Our Studio

Our Team

• Aj Grand-Scrutton CEO
  Top 5 Games

  • Day Of The Tentacle
  • Battletoads
  • Halo: Combat Evolved
  • Super Mario 64
  • Final Fantasy XV

  • Background

    As Dlala’s founder and CEO, Aj focuses on the creative and strategic direction of the studio and all products we create and/or contribute to. Aj leads the business development and also managers the design, art and audio departments of the studio. Previously, he worked for companies such as Jagex and Bossa Studios, in roles such as Lead Client Developer and Game Content Developer. Aj founded Dlala in 2012 and has never looked back.

  • Typical Day

    “I’m not sure I really have a typical day, which is pretty much a typical answer. On our projects I work as Game Director/Creative Director, which means I really focus on making sure that the games we create feel like a cohesive experience and that we’re all working towards the same vision and goals. On a studio level I’m the CEO, which means I do a mixture of pitching for new projects and financing, press related commitments for the studio and working with the leadership team to make sure we’re taking the studio in the direction we need to!”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Batman, I know it’s cheating but he is technically in a game. Why? WHY?!? He’s the goddamn Batman.

• Ben Waring CTO
  Top 5 Games

  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Portal
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Super Bomberman 2
  • The Legend of Zelda – All

  • Background

    Ben has been with the studio since its first year of formation in 2012. He has subsequently led all technical aspects of every project undertaken by the studio and has consequently been required to develop a wide breadth of expertise across a number of programming disciplines. Ben has previously served as a Programmer and Lead Programmer for companies such as Microsoft Games Studios and Bossa Studios. He was officially moved into his current role as Technical Director in 2017.

  • Typical Day

    “Implementing the many brilliant features/ideas of our design team and collaborators. Making all the tough technical decisions. Being the team cynic.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Conker – people that know me understand why…

• Gemma Foster COO
  Top 5 Games

  • Sonic The Hedgehog 2
  • World of Illusions starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
  • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
  • Valiant Hearts - The Great War
  • Rayman Legends

  • Background

    Gemma is Dlala’s swiss army knife of an Operations Director. She joined the team, and the games industry, in 2015 with a varied background in both private and public sectors including, but not limited to, over half a decade in the legal profession. She subsequently worked as the Lead Software Developer in the delivery of a national initiative focused on the standardisation of legal case management applications, before  moving into the position of Business Improvement and Operations Manager for an award-winning international education business. Originally, Gemma joined the team as a Producer but quickly found herself not only developing the production processes of the studio but also taking control of all financial and operation protocols; in effect, rebuilding the structure of the studio from scratch. As the studio continued to grow, Gemma moved from a split-focus production and operations role into a position committed to Dlala’s business operations, development and expansion.

  • Typical Day

    “I cannot lie, the ‘typical day’ is still completely unknown to me… As anyone who has worked in business operations will know, despite our desperate attempts to be organised and proactive, the need to be reactive as a result of ever-changing priorities often overshadows those attempts and our oh-so-carefully formulated plans!

    I am ultimately responsible for most of the behind-the-scenes (which many refer to as “boring”) elements of running a game studio.  I manage all operative, financial, legal and HR aspects of the business and work closely with Aj and the Strategy Team to assist with any business development needs.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Miles Power (Tails) because he is super-cute, a mechanical genius and can fly helicopter-style!

• Mark Ragon CIO
  Top 5 Games

  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
  • GTA V
  • The Curse of Monkey Island
  • Max Payne
  • Earthworm Jim

  • Background

    Mark comes from a background outside of the games industry. Previously a Senior Systems Technician in the corporate sector, Mark has experience dealing with the creation, maintenance and evolution of infrastructure at large scale corporations. Joining Dlala in 2015, Mark, like a lot of Dlala, was thrown in at the deep end… Having to convert a warehouse unit, previously used as a dance studio for over a decade, into a working space with remote and mobile hot-desking (no small undertaking on premises which had only 4 power outlets and no internet access). Mark fully embraced the role and, in 2017 , was moved into his new role as IT Director of the studio.

  • Typical Day

    “I am responsible for the management, strategy and execution of our IT infrastructure. I don’t really have a typical day as the role is quite varied but it can involve anything from developer kit setups, continuous integration for our projects to disaster recovery and server / network management.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Nathan Drake – For The Treasure!

• Chris Rickett Principal Programmer
  Top 5 Games

  • Doom
  • Gears of War 2
  • Natural Selection
  • Empire Earth
  • Left 4 Dead

  • Background

    Chris was Dlala’s first non-founding team member, joining the team soon after the studio’s inception in 2012, and was instrumental in the development of Dlala’s first-released title “Janksy”, in which he had less than 10 weeks to build the game from scratch! He now has over six and a half of experience as a professional games programmer and has developed a breadth of expertise across programming disciplines.

    In 2018 Chris was promoted to Senior Programmer.

  • Typical Day

    “The majority of my day involves adding content to the game from other teams. Whether it’s animations, gameplay features, tools or audio – the rest of my day is spent making tea.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    The space marine from the original Doom games (“Doomguy”) because no-one knows my name, but I work hard and get the job done.

• Grant Allen Lead Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • Pokemon Blue
  • Pokemon TCG
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
  • Bishi Bashi Special Edition
  • Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

  • Background

    After working part-time as a character designer on Dlala’s title “Overruled!” Grant joined the team on a  full-time basis as an Artist. However, within just a matter of months it became apparent that he had a particular talent and passion for design. After supporting the design team for a month, he was soon moved across to the design department and has never looked back!

    In 2018 Grant was officially made Dlala’s Lead Designer, with his first project as lead being Battletoads.

  • Typical Day

    “A typical day begins with coffee the elixir of life, meetings take place, Ideas are throw into the pot, Ideas are thrown into the bin and design work can begin.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Pete from Earthworm Jim, he's cute but can pack a punch

• Eric Ciccone Animation Director
  Top 5 Games

  • Sega NHL 94
  • Nintendo Super Punch Out
  • Zelda Wind Waker
  • Ico
  • Shadow Of Colossus

  • Background

    Eric is Dlala’s youthful veteran! He started his career over 20 years ago as an Assistant Animator to Mike Dietz, Ed Schofield and Doug Tennapel on the awesome Earthworm Jim and then proceeded to fulfill a number of senior roles, working for studios including Shiny, Dreamworks, THQ and 5th Cell. Eric’s projects include Earthworm Jim, Earthworm Jim 2, The Neverhood, The Last Airbender and much, much more.

  • Typical Day

    “Make things/characters move around. Drink a lot of coffee. Draw. Work with cool people.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Dhalsim. Because he can levitate…and breath fire. Well and stretch as well…you can’t beat that!

• Rory Jobson Senior Concept Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Fallout 3
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker
  • Pokemon Red & Blue
  • Gone Home
  • Overwatch

  • Background

    Rory is an example of Dlala’s commitment to young talent. Further to him joining the team as a fresh-faced graduate, and his relocation from Scotland, Rory’s talent and dedication to his craft soon led to an evolution of his role; you will find him doing everything from concept art through to environmental production art.

  • Typical Day

    “I get to work on lots of different and hilariously exciting projects here, so there’s a lot of different visual direction work, quick sketches and visual style research (the fun stuff). Although recently I’ve been doing a lot of polished environment artwork and animation, which has been a really fun learning curve! One of my favourite aspects of the job is the opportunity to jump between different visual styles and tasks, which really forces me to get better at things which lie at the edges of my comfort zone! My other favourite aspect is Hugo the pug.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Parappa The Rapper. No explanation required.

• Victoria Webb Lead Producer
  Top 5 Games

  • Crash Bandicoot (All of them and CTR)
  • Ori and the Blind Forest
  • Abe's Odyssey
  • Tomb Raider
  • Singstar

  • Background

    Victoria studied Media Production at university with the dream of working in either the games or animation industry. She ended up working in Marketing for 10 years, project managing both national and international campaigns for private and public sector brands. She worked with brands including NHS, Italian Tourist Board, Ibis, Essex County Council and more. After having her son in 2016 she decided that if she was going to be going back to work it needed to be something she was passionate about, it was at this point she decided to leave marketing and follow her dream of being a producer. Victoria joined Dlala in 2018 as a Game Producer on “Battletoads” (2020).

  • Typical Day

    “I don’t think that there is such a thing as a “typical day” at Dlala. As a Producer I am ultimately responsible to for the successful delivery of the project/game, day-to-day this can be anything from; planning and scheduling work, managing priorities, developing processes, liaising with contractors and project stakeholders, to identifying potential risks and roadblocks and working closely with the departmental leads to mitigate and solve these.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    If i could be any games character I would be Lara Croft, because she is a strong, intelligent and determined woman but also because she is super rich, super hot and totally bad ass (obvs).

• Craig Thomas Lead Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
  • Halo
  • Celeste
  • Left 4 Dead
  • Bubble Bobble

  • Background

    One of the founders of Dlala Studios, Craig’s roles, past and present, have always leaned heavily towards design. Craig has worked on a wide range of projects, leading teams both big and small. From small team prototyping, to designing raids in MMO’s, to fast moving platformers with plenty of exploration. Previous studios include Jagex, Bossa and Roll7. Craig is now happily back at home at Dlala.

  • Typical Day

    It’s definitely a mixture! I still like getting hands on with design, so you’re just as likely to find me building out levels and writing design docs for new features. Other days I’ll be putting together pitches for new projects and  concepts, and other times helping designers get their ideas in to games, whether that be through feedback of planning. Blurring the line between creative direction and lead designing, it comes down to – Helping to come up with cool new ideas, turning them in to sensible design concepts and getting stuck in to bringing them to life.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Probably Link? Miyamoto nailed that dropped-off-in-a-new-city feeling, and that adventuring life suits me. That and the hookshot.

• India Crooke Animator
  Top 5 Games

  • Pokémon
  • Overwatch
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Spyro The Dragon
  • Mario Kart

  • Background

    India studied 2D character animation, at the University of Hertfordshire, but can track her interest and enthusiasm all the way back to late primary school when she was scrubbing through animated films, frame-by-frame, on her old TV. It was this activity that made her realise she could make her drawings move. She worked several freelance jobs alongside completing her university work and landed a job at Dlala shortly after graduating.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Literally anyone in the Pokemon world, I just want a Bulbasaur is that too much to ask?

• Yeonjae Lee Senior 2D Texture Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Katamari Damacy
  • Machinarium
  • Professor Layton
  • Oxenfree
  • Super Mario Odyssey

  • Background

    Yeonjae studied 2D animation in South Korea, specialising in concept art and character design. Her first role was as an Art Instructor in a small art academy in Korea, teaching kids aged 9-19 traditional art skills. In her last semester, she got an opportunity to work as an Intern Graphic Designer in a small design studio in London. After the completion of the intern programme, Yeonjae went back to South Korea and worked as a Graphic/Package Designer. Whilst having a lot of experience in that field, Yeonjae’s passion remained in art and wanting to work in the video game industry. Yeonjae has been active in the games industry since moving to the UK, attending events and participating in game jams. Yeonjae joined Dlala as a 2D Texture Artist/Game Artist during production of “Battletoads” (2020).

  • Typical Day

    “My typical day at studio starts with morning coffee and then I check latest feedbacks from our team & Art Director. Everyday I spot some different things in my works which I didn’t notice the day before, so with fresh thoughts and ideas I just keep drawing and painting until they become shiny and lovely pieces! And then… drink more coffee coffee-!”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Rabbids! Because they're silly but so cute and funny!

• Sam Thomas Lead Audio Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • Monkey Island
  • Halo
  • Super Mario Sunshine
  • Portal
  • Mega Man

  • Background

    Sam is Dlala’s very own Ukulele playing musical maestro! After single-handedly composing all the music and sound effects for “Overruled!”, Sam originally joined the team as a QA tester. After realising that the musical magic just couldn’t be held in, Sam was moved over to a role which enabled him to embrace his true passion – audio design.

  • Typical Day

    “Generally, I spend my day writing music and SFX for whichever project I’m working on. I’ll bug the heck out of people to get feedback, then throw it in the project once I’ve convinced myself it’s the best that it can be.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    If I could be anyone, I would be Luigi. He gets a bad rep, but he’s competed in the Winter Olympics and gets to ride Go-Karts.

• Luke Amer Game Programmer
  Top 5 Games

  • The Last of Us
  • Halo 3
  • Portal 2
  • God of War
  • Life is Strange

  • Background

    Luke grew up on the small island of Guernsey and throughout his childhood had a passion for video games. This led him to the goal of eventually working in the industry. After moving to the UK he studied Computer Games Technology at the University of Portsmouth, where he was able to experience all aspects of development and learn the fundamentals of games programming. During a placement year he took a leap of faith and decided to set up a indie games studio with a small group of Uni friends and developed a top-down stealth action shooter called “No Trace”. The game was showcased at EGX Rezzed and reached the finals of the student competition “Dare to be Digital” within that same year. Luke joined Dlala in 2019 as a Game Programmer on “Battletoads” (2020).

  • Typical Day

    “My day usually starts with playing the latest build of the game to see all of the recently added features. I then take a look at my list of tasks for the current sprint and pick one to start working on. These can be anything from AI to Sound & VFX hooks. The rest of my day involves playing Flo Rida on the office SONOS and keeping Hugo the pug entertained!”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Gordon Freeman because he managed to get a Phd in Theoretical Physics while being a mute and saves the world without asking questions.

• John-Evans Wagenaar Senior Programmer
  Top 5 Games

  • DOOM
  • Sonic The Hedgehog 2
  • Okami
  • Inside
  • Bioshock

  • Background

    John-Evans is from Paarl in South Africa. His favourite toy as a kid was a ZX Spectrum, but his obsession with video games really started after playing Duck Tales on his friend’s NES. After becoming a software developer, working across different industries, he finally moved to London and was able to pursue his dreams of becoming a game developer. He worked on titles such as Danger Mouse: Fullspeed, Drive That Train! (for the London Transport Museum), Zero Threat before joining Dlala in 2019 as Game Programmer on “Battletoads” (2020).

  • Typical Day

    “I usually start my day by quickly going through the latest commits to the projects, checking my mail, calendar and Slack. Then I grab a morning cuppa with some of the other team members. Depending on where we are in the project I would usually take some time to play the latest build of the game. When my day kicks off properly I pick things from my task list and work on that. These tasks can be big, long running things like building prototypes, implementing systems, gameplay mechanics and AI, to smaller things like bug fixes, gameplay tweaks and polish. I also like to involve myself in design discussions and, if it is within my abilities, to write visual effect shaders.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Roger Wilco from Space Quest. Being a clumsy janitor on a space station that accidentally stumbles into random intergalactic adventures feels like a natural fit.

• Miljan Glenny Game Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • The Legend of Zelda Series (Not including Phillips CD-i games)
  • Luigi's Mansion
  • The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
  • Super Mario Sunshine
  • Final Fight

  • Background

    Miljan is a language nerd and, as a child, thought that wizards created video games. After studying Chinese Mandarin at university and moving to Shanghai, he landed a job as a translator at a game’s studio right at the tail end of his tourist visa. It was there that he found out that in fact, wizards did create games but he could become one himself. He moved back to the UK to study video game design in 2017 and eventually wound up at what he describes as “the best place he has ever worked” with Dlala Studios in 2019.

  • Typical Day

    “I ask myself the question “is this fun?” throughout the whole day. If it is fun, I must then ask the tech team if I’m allowed to do it. I also utter the phrases “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” and “In theory” at least 27 times a day.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    It's a tough one but I think I'd be Faith from Mirror's Edge. Yes, they tried too hard to make her cool, but she's able to do some of the coolest things in video games and she does it in style! I'd just have to get over my vertigo first.

• Chris Jones Art Manager
  Top 5 Games

  • Spelunky
  • Portal
  • Super Meat Boy
  • Halo 3
  • Skate 3

  • Background

    Whilst at college Chris spoke to a careers advisor who told him that getting a career in games was the equivalent to becoming a footballer and was pointless to attempt it. Crushed, he went out and got a job as a recruitment consultant and bounced around from that into a couple of different financial services roles for a few years. He eventually decided enough was enough and went to study 3D Animation so that he could enter into an industry that he was passionate about. His first role in the games industry was as an Animator and he worked his way up to the role of Art & Animation Manager at Sports Interactive. Joining Dlala in 2019 as an art focused Game Producer on “Battletoads”, Chris moved into the role of Art Manager in early 2020.

  • Typical Day

    “Whilst no two days are the same at Dlala, my main responsibility is to facilitate the creation of great art, animation and VFX. It’s my job to work as the main point of contact for all the other teams in the studio for anything art related, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and to help remove any roadblocks that may occur, allowing the team to focus on what they need to focus on.Whilst no two days are the same at Dlala, my main responsibility is to facilitate the creation of great art, animation and VFX. It’s my job to work as the main point of contact for all the other teams in the studio for anything art related, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and to help remove any roadblocks that may occur, allowing the team to focus on what they need to focus on.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Tony Hawk, wait, that's probably cheating right? But, I mean, who wouldn't want to shred like the Hawk?

• Craig East IT Support Engineer
  Top 5 Games

  • Metal Gear Solid
  • Gears of War
  • Tomb Raider
  • Super Mario Kart
  • Donkey Kong Country

  • Background

    Craig spent most of his working life as an IT engineer / Network administrator, refurbishing a whole range of technical equipment and helping to maintain the companies IT infrastructure. He joined Dlala in 2020 to work alongside IT Director, Mark Ragon, as an IT engineer.

  • Typical Day

    “A typical day for me is pretty varied, it can be anything from dealing with a support request, monitoring the IT infrastructure, to researching and implementing new software. Occasionally I get to test the current project the team is working on which I love. One of the highlights of my day is working with some of my closest friends.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    If i could be a video game character I would be Solid Snake. Why? Because who wouldn't want to have active camouflage.

• Liam Welton Senior Game Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • Hollow Knight
  • Shadow of the Colussus
  • Riven
  • Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
  • Fallout 2

  • Background

    Liam has been in the games industry 8 years and have done just about every job you can have. He has coded, animated, sound edited, designed and written on a bunch of games, big and small. He first worked with Dlala in 2018, in a contract role, as the UI/UX programmer on “Battletoads” (2020) before shortly leaving and then returning as a full-time Game Designer.

  • Typical Day

    “Spending minutes coming up with what seems like a super simple idea, then struggling for hours to find an easy way to explain it to people.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Geralt of Rivia. Who doesn't want silver hair, cats eyes, and look that good in the bath?

• Kerem Shefik UI/UX Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • OutRun 2: Coast 2 Coast
  • Advance Wars
  • Tetris
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • The Entire Sega Dreamcast Catalogue

  • Background

    A UI/UX designer with a background in print and typography, Kerem’s influences lie somewhere between comic books such as Judge Dredd, Spider-Man and Viz, traditional hand lettering, retro video games and Heavy Metal & Punk album covers.

  • Typical Day

    “When he’s not referring to himself in the Third person, Kerem drinks coffee, plays in bands, colours things in and gets angry playing video games.”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Either Murray the demonic skull or the I block from Tetris.

• Jaime Gray Office Administrator
  Top 5 Games

  • Age of Empires II
  • Pac-Man
  • Theme Hospital
  • Diner Dash
  • Space Invaders

  • Background

    Prior to recently joining Team Dlala as an Office Administrator, Jaime has worked in a administration for over ten years, gaining a varied experience in diverse roles. In recent years this has included a more financial focus, including responsibilities in the areas of Credit Control and Debt Collection.

  • Typical Day

    “The majority of my day is spent monitoring and recording bank transactions and ensuring everything is accurately logged onto our accounting software.  As the “new girl” I’m still enjoying learning all about the world of gaming!”

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    This will probably change as my gaming education grows, but Pac-Man - he munches his way through life without ever putting on any weight!

• Nick Dorsett QA Producer
  Top 5 Games

  • Diablo II
  • Eve Online
  • Magic: The Gathering
  • Counter-Strike 1.6/CS:GO
  • Some form of Pokemon adventure

  • Background

    After spending “far too much time” playing video games as a kid Nick started his career in game certification in 2008. Starting out on the earlier generation of Xbox consoles Nick says “this gave me an awesome opportunity to play and test a lot of games before their release to the general public”, something every young gamer dreams of! Nick has spent the majority of his career working in compliance and functional testing, working with studios like Mojang Studios, Playground Games, Rare, Microsoft and, of course, even Dlala! Nick was an integrated part of the teams to help release games across a variety of platforms throughout his career. Nick lists some of his biggest accomplishments, so far, as the successful releases of “Battletoads”, “Minecraft” and “Sea of Thieves”.

    After working closely with Dlala throughout 2019 and 2020, on “Battletoads”, Nick joined Dlala full-time as a Game Producer in May 2021!

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Stiltzkin from the Final Fantasy IX series! He is a pretty helpful guy to have around and has a few gems to share here and there

• Debra Grand-Scrutton Fixed-Term PA
  Top 4 Games

  • Columns
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
  • Mario Party (Series)
  • Mario Kart (Seres)

  • Background

    Whilst new to working within the games industry, it’s fair to say that Debra has been very close to it for the best part of 15 years. Whilst she has been close to the industry she has been ever closer to Dlala, both figuratively and literally, as it was Debra’s garage in which the studio was originally formed within 2012. Debra has a background of successfully managing, running, growing and creating businesses including a caring company as well as multiple transport and haulage companies. Debra joins Dlala as a Fixed-Term PA providing assistance directly to CEO Aj Grand-Scrutton and Operations Director Gemma Foster.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Mario Mario, because he's Mario!

• Chris Reynolds Junior Producer
  Top 5 Games

  • Legend of Zelda: BOTW
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  • Borderlands Series
  • The Last of Us
  • Skate 3

  • Background

    Coming from a background in Music and Media, Chris graduated from Bournemouth University in 2019, specialising in Sound Design in his final year, creating a 10-minute audio redesign for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. After leaving University, Chris was determined to get into the Video Game industry, participating in various Game Jams, and building up his skills during his free time until finally landing a role as a production assistant at Dlala, hoping it will be the start of a long and fun-filled career.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    I'd say Steve from Minecraft. He can punch pretty much anything and mold it into whatever. He can make magic potions, Kill dragons, survive explosions and a ton of other survival-based abilities. Plus, he can automate a lot of stuff with his sick electrical/Redstone abilities. He's a one-man show — the total package!

• Emma Maltby 2D Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Nier: Automata
  • Alice Madness Returns
  • Kingdom Hearts 2
  • Persona 5
  • League of Legends

  • Background

    Emma has always loved drawing and telling stories, when she was younger should draw endless amount of comics, posting them to the internet to see who might want to read them. Taking this love of characters, art and storytelling, Emma chose to study animation at the University of Lincoln, where she developed her love for designing characters. After leaving university Emma worked a number of creative jobs in 2D animation, graphic design and mobile gaming.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Bayonetta, she’s so cool and confident, plus who wouldn’t want magical hair?

• Alex Kay Junior Producer
  Top 5 Games

  • Minecraft
  • Ark: Survival Evolved
  • Super Mario Land 2
  • Modern Warfare 2
  • Rollercoaster Tycoon 2

  • Background

    Alex studied Film Production at Falmouth University focusing on Directing and Producing. I found a love for all things creative due to the ability of expressing one-self and the people you meet along the way which drew me in to Dlala. Alex initially joined the studio on a short-term contract and was offered a full-time role before he was even halfway through it!

  • Typical Day

    Being prepared to change your outlook in a drop of a hat, no two days are the same. Bouncing between all departments making sure everyone is on track while also planning for the future.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Steve from Minecraft. No matter where you are in the world if you put your mind to it you can create something awesome. Also, who wouldn't want to try on a nice shiny diamond armour set while riding round on a horse... also wearing diamond armour.

• Fletcher Morris Junior Programmer
  Top 5 Games

  • Hades
  • Stellaris
  • Overwatch
  • Kerbal Space Program
  • Portal 2

  • Background

    Fletcher studied Computing with Games Development at Plymouth University in 2016, and then moved onto Abertay University in 2019 to further his studies. Fletcher joined Dlala in late 2021, before passing his probation and moving into a full-time position in May 2022.

  • Typical Day

    Wake up, drink a large mug of tea, proceed to drink another cup for every 60 minutes spent fixing the previous day’s caffeine-induced features (*see ‘bugs’).

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Dragonborn from Skyrim - getting paid to wander beautiful landscapes, perform feats of magic atop snowy mountains, and shout nonsense at strangers? Sounds pretty fun.

• Dora Vasiliou Junior Game Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Uncharted
  • Tomb Raider
  • The Sims 3
  • LEGO Indiana Jones
  • Super Mario Bros

  • Background

    Dora has always had a love for playing games and drawing characters, especially comic book ones with a strong passion for Marvel, which ties into her also being a huge movie buff! She decided to take this further by studying Art Foundation at University, at which point she discovered Games Design and studied that for 3 years, falling in love with the world of gaming even more. Dora enjoys learning new skills and challenging herself, participating in game jams and gaining experience wherever she could along the way. Previously working as a free 3D environment for VR and mobile gaming, before joining Dlala as a Junior Game Artist in 2022.

  • Typical Day

    My typical day would defiantly start off with large cup of coffee following with our Art briefings and catch ups. As a Game Artist is it my job to assist with both the production and implementation of the art work for the game. Each day at Dlala is different from learning new skills to making memories and games with great people!

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Ooo that's a hard one...I think I would be Lego Indiana Jones because who wouldn't want to relive their favourite childhood adventures in the world of LEGO!

• Luke Peek Lead Technical Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Grandia
  • Final Fantasy 7
  • Spyro The Dragon
  • Tony Hawk Pro Skater
  • Machinarium

  • Background

    Luke made his first game, at age 10, using RPGMaker and immediately fell in love with making games in every bit of spare time he could find. After, what he considers, a mostly wasted educational journey he ended up in a corporate web application development role, working for companies like RIBA and Microsoft.

    Armed with an unquenchable thirst to get into the games industry, a self-taught array of engines, languages and disciplines he discovered a passion for Visual Effects, which in turn led to a love of all things rendering and visual “polish” This combined with his unhealthy obsession with matching concepts, and target renders, with pixel-perfect precision ended up with him finding his way working with Dlala!

  • Typical Day

    Convince myself I can do art. Convince myself I can write code. Convince myself I understand rendering. Throw it all into a pot, give it a mix and hope it doesn’t come out magenta.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Spyro - Small but brave, cute but fearsome, breathes fire… what’s not to love?

• Ray Jantayeva Junior Game Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • Thief: Metal Age
  • Kya: Dark Lineage
  • Persona 4
  • Team Fortress 2
  • MDK 2

  • Background

    Ray found an interest in games from an early age, especially drawn to how games can build a whole other world with unique narrative, environments and characters. Ray went to study a 3D computer course at University and worked on a number of student projects. Moving on to work in a small VR/AR studio in Brighton before working with Dlala, initially as a contractor, in 2021 and ending up a full-time Dlalan in 2022!

  • Typical Day

    My typical day consist of catching up with Implementation Team first thing in the morning and then moving onto tasks which would involve supporting artists and managing parts of the pipeline. All tasks are accompanied by a mug of tea! 

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    I think it would be Garrett from Thief series; he is smart, sneaky and has great voice lines!

• Paul Housden Audio Designer
  Top 5 Games

  • Silent Hill 2
  • Gears of War
  • Final Fantasy VIII
  • The Last of Us
  • Kingdom Hearts

  • Background

    A musician for decades, Paul studied Music composition and technology at Uni, where he learned a lot about experimental music and sound manipulation. After writing Music for several video games this path lead him into audio design when he started working with Dlala in 2021 as a contractor, before converting to full-time Dlalan in 2022.

  • Typical Day

    I’ll usually formulate a sound in my head, hunt around the studio for something that will make a similar sound, record some chaos with it, edit the recordings into useable sounds, then manipulate them with effects until I’m happy.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Has to be the Prince of Persia, then I can rewind time and have as many do-overs as I please

• Fay Oxby Graduate Programmer
  Top 5 Games

  • Solitaire
  • Overcooked
  • Animal Crossing
  • Singstar (Mainly ABBA)
  • Mortal Kombat (All of Them)

  • Background

    Fay spent the majority of her time after leaving school, not knowing which direction to go in. Then one New Year’s Eve she made a ‘resolution’: make a video game. She got a bit carried away and ended up studying a HND in Game Development for 2 years. By an alignment of the stars Fay began to work for Dlala on a work placement, which turned into a job!

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    The goat from Supermarket shriek because there is comfort in relatability.

• Jane Seager Studio Manager
  Top 5 Games

  • The Last Of Us - Part 1
  • Pokémon Blue
  • Little Nightmares
  • GTA Vice City
  • Batman Telltale Series

  • Background

    I have over 10 years experience working in a corporate office background as a EA/Office Manager. Mainly working in the Property Industry. I have been involved in various projects, from office relocations, to implementing new systems and also most importantly arranging staff social events! I have also worked within a marketing agency industry on a voluntary basis when I first started work, the role was within the graphic design team, so I’ve had a little exposure to the magical world of the creative industry!

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    If I could be any game character I’d be Crash Bandicoot. He is always up for going on awesome time travelling adventures and daredevil stunts. What’s not to love about Crash Bandicoot and his laid back and goofy personality!

• Semra Usanmaz Junior Game Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Professor Layton
  • Zero Escape
  • Disco Elysium
  • Ace Attorney
  • Yakuza 0

  • Background

    Semra’s love for games started from a really young age after her eldest brother introduced her to arcade games like Street Fighter II and The Simpsons (1991). Growing up, she always had a fascination with art and science (as well as games) and would go on to take A Level subjects like Maths, Physics and Product Design due to that fascination. Initially considering a career in Computer Science but realised that art was where her passion was. When she realised she could create games and make art for them, she knew exactly that’s what she wanted to do in life! Taking Game Design and Development at University in the hopes of furthering her ability to create art and to learn how to make games and took part in several game jams and game projects before finishing her degree and a few months later, becoming a contracted Implementation Artist at Dlala, which then turned into a full time role as a Junior Artist.

  • Typical Day

    After waking up, I’d usually make myself some coffee, have some cereal and join one of our daily standup meetings. After that I would move on to my work tasks which included creating art within Unity, fixing art-related bugs, and importing assets into Unity and into scenes. After work I would usually relax for a while, maybe work on my portfolio, re-watch Futurama and/or play some games.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Phoenix Wright, because he's really good at talking (sometimes) and has cool background music

• Sarah Fox Executive Assistant
  Top 5 Games

  • PacMan
  • Jet Set Willy
  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Lemmings
  • Angry Birds (Currently Dream Blast!)

  • Background

    Before joining Dlala, as an Executive Assistant, Sarah spent 15 years within the broadcast industry – most recently looking after channels and content on free-to-air tv platforms. This gave Sarah a lot of TV to watch as ‘research’. Earlier in her career, Sarah worked in post productions and a variety of other creative companies.

• Stevie Cole Senior Character Artist
  Top 5 Games

  • Disco Elysium
  • Night in the Woods
  • Sonic Adventure
  • Pathologic 2
  • Banjo-Kazooie

  • Background

    After falling in love with games, from playing Donkey Kong Country on a beat-up SNES as a kid, Stevie vowed to make art for video games and has never looked back since. Having been a part of the games industry from 2017, after some time teaching game art, working at companies such as Rare Ltd, Playtonic and Sega Hardlight, Stevie found their way to Dlala! In their downtime Stevie can be found sculpting figurines, painting silly critters, playing games (duh) and making friends with random animals.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    If I could be any game character it would probs be Spyro, cause dragons rip. They fly, breath fire and he's PURPLE. Sick as heck.

• Chloe Hughes QA Trainee
  Top 5 Games

  • Valorant
  • Lego Star Wars
  • Mario Kart
  • Uncharted
  • Call of Duty: WWII

  • Background

    Chloe spent years, as she grew up, watching her dad played video games and developed a keen interest in them. She went on to study Computer Science and IT at secondary school and sixth form, which she enjoyed and only grew her interest. During her time in education Chloe came to work at Dlala for her work placement, and then returned multiple times during the different holidays from college. Chloe joins Dlala as it’s first QA Trainee and will continue to develop her skills on active projects.

• Samantha Cheung Producer
  Top 5 Games

  • Dragon Age: Origins
  • Baldur's Gate (All Three)
  • Tryanny
  • Disco Elysium
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons

  • Background

    Originally from Hong Kong, Samantha discovered her love for video games when she first got The Sims 2 at ten. After studying Literature and Sociology at the University of Essex, she thought she would either have to work in teaching or copywriting. Instead, she found herself in the gaming industry by becoming a startup’s intern for a Pacific Rim mobile game, and later promoted to a full-time Junior Producer/ Worldbuilder. After that, she became an Associate Product Manager in a mobile game publishing studio for three years, until finally relocating to the UK in 2023, joining Dlala as a Game Producer.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    Kirby, because he's cute, he's friend shaped, and he can eat everything!

• Dan Maslanka Brand Manager
  Top 5 Games

  • Halo: Combat Evolved
  • God of War
  • The Last of Us - Part 1
  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

  • Background

    Dan is an experienced Graphic Designer & Photographer, that’s been part of multiple award winning teams in the creative industry. Working on both agency and client sides, Dan has a multitude of skillsets that he brings to the DLALA table, being able to offer branding to presentations and campaigns to storytelling media.

  • If you could be any video game character, who and why?

    I suppose Kratos from God of War may be the easiest if I could lose a little fat! I mean he looks and sounds bad-ass, so would be awesome to be him… although I’m not sure I can handle the chaffing from wearing a loincloth every day.

• Hugo Chief Dog Officer
  Top 5 Games

  • Harass Ben
  • Push Out Chairs and Jump On Tables
  • Destroy Cintiq Pens
  • Hunting Superman
  • Silent Barking

  • Background

    Hugo joined Dlala around 2 years ago just after his second set of vaccinations. Hugo technically belongs to Aj and his wife Harri but in reality we all belong to Hugo!

  • Typical Day

    Runs in the office excited to be here, jumps onto Chris’s lap. Does a few laps of the office. Waits for Ben to get in, harasses Ben all day. Eats, sleeps and harasses Ben some more. Pushes out chairs, turns on Xbox Dev Kits, steals pens from Cintiqs.

• Join the Dlala team