Neil Koo
Senior Gameplay Programmer
Montréal, QC · [email protected] · LinkedIn
Download résumé (PDF) Condensed for the web — the full version is in the PDF.
Senior gameplay programmer with 10+ years building and shipping gameplay systems and AI for action and co-op titles. Specializes in deep, system-wide debugging — root-causing the hard, intermittent bugs that block teams — and stabilizing complex systems through volatile production phases. Comfortable owning systems end to end and guiding less-experienced programmers through delivery.
Experience
Rewind 99 (UE5)
- Re-architecting and porting core gameplay systems to harden the technical foundation for the 1.0 release under a compressed timeline.
- Improving stability and maintainability across gameplay systems in C++ and Blueprints.
WARLOCK: Dungeons & Dragons
- Guided a newer team on proven tech from a prior project, enabling delivery of the playable prototype; debugged and stabilized gameplay systems through prototype and vertical slice.
- Developed and iterated on AI behaviors and core gameplay systems in UE5 (C++ and Blueprints).
- Built reusable gameplay systems; upheld team conventions and code quality through code review.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
- Built AI, progression, and encounter logic for major boss fights (Hagedorn, Icewind, the Lich), working closely with designers; core AI aggro via GOAP.
- Created skill tree functionality by integrating a scalable progression system and accompanying UI.
- Created and maintained an extensible gameplay debugger; diagnosed and fixed game-breaking issues (unresponsive and rubberbanding enemies).
Terraforming Mars, Carcassonne, Onitama (C# / Unity)
- Developed and shipped Terraforming Mars (client: Asmodee) and supported it post-launch; carried Onitama through launch; shipped DLC and updates for Carcassonne — at times as the sole programmer on a live title.
- Served as the primary debugger brought onto multiple projects to resolve major bugs.
Earlier roles
- Compulsion Games Sep 2017 – Nov 2017 We Happy Few (UE4) — gameplay features in C++ and Blueprints.
- Hibernum Créations Sep 2016 – Aug 2017 Dice With Buddies, Yahtzee, Dice With Ellen (C# / Unity) — shipped under tight deadlines; chosen by the client as 1 of only 4 code reviewers; advanced to the Production Tools team; maintained a Python build pipeline.
- Real Programming 4 Kids Jun 2014 – Aug 2016 Instructor — taught video game programming (C++, C#, Unity) to students aged 10–18 in small classes.
- Skopworks Inc. Dec 2011 – Jul 2015 2LoC engine, Tricky Block: All Mixed Up! (iOS) — co-developed an in-house engine largely from scratch (custom STL library), ported to iOS in Objective-C++; shipped Tricky Block.
Skills
- Languages
- C++ · C# · Python · Blueprints
- Engines & Tools
- Unreal Engine 5 · Unity · Visual Studio · Git · Perforce · JIRA · CMake
Education
Specialization in Game Development & Entrepreneurship; Graduated with Distinction.