Anthony Mikicic – Game Director/Artist
Growing up, Anthony was introduced to his parents’ friends as the “artistic son,” against his own liking. Drawing aliens and dinosaurs, he worked his way through the school ranks when around middle school, he found he could make horrible movies with his dad’s handycam. These WWII epics, martial arts masterpieces, and horror blood fests afforded him the opportunity to wreck his vehicle and give two friends pneumonia. Dead-set on film school, he woke up one day and joined the Marine Corps (he still doesn’t know how that worked). Six years later, he got out and pursued the ole’ college thing studying audio/music production and game design and development. During his studies, he met a borderline tall dude named Tyler who wore socks with his sandals. He soon discovered that they had the same opinions and tastes on creative endeavors and decided to join forces to see what happens.

Favorite Games: Final Fantasy 7, The Last of Us, Mortal Kombat, Banjo-Kazooie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles II: The Arcade Game

Tyler Blust – Game Director/Writer
Tyler always liked reading stories, but never knew he wanted to tell his own until his first writing class in college. He paired it with his game and animation major and soon had the dream of creating story based video games. With the advent of virtual reality happening at the same time, he saw the potential for deeper and more meaningful stories in the new medium. After meeting Anthony later in his college career, he realized they both had the same dream and teamed up to see if they could make it a reality.

Favorite Games: Halo, Bioshock, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Marc Nie
Began animating in high school by making intros for school plays. Marc knew he wanted to be an animator for video games the moment he took his first class in 2010.

Favorite games: Jak and Daxter, Borderlands, Sly Cooper

Courtney Irby – Concept Artist/Illustrator
Courtney is concept artist working the game industry. He has dedicated his life to illustrating and designing new worlds to tell immersive stories in. His focus has been art since he was young and had decided to follow his passion after growing up on video games. Now a graduate of Ohio University, Courtney is now looking to continue his path as a concept artist and illustrator, as well as go to where his love for the industry will take him.

Favorite Games: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, Halo, League of Legends, Overwatch, Mass Effect

Geoff Backstrom – Animator/3D Artist
2015 graduate from Ohio University who is excited to have the opportunity to work with his old friends back from school. Before College Geoff mainly focused on video and audio/music, but decided to complete the trifecta by studying animation and special effects in college. Which brings him to where he is today, applying those skills to both narrative pieces and game projects.

Favorite Games: Monkey Island series, Heroes of the Storm, Hotline Miami, Black & White

James Gartland – Developer
James is a game programmer and game development instructor. He has been making video games since 2004, starting as a pixel artist for Game Maker games. He currently teaches game art, design, and programming and creates mobile and VR games with small teams.

Favorite Games: Cave Story, The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Tales from the Borderlands

Elliot Vian – 3D Artist/UX Director
Elliot is a visual designer on a mission to infuse order within digital experiences. He found his passion for design in the customization that early platforms like Myspace & Xanga allowed. Following 3D classes in High school, he studied Digital Media in college and in his first professional role, created architectural visualizations and interactive experiences for large retail + healthcare clients. Working on consumer-centric strategies imparted the importance of putting the user first.

Favorite Games: Warcraft III, Ratchet & Clank, Bioshock, Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3