Christopher Rogers

About Christopher Rogers

We’re at the same point in the history of interactive entertainment that we were a hundred years ago with film, during the silent film area. Right now we’re at the dawn of a new medium that still isn’t fully defined and I am thrilled to be one of its pioneers. What is unique to this new way of communicating? What is fun? What truths about the human experience remain the same and can we convey them in new ways?I want to find out the answers by supporting and leading talented teams in a positive environment on ambitious creative projects that surprise and delight the audience.At Harebrained I have helped talented teams ship beloved games (like BATTLETECH and Shadowrun Returns) across multiple platforms for more than a decade. I led the studio’s latest shipped project, The Lamplighters League developing the IP for the pitch, leading prototyping efforts and seeing the project all the way to ship. Along the way I contributed narrative, game design, and visual concepts in addition to helping manage production and budgeting. The game gathered over players in its launch window, primarily through Microsoft’s Gamepass.Currently I am working on our latest project, GRAFT, which you can learn more about here.Reach me at c••••••••@gmail.com or feel free to message me here—I’d love to chat.chris-rogers.infoAREAS OF EXPERTISE:Video Game Development, Project Management, Creative Ideation, Team Leadership,Employee Development, Game Studio Operations, Budgeting & Planning, C-Level Decision-Making

Experience

1. Creative Director & Studio Lead

   Harebrained

   Jan 2012 — Present · Kirkland, WA, US

   CLEAR CREATIVE STRATEGYOversee all creative strategy, development, and execution for prominent studio, working directly with the Executive Producer to set the creative direction, cultivate a studio identity in a crowded marketplace, and ship exciting games that reach millions of users across PC, console, and mobile platformsShepherd projects from prototyping and pitching through ship and post-launch supportEvaluate games holistically during development, and ensure that the gameplay, visuals, sound design, narrative, UI/UX, and entire experience create a cohesive whole for audienceDevelop production plans that include deliverables, staffing, and budgeting—breaking down complex projects into smaller deliverables to ensure team alignment and support collaboration across studioEFFECTIVE & EMPATHETIC TEAM LEADERSHIPExperience managing high performing teams as large 40+, generating energy and enthusiasm for multi-year projects, defining and driving milestones, resolving blocks and conflicts, in service of the studio goal to ship high quality gamesWorking closely with HR and senior leadership to build a diverse creative team—attracting, hiring, training and retaining creative new talent at all levels and across disciplinesFostering an inclusive work environment, providing both formal and informal feedback to help employees reach their professional goals as well as aligning with studio goals—including adapting operations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to allow the studio team to work from home safely and successfully

Education

• University of California, Berkeley

  Bachelor of Arts - BA