Lead Programmer · Game Designer · Team Leader
Grant Arundell
22 years making good games — across mobile, console, PC, VR, and web.
Engineering leader and game designer who brings order to chaos: shipping production systems, mentoring teams, and turning complex features into plans that just work.
// about
About
I'm a passionate, industry-experienced game programmer and designer who has worked on dozens of titles across multiple platforms, console generations, and genres. My objective hasn't changed since I got into the industry 22 years ago: make good games, and get better at it every year.
I lead engineering teams as both an individual contributor and a mentor, with deep experience in production architecture, live ops, and the systems that hold a game together — monetization, analytics, UI, and tooling. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics with a focus on Computer Science from the University of Waterloo.
- 22 years in the industry
- 7 studios — incl. Rockstar & EA
- 30+ shipped titles
- B.Math, CS University of Waterloo
- Based in Burnaby, BC, Canada
// highlight reel
Career Highlight Reel
A few favourites across two decades — from where it started to a brand-new Web3 world.
Def Jam: Fight for NY Electronic Arts
Max Payne 3 Rockstar Games
Food Battle: The Game Roadhouse Interactive
Snowboarding: The Next Phase Session Games
Barbie Dreamhouse Adventure Budge Studios
Shiba Story Go Proof of Play
// code
Code Portfolio
A curated set of reusable C# systems I've built for production mobile games — provider-agnostic middleware with an emphasis on the parts that are actually hard: async lifecycles that span app restarts, unreliable third-party SDKs, and low-overhead profiling. Full source on GitHub →
In-App Purchases
Unity IAP v5 / StoreKit 2 wrapper built around server-first purchase validation, redelivery recovery, and cross-platform receipts.
Video Ads
Rewarded / interstitial ad mediation façade with preloading, an iOS callback-hang safety net, and a local-video fallback.
Analytics
Provider-agnostic analytics façade — log once, fan out to any number of backends behind a clean interface.
Profiling System
Nestable code profiler — per-frame self/child timing & memory, Unity Profiler integration, CSV + Chrome-trace export. Zero cost when compiled out.
UI Screen Management
Full screen-stack manager — main/modal/overlay/loading layers, fixed-tier z-ordering, and memory-aware screen caching.
Screen Wipe
Camera-based screen-transition effect with screenshot-freeze backdrop, custom shaders, and resolution-independent math.
// experience
Experience
Lead Unity Programmer
Oct 2023 — PresentProof of Play
- Lead the engineering team as an individual contributor, manager, and mentor.
- Built a web client in Unity backed by Web3 smart-contract / blockchain technology, balancing open player data ownership with traditional F2P mechanics.
- Principal programmer on Shiba Story Go from prototype through full live ops; owned the UI (Unity UI Toolkit) and architectural systems — push notifications, video ads, and analytics.
Senior Lead Programmer
Oct 2021 — Oct 2023Budge Studios
- Set technology and tooling direction for the studio; identified and built shared tech across teams.
- Managed a live ops team of 10 programmers against an aggressive release schedule.
- Balanced production support, tech debt, and new-feature development across disciplines.
Lead Technical Developer / CTO
Sep 2016 — Sep 2021Session Games
- Developed, designed, published, and maintained multiple Unity titles across mobile and Switch.
- Owned technical hiring; evaluated third-party tech and estimated engineering cost of game and feature designs.
Generalist / Lead Programmer
Aug 2012 — Sep 2016Roadhouse Interactive
- Developed and shipped multiple mobile and PC titles in Unity / C#, from leading a team to being the sole programmer on prototypes.
- Lead Programmer on the award-nominated Warhammer 40K: Carnage.
Game Designer / Lead Scripter
Aug 2007 — Aug 2012Rockstar Games
- Designed and implemented several levels of Max Payne 3 from paper design through shipping — AI, difficulty, cutscenes, custom animation, audio, and progression.
- Managed a team of 5 scripters for 2 years and coordinated scripting across 4 international studios.
Associate Software Engineer / QA
Apr 2004 — Aug 2007Electronic Arts
- Programmed gameplay-testing cheats and tools and integrated debugging software across a range of EA Sports and EA titles.
// skills
Skills & Tools
Languages
C#, Lua, XML, proprietary scripting languages
Engines & Frameworks
Unity 3D / Unity 6, Unity UI Toolkit, Unity IAP / StoreKit 2, Nakama
Platforms
iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, VR, PC (Steam), macOS, Windows, Web
Tools
Git, Perforce, SVN, Visual Studio, Xcode, Android Studio, JIRA, Claude
Leadership
Team leadership & mentoring, live ops, cross-discipline collaboration, technical planning & estimation
Design
Level & systems design, prototyping, gameplay feel, F2P economy & mechanics
// recommendations
What Colleagues Say
"Grant's superpower is his ability to bring order to chaos and to find the structure and key components of a complex development plan."
Principal Engineer who worked alongside Grant on two games at Proof of Play
"Grant is a problem solver at the highest level. You can throw any challenge at him and he'll take it with a smile and give his all to provide a good result."
Producer who worked with Grant at Proof of Play
"He can straddle both the design and engineering disciplines, and I'd easily work with him again on any future game project."
Game Director who managed Grant at Roadhouse Interactive
"A passionate designer, talented scripter, and loyal teammate — a unifying force on our team through his fierce optimism, level-headedness, and approachability."
Teammate who worked directly with Grant on Max Payne 3 at Rockstar Games
// contact
Let's build something
Open to lead and senior game-engineering roles. The fastest way to reach me: