as a producer and product manager he joined Midwinter Entertainment.

Mike lives in Southern California and on his days off can be found reading at the beach, playing piano, building his next gaming PC, and hunting down the best Mediterranean food SoCal has to offer.

JAKE CUDDIHY

UI

Jake is a user experience designer and avid player of all things VIDEO GAME! He graduated from DigiPen Institute of Technology as a Valedictorian with a BA in game design. The third-person shooter Rocket Arena was his first entry into the game industry with Final Strike Games, where he worked as a multiplayer designer creating character abilities.

Jake is also a cyclist, runner, amateur photographer, and lover of tacos!

CHRISTINE ANSELL

COMMUNITY MANAGER

An avid World of Tanks player, Christine went from participating in tournaments to running tournaments for other players. As a community manager, she loves chatting with other gamers to see what they like (and don’t like!) about the games they play.

When not at work, she enjoys reading, cooking, and playing games - especially when she can drag her friends along with her! She dreams of taking a culinary world tour and loves testing out new recipes.

DAVID HELM

IT

David is a gamer and computer enthusiast. David has spent his career in Information Technology and has always enjoyed helping people solve their technological problems. He has worked as a Data Center Technician all the way to doing technical writing for Microsoft’s marketing teams, but none of those have been as rewarding as working for Midwinter.

When not at work, David is either saving Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV with friends, or out taking a hike with his dog Lucy Fluffybottom.

LUKAS KULIGOWSKI

ENGINEERING

Lukas loves every step of game development and is always excited to hear any and all game development stories. His wide range of technical skills makes him a true swiss army knife of a gameplay programmer, and his positive attitude makes him a great teammate.

He can be found in the off hours scouring movie prop replica forums and practicing his Gundam model painting skills.

PONTUS PETRIDIS

ART

Pontus has always been inspired by the world around him, and the recreation or interpretation of it in art. He spent most of his childhood drawing and painting, and after a brief stint working in restaurant kitchens he finally found his passion in creating environments for games. You'll often find him studying or taking pictures of random objects, surfaces, or types of vegetation when out for a stroll or on vacation, to the bemusement of his wife and son.

Prior to joining Midwinter, he spent over 9 years at DICE building environments for Battlefield, Mirrors Edge, and Star Wars Battlefront.

When not making or playing games, Pontus likes to cook, paint miniatures, or tend to his bonsai trees.

ALEX GELLES

ENGINEERING

Alex has been playing videogames since the age of 1.5, and eventually learned that you could make them for a living. As an engineer, he's dabbled in UI, gameplay, and tools before deciding AI was the most fun. He's worked on games in the Disney, Universal, Star Wars, Plants Vs Zombies, and Battlefield universes!

Outside of work, Alex competes in Street Fighter, speedruns for charity, plays piano, and explores the vast Washingtonian countryside.