ABOUT ME
My name is Tamir Nadav! I am a senior game developer, working on projects since 2004.
Video games have been a part of my life since I was little, and by the age of 6, I already knew that this is what I would like to do for the rest of my life. In 2004, I enrolled at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, in the Game Design & Development Bachelor’s program, graduating Valedictorian in September 2005, starting my career as a game developer. It has been an incredible and challenging journey, but above all, rewarding, working with amazing people on multi-platform projects, and knowing that I will continue doing what I love for many more years to come.
My hobbies are:
YOU MIGHT KNOW ME FROM ONE OF THESE CONFERENCES
MY CAREER
My career as a game developer has been an incredible adventure, with ups and downs and many unforgettable moments. I have worked for major internationally renowned companies, such as Disney Interactive© and Telltale Games©, contributing to multiple AAA titles and introducing online technology features that enhance the overall game development process.
In the image below, there are references that represent each of the projects that I proudly contributed to during my career, can you find them all?
Kokku
Head of Creative
I am currently working with Kokku, a company dedicated to assisting various other gaming companies, filling in the missing parts for success in launching their projects.
The company supports various social projects, especially those aimed at promoting the gaming market in Brazil, with internship opportunities and investments in courses and lectures by the Big Festival in São Paulo.
If you are a talented individual involved in any aspect of the gaming industry, I recommend checking the available positions on the website.
Super Evil Megacorp
Operations Lead
International support for the company, hiring, social inclusion initiatives, general administration of the company’s operations. Featured Title: TMNT Splintered Fate. During this period, I visited the Big Festival SP twice, in 2021 and 2023.
Aug/21 to Jun/23
Budge Studios
Senior Product Manager
Development of children’s games, such as Hello Kitty Nail Salon.
Aug/20 to Jun/21
Gazeus Games
Director of Product Management
Updating games from the company’s portfolio. During this period, I was a speaker for the first time at the Big Festival in São Paulo 2019.
Apr/19 to Jun/20
Visual Concepts
Online Operations Producer
General support in the development of online features for the company’s games, such as NBA 2k19.
May/18 to Mar/19
Telltale Games
Director of Online Product Management
Started at Telltale Games
End of contract at Telltale Games
I was hired by Telltale Games in February 2016 with the goal of introducing new online gameplay technologies for ongoing projects. One of the main features I helped implement and promote was Crowd Play, which allows multiple players to vote on character interaction options during the game and selects the most voted to proceed with the story.
My work involved conceiving and executing actions to develop attractive online features for players, such as ease of use, connectivity, and increased interest in the company’s content, in addition to other tools inside and outside the game.
During my time at Telltale, I contributed to several important titles, such as Minecraft: Story Mode – Seasons 1 and 2, The Walking Dead: Michonne, Batman: The Telltale Series, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (and a bit in The Final Season too), Guardians of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series, and Batman: The Enemy Within.
RockYou
Product Director
In August 2014, Kitchen Scramble was bought by Rock You and, under the negotiated professional agreement, me and my team migrated together. My main role was to coordinate and manage new project acquisitions for the company. In the same year, I participated in Pocket Gamer Connects as a speaker.
Oct/14 to Dec/15
Disney Interactive
Game Designer / Senior Producer
I started at Disney Interactive.
GDC 2010 (Volunteer)
GDC 2011 (Volunteer)
GDC 2012 (Volunteer)
GDC 2013 (Speaker)
GDC 2014 (Developer)
End of contract at Disney Interactive.
Admitted to the Disney Interactive studios in San Francisco in October 2010, my mission was to develop games for Facebook, an exciting challenge. After starting on the Secret Agent X project (which was cancelled), I was promoted to Senior Producer and led my first production team.
With this team, we decided on our next project, using information from our target audience on Facebook to guide our choices. That’s when I discovered my passion for data analysis. Thus, Words of Wonder was born, launched in March 2013 and now available for Android and iOS, which broke a few internal records.
I led the team from concept through launch, and then through live service updates for about a year. Kitchen Scramble was launched in June 2013 for Facebook and then for Android and iOS. I managed the launch and administration of the mobile ports of the game and I analyzed gameplay data to propose improvements.
In 2014, I participated for the first time as a developer at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), presenting Kitchen Scramble.
“To wear the company’s jersey” as they say, right?
Vigil Games
Game Designer
My first time working with AAA games, I spent most of my time assisting in the general development of Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium. I worked a bit with localization and balancing of Darksiders 1. I volunteered at two GDCs during this period, 2009 and 2010.
Dec/08 to Aug/10
KingsIsle Entertainment
Associate Programmer/Designer
GDC 2005 (Volunteer)
Started at KingsIsle
Austin Game Developers 2006 (Volunteer)
GDC 2008 (Volunteer)
End of my contract at KingsIsle
This was my first official job as a game developer, being admitted on Halloween 2005 and, coincidentally, leaving on Halloween 2008. I remember well the feeling of entering the office for the first time and the excitement of starting my journey in a job I had dreamed of for so long. At that moment, while I was organizing my things to work, I witnessed an unusual interaction (which I later found out to be totally NORMAL in a game company): my boss passed by my desk and, upon passing by another colleague, they both started an imaginary lightsaber fight. At that moment, I knew I was really in the right place.
Even though I love programming, it was at this company that I also realized that programming would not be my main task in game development. Nine months later, I changed positions to Associate Designer, focusing more on the development of ideas and mechanics for the creation of projects. From there on, I advanced in my career within the company until I became a Game Designer, contributing largely to the development of a cancelled MMO, and supporting the game Wizard 101 by designing Sorcerer Stones, a game playable within the game, and available on mobile devices. Wizard 101, an MMO for younger audiences, launched in September 2008 for PC.
MY HEART PROJECTS
My project as a content creator. This is my space on social media where I interact with the public and aspiring game developers, giving opinions and tips on game releases and news from the gaming world, from the point of view of a “gringo” living in Brazil. All content is in Portuguese (as best as I am able).
Extra Life is a North American project that focuses on covering medical expenses for children in the United States (my home country). The project involves 24-hour live stream sessions of horror game gameplay, and during this period, all donations made live are directed to the funds of this project.
When I’m not streaming for the Extra Life project, I love playing my favorite games on live streams and this is a project that I plan to boost in 2024. Follow me on the platform to watch me play!
I participate in various game jams as a mentor or jury, these projects are amazing to encourage young game developers and I highly recommend that you participate or at least follow the tournaments.
