LUCASARTS / LUCASFILM

From 2006 to 2010, I worked at LucasArts as a Level Designer and Narrative Game Designer, contributing to major Lucasfilm franchises including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, and Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.

As a LucasArts level designer, I owned the creative vision and execution for multiple gameplay levels, designing maps, level flow, enemy encounters, boss arenas, environmental puzzles, scripted events, and integrated player tutorials. My work focused on delivering cinematic gameplay experiences that supported both player mastery and narrative progression.

In parallel with level design, I contributed to narrative design and creative writing, including scene writing, character dialogue, background stories, item profiles, and story events integrated directly into my levels.

These contributions extended into Lucasfilm canon and were recognized with a shared Writers Guild of America West nomination for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.

My time at LucasArts was truly amazing, the company culture was unparalleled, the development team was world-class, the projects were challenging yet endlessly rewarding, my design knowledge, skills and intuition grew by leaps, and I met some phenomenal people, some of whom are my best friends today.

Thank you, LucasArts.

Overview

Core Responsibilities

  • Owned end-to-end level design for story-driven and action-focused gameplay spaces

  • Designed level flow, combat encounters, boss fights, environmental puzzles, tutorials, and cinematic action sequences

  • Authored narrative content integrated directly into gameplay, including dialogue, scenes, character background, and item profiles

  • Collaborated closely with writers, designers, engineers, and cinematic teams to align gameplay with story and franchise continuity

Narrative & Writing

  • Contributed narrative design and creative writing supporting game story events, character development, and Lucasfilm canon

  • Shared a Writers Guild of America West nomination for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II - Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing (2010)

    • (Original script by Haden Blackman; nomination shared across the writing team)

Roles

  • Level Designer

  • Narrative Designer

  • Level Pod Lead

  • Game Design Mentor

Production Scope

  • Total Games: 5

  • Levels Designed: 11

  • Boss Fights Designed: 4

  • Narrative Scenes Written: 3

  • Integrated Tutorials Designed: 2

Mentorship & Training

  • Selected as a Game Design Mentor for the LucasArts STRAT Program, supporting international interns from Lucasfilm Singapore

  • Provided mentorship in level design, gameplay structure, and production practices

  • All mentored interns advanced into professional game development careers

The Games

INDIANA JONES AND THE STAFF OF KINGS

PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 | LucasArts

Level Designer · Narrative Designer

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings was the first project I was hired onto at LucasArts. The title was ambitious in scope and development goals, incorporating experimental systems and technical innovations for its time. Although the project remained in extended pre-production and was ultimately cancelled, the work produced during this period represents a formative phase of my career at LucasArts.

During development, I contributed to core gameplay and narrative content across multiple key levels, owning full level design responsibilities and integrated narrative elements.

Waterfall Ascent (Opening Level)

  • Designed the entire opening level, establishing the game’s foundational gameplay language and player expectations

  • Crafted environment layout, traversal flow, and skilled whip-based movement sequences

  • Designed and implemented all player tutorial events, integrating onboarding directly into gameplay spaces

  • Authored and co-wrote character dialogue, narrative moments, and scene-based interactions

  • Designed companion traversal events and scripted gameplay sequences to support pacing and cinematic presentation

Pillager Camp

  • Designed the camp environment following the Waterfall Ascent sequence

  • Implemented interactive set pieces, environmental hazards, and combat arenas

  • Designed skilled whip traversal routes, scripted enemy encounters, and contextual gameplay events

  • Placed and authored interactive “hot set” objects to support emergent combat and player choice

The Odin

  • Contributed level design and gameplay layout (details forthcoming)

The Riverboat Chase

  • Contributed level design and gameplay sequencing (details forthcoming)

STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED

PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 | LucasArts

Senior Level Designer · Narrative Designer

On Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, I contributed level design and narrative-integrated gameplay across multiple major sequences, owning large portions of two core environments and several boss encounters. My work focused on combat pacing, encounter design, traversal flow, and cinematic gameplay moments aligned with the game’s narrative arc.

Raxus Prime I

  • Designed and owned the first half-hour of gameplay, from level start through the Junk Pit boss encounter

  • Authored level layout, traversal flow, environmental hazards, and scripted enemy encounters

  • Established combat pacing and difficulty ramp for the player’s initial introduction to large-scale Force combat

Raxus Prime II (Return Visit)

  • Designed and owned the first half-hour of the return to Raxus Prime

  • Scripted enemy encounters, combat arenas, and traversal sequences

  • Designed and implemented two boss encounter areas supporting narrative escalation

ISD - Boss Battle

  • Designed boss encounter mechanics and combat experience (see below)

Proxy - Boss Battle

  • Designed boss encounter mechanics and combat flow (details forthcoming)

Junk Titan - Boss Battle

  • Designed large-scale enemy encounter and arena layout (details forthcoming)

Imperial Star Destroyer (ISD) Battle

Principal Game Designer

  • Served as Principal Game Designer for the Imperial Star Destroyer boss battle, a climactic gameplay sequence and defining moment of The Force Unleashed

  • Designed the core gameplay concept, player interaction, pacing, and Force mechanics for a full-scale confrontation between the player and a Star Destroyer

  • Integrated cinematic presentation with systemic gameplay to support player agency, spectacle, and narrative impact

  • The sequence became one of the game’s most recognized moments and was featured as the primary poster art for The Force Unleashed

STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED II

PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 | LucasArts

Senior Level Designer · Narrative Designer

On Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, I contributed senior-level design and narrative-integrated gameplay across two major Kamino levels, owning large sections of the player’s early and late-game experience. My work focused on combat pacing, traversal challenges, Force power onboarding, and cinematic gameplay aligned with the game’s narrative escalation.

Kamino I — Prison Escape

  • Designed and owned the first half-hour of gameplay, from the opening scene through the Assembly Grounds arena

  • Scripted all enemy encounters, combat arenas, and traversal sequences supporting high-intensity Force combat

  • Designed and integrated tutorials for all core Force powers within live combat scenarios

  • Contributed narrative writing for the opening scene, supporting story setup and character motivation

Kamino II — Spire Ascent

  • Designed and owned the first half-hour of gameplay, from the Clone Tank rooms through the ascent to the final boss encounter

  • Designed a large-scale traversal puzzle requiring skilled navigation and Force-assisted movement

  • Scripted enemy encounters and combat pacing leading into the climactic confrontation with Darth Vader

Vader Opening Sequence

  • Designed the narrative encounter and in-game cinematic establishing character presence and story premise

Starship Crash Sequence

  • Authored the conceptual design for a unique player encounter (final implementation completed by another team member)

Y-wing Fighter Ride

  • Authored the conceptual design for a unique player encounter riding atop a Y-Wing Fighter (Cut)

Writers Guild Of America, West

Narrative Contribution & WGA Recognition

In 2010, I served as a contributing writer on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, supporting story development, scene writing, narrative events, and character moments integrated directly into gameplay.

Later that year, I shared a Writers Guild of America West nomination with the writing team for:

Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing — 2010
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
(Original script by Haden Blackman)

STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED II

— ULTIMATE SITH EDITION (DLC)

PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 | LucasArts

Senior Level Designer · Narrative Designer

As part of the Ultimate Sith Edition expansion, I designed and authored additional story-driven content extending The Force Unleashed II, contributing new environments, combat encounters, and boss gameplay set within iconic Star Wars locations. This work required precise adaptation of film canon, translating cinematic spaces and moments directly into interactive gameplay.

Rancor Pit - Boss Battle

  • Designed the Rancor Pit boss encounter, modeled directly after the iconic scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

  • Recreated the Rancor arena as a faithful spatial and visual adaptation of the film location

  • Designed the boss mechanics, encounter flow, and player interaction to mirror the tension, scale, and narrative stakes of the original cinematic moment

  • Ensured authenticity in presentation, pacing, and environmental storytelling, reinforcing fidelity to Star Wars canon

Jabba’s Palace - Dungeon Escape

  • Designed and built all gameplay environments for Jabba’s Palace and the Dungeon Escape sequence leading to the Boba Fett boss encounter

  • Recreated the palace interiors and dungeon spaces as near one-to-one adaptations of their Return of the Jedi film counterparts

  • Authored interactive environments including prison traps, crushable cell doors, and scripted Wookiee escape moments

  • Designed and scripted enemy encounters, guard patrols, and combat pacing across palace and dungeon spaces

  • Integrated traversal, environmental hazards, and narrative beats to preserve tone, continuity, and cinematic authenticity

Jump to time index 4:25

LUCIDITY (Prototype)

XBLA - LucasArts - Dream Week Project

Co-Creator · Game Designer · Level Designer

Lucidity originated as a LucasArts “Dream Week” project - an internal one-week development initiative where the studio temporarily dissolved active teams and formed small strike teams to design, build, and deliver a fully playable game prototype within a single week.

I was a co-creator of Lucidity, contributing directly to the core game concept, mechanics, and creative direction. I designed and built multiple levels for the playable prototype, focusing on pacing, spatial clarity, and emotional tone, while working under extreme time and production constraints.

The prototype was awarded the LucasArts Dream Week Black Ribbon, recognizing it as one of the strongest submissions of the initiative. Following internal review, Lucidity was selected for full production and later released as a complete commercial title on Xbox Live Arcade.

This project stands as a defining example of rapid ideation, focused execution, and creative problem-solving, delivering a cohesive, emotionally resonant game experience within an exceptionally compressed development window.

What I Learned

  • Rapid Ideation Under Constraint
    Designing and delivering a playable game in one week reinforced the importance of decisive creative judgment, fast iteration, and committing to strong ideas early.

  • Focus Over Scope
    With no margin for excess, every mechanic, level beat, and visual decision had to serve the core experience. This sharpened my instincts for cutting noise and protecting clarity.

  • Execution Is the Differentiator
    Many ideas are good. Few are executed cleanly under pressure. Lucidity succeeded because the team prioritized completion, cohesion, and playability over ambition.

  • Cross-Disciplinary Trust
    Dream Week required immediate trust across design, art, and engineering. Clear communication and shared ownership were essential to moving fast without breaking alignment.

  • Emotional Design at Small Scale
    Even within extreme time limits, it is possible to deliver tone, mood, and emotional resonance if the experience is designed intentionally from the start.