ABOUT

Ryan is a passionate game designer who loves to create and play fun, quality and innovative games! He envisions incorporating the qualities of fine art into games and strives to make the games he works on to be remembered long after they are played.

As a designer, he has shipped an award winning VR game, Asgard's Wrath 2, where he was both a level and player traversal systems designer. he is known to rise up fast, work hard, be both a leader or someone that can follow. He is creative, experienced, fun to work with and can elevate any project.

Games Ryan finds inspiration in: Metal Gear Solid, Fallout 3, Journey, Subnautica, Gran Turismo 2, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Mass Effect 2, Silent Hill 2, Hearthstone, Battlefield 1, NBA 2K series, The Witcher 3, Rise of Nations, GTA: Vice City, Death Stranding, The Legend of Zelda series and Flow.

“[Ryan’s] sense of level design is impressive and often requires minimal rework. From initial paper designs, Ryan consistently hits the mark spatially, which is why I often assign him the most complex levels in the game. This is a testament to his thoroughness, technical expertise, and innate understanding of player progression.

Whether it's systems design, level design, or player controls, Ryan is an outstanding designer capable of filling any design gap a team may need. I would work with him again in a heartbeat, and any team would be fortunate to have such a dedicated and pleasant designer”

- Mat Kraemer (Co-Founder, COO of Sneaky Devil Games & Game Director at Meta/Sanzaru Games)

“Ryan is a dedicated and passionate designer with an incredible work ethic. I got to work closely with Ryan on player movement and traversal mechanics for Asgard's Wrath 2 which was very well received, with several reviewers calling it out as the best they have experienced in VR. We also worked on player movement and traversal mechanics for an unannounced project, and on both projects Ryan was also a level designer, it was really impressive seeing him juggle those workloads and do a great job on both.

In the early stages of design Ryan's documentation skills really shine, he wrote extensive documentation for a large number of features and in particular did a great job on making diagrams that conveyed complex concepts clearly without having to read a lot of text. Ryan really thought ahead with his designs and worked closely with productions, engineering, art, animation, etc. to ensure we were all on the same page on what we were building. Ryan struck a good balance of being flexible when it would save time or lead to better outcomes without compromising his vision or the bigger picture.”

- Dan Halpern (Senior Engineer at Meta/Sanzaru Games)

“Ryan consistently demonstrates strong ownership and player-focused thinking in his design work. Early in his career at Sanzaru, he took responsibility for player traversal systems—partnering with level designers to establish metrics and standardized base props while navigating complex stakeholder alignment across multiple projects.

His work contributed directly to memorable player experiences in Asgard’s Wrath 2, including the dramatic sequence of chasing down and climbing a giant beast to reach a boss fight. Ryan approaches design with a strong sense of story and player experience, balancing independent execution with collaborative problem-solving. I would gladly work with him again and recommend him without reservation.”

- Kevin AuYoung (Senior Game Designer at Meta/Sanzaru Games)

“I worked with Ryan at Sanzaru and he is a very talented designer! I've seen him work on very complicated levels in Wrath 2, and he always pulls through with awesome/creative designs. He shows great attention to detail, and executes his ideas with high quality.”

- Shawn Liu (Lead Level Designer at Meta/Sanzaru Games)

“From our first class together, he consistently demonstrated creativity and curiosity through both his work and contributions to discussions. Ryan's thesis project on systematic language and society was a breath of fresh air. Where most students develop ideas that are derivative of what they play, Ryan used the medium of games to express something that was unique. His game offered opportunities for the player to learn and grow through more meaningful choices. Myself and the other instructors all felt that Ryan's work was inspiring.”

- Jason Weesner (Professor at Academy of Art University)

“I had the pleasure of working with Ryan at Sanzaru for the past two or so years on the player movement and traversal system. Ryan is an incredible game designer all around with a keen eye for player experience and gameplay feel, as well as a strong collaborator between other designers and cross-functional partners.

He is incredibly easy to work with, as he is always responsive to questions and provides thorough feedback during feature iterations in a timely manner.

Ryan is an easy recommendation to anyone looking for a strong gameplay designer with his level of expertise. He has proven himself to be someone who can take full ownership of designing engaging gameplay systems, while also valuing feedback from other team members for opportunities to further enhance the player experience.”

- Austin Payne (Senior Gameplay Engineer at Meta/Sanzaru Games)