Matt Glanville
game design | Unity | C# | pixel art
👋 Hi, I'm Matt! I'm a freelance game developer.⭐ Specialising in Unity and C#.
✅ Skilled in game design, level design, and technical implementation.
✅ Experienced in writing game code and custom editor tools.🌍 Based in Leeds, UK.
📅 In the games industry since 2010.🤝 Available for short to mid-size projects. Let's chat!
Find out more about my expertise and the services I offer.
Explore the games I've contributed to throughout my career.
🥜 What I do in a nutshell
🎮 Unity game development
Game design & level design
Specialised in Unity since 2009
2D, 3D and VR
UI/UX design
⌨ C# scripting
Lots of gameplay programming
Unity editor tools and time-savers
🎨 2D pixel art
Characters, environments, GUI
Animation in Aseprite and Unity
⭐ Tools I use every day:
Unity
Visual Studio Code
Aseprite
GitHub (with Fork client)
✅ More tools I'm familiar with:
Photoshop
Video editing (OBS, DaVinci Resolve, ScreenToGif)
Office (Microsoft, Google, Libre)
Chat clients (Slack, Teams, Discord, Basecamp)
Steamworks SDK
Nintendo Switch SDK
Portfolio
The following projects represent highlights of my professional career. For my solo indie work, visit my personal website.
Perfect Pour
Case of the Golden Idol
Oddworld
Smart As...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Create
I also make solo indie games. Find them on my personal site.
Perfect Pour
I was contracted by DSM Arcade to develop a game exclusively for arcades and breweries. I collaborated on game design direction with DSM Arcade.I was solely responsible for:
technical implementation in Unity
gameplay programming
systems programming
in-game 2D pixel art and animation
audio implementation
I also implemented the following features:
Custom assets system whereby operator staff can embed their own company logo into the background of the game.
Detailed analytics system so operators can view performance of their cabinets over time.
Finally, I also produced the trailer (see above) using video footage and direction provided by DSM Arcade.
Case of the Golden Idol
Mobile and console ports of the popular detective game
Originally released on PC in 2022, the updated version launched in 2024 on Netflix Games (iOS and Android), Xbox Game Pass, and Steam.
UI/UX Design
Led the UI/UX design for mobile and console versions, adapting the original mouse-based interface to support both touchscreen and controller input.
Redesigned the game’s GUI for optimal usability on mobile devices.
Porting to Unity
Contributed to porting the game from Godot to Unity to enable broader platform support.
Replicated several puzzle scenarios in Unity, ensurely they matched the original Godot implementation.
Assisted with integration of localised text across 18 scenarios and 12 languages.
Developed custom Unity editor tools and UI scripts in C# to streamline the porting process and improve workflow efficiency.
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
Full remake of the original 1997 PlayStation classic Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee.
Sole Game Designer at Just Add Water.
Released July 2014 on PS4 and later on PS3, Windows, Mac, Linux and Xbox One.
As the primary Game Designer, I was responsible for redesigning and implementing nearly every aspect of the game, using the original Abe’s Oddysee as a foundation. I collaborated closely with the entire development team, including working directly with series co-creator Lorne Lanning.
Key Responsibilities:
Level design
Camera design
Character behaviour and animation tuning
Writing and managing in-game text and dialogue
Localised data integration
Difficulty balancing and tuning
Scripting gameplay logic
Front End and UI design
Meta-game and save system design
Achievement design and implementation
Particle effects
Optimisation and redesign for ports to additional platforms
Alf's Escape
I designed and created Alf’s Escape levels as DLC for Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty in collaboration with a small team of artists.
Unlike the main game, this DLC introduced an entirely new chapter, not based on existing levels. It incorporated many of the new ideas we developed during New 'n' Tasty, delivering a hardcore challenge designed for long-time fans of the series.With minimal programmer support, we creatively repurposed existing functionality and assets to develop new features. For example, the addition of a unique Mudokon follower (Alf), who the player must lead through a series of deadly traps.
Oddworld: Soulstorm
I contributed to the level and game design of Oddworld: Soulstorm during its early development (2016-2018).My contributions included:
Level blockouts
Gameplay scenario prototypes
Game mechanic designs
Camera system revisions
My most notable contribution to the final release was the design of the train hijack level. While it underwent further changes before launch to accommodate new features, my original design remained largely intact.In this level, Abe (the player character) begins clinging to the back of a speeding train suspended from a rail. The player's goal is to make their way to the front to pull the emergency brake, all while navigating enemy patrols, rescuing trapped workers, collecting hidden resources and avoiding the peril of falling to their death far below. The level culminates in an explosive boss encounter against a rocket-launching tank.
I also delivered a talk at EGX 2016, discussing the design changes in New 'n' Tasty and the new direction for the series in Soulstorm.
Smart As...
Brain training game with social connectivity
Game Designer at Climax Studios (14 months)
Released 23rd October 2012
PlayStation Vita exclusive
Smart As... is a brain training game with social connectivity. It is comprised of 20 mini-games that fully leverage the PlayStation Vita's unique features. Designed for quick daily sessions, it includes voice-over commentary by John Cleese, offering playful feedback on your performance.
Key Responsibilities:
Designed and iterated on 20 mini-games.
Contributed to the game's overall structure design.
Wrote design documents and collaborated with programmers and artists to deliver mini-games to alpha quality for monthly milestones.
Managed all audio implementation using visual scripting tools, covering sound effects, music and voice-over.
Coordinated with external audio partners to assemble an audio library that aligned with the game's tone.
Contributed to designing, writing and implementing the game’s message prompt system. Integrated over 400 voice-over clips and text strings across multiple languages.
Polished interface flow, tutorials, camera transitions, object behaviors, and animations.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Third-person cover shooter based on the film license
Level Designer at EA Bright Light (4 months)
Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / Wii / PC
Released 12th July 2011
Combat Scripting
I initially worked on the Wii version, focusing on adapting the game to the hardware’s technical limitations. This included scripting enemy AI behaviors so that they gave the impression of larger-scale battles than the hardware could actually support.
Boss Encounters
Later, I took early designs for two major boss battles—Amycus & Alecto, and the final duel against Voldemort—and implemented them using in-house tools. During this process, I proposed changes to the structure and flow of these battles, which were approved. I then collaborated closely with the engineering team to implement and balance these adjustments.
Create
Physics puzzle game with creative online community
Level designer at EA Bright Light (4 months)
Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / Wii / PC
Released 12th November 2010
Create is a physics-based puzzle game where players come up with creative solutions to challenges, decorate dioramas and share their creations with an online community.
Key Responsibilities:
Designed and implemented physics-based challenges.
Blocked out level layouts to support diverse challenges, including user-generated content.
Set up a library of physics objects.
Created 2D collision meshes in Maya.
Created camera stings for level overviews and challenge intros.
Collaborated with QA to play-test for alpha, beta, and final release.
