Benjamin Cole is an experienced games producer and project manager, having credits on over a dozen titles and shipping award winning games; with a proven track record of shipping great games on time and on budget.
Benjamin is also the founder of Pxlplz, LLC - an independent development company producing titles for PC, web, and mobile.
Competitive online puzzle game, featuring a unique gravity mechanic that allows players to rotate the playfield.
Programmed entirety of game in Unity using Photon Unity Networking as networking solution.
Responsibilities included hiring team of contractors, managing art and music production and keeping art and assets on spec. Directed opening sequence. Booked and ran events at conventions.
Game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from Steam curators, has been featured at convention, and has won several awards.
Additionally a full size prototype arcade cabinet was specced, designed, and built for conventions, and a vinyl record was produced as a promotional item.
2D physics platformer and adventure game. Control two characters at the same time; Squidly and Squishy are linked together with a magical chain. One has the brains and one has an appetite. Munch your way though 4 worlds and 24 levels, and solve the mystery of the missing stars.
Built custom engine powered by Box2D and BleuLlama. Prototyped initial design and helped to define gameplay. Created custom scripting language to help drive game events. Managed a small team of programmers, level designers, and artists to implement features and create content. Responsible for vetting level designers' one-sheets and helping implement design. Also created custom bug tracking software to help log and track issues.
"... this game is too much fun to miss." 4 out of 5 Stars
-Touch Arcade
Endless runner for iOS. Join in the running of the bulls and try not to get crushed. You can use your cape to taunt the bull and cause mayhem.
Developed in Unity for iOS, and using iOS GameKit for leaderboards. Game was originally developed in Flash (as Bull's Hit) and available on Mochi Games where it had more than a million plays.
Addictive combination of craps and falling block puzzle. Match up dice to make 7s and 11s but avoid matching 2s, 3s, and 12s. Easy to learn and fun to play.
Developed in Flash for iOS and web. iOS version had over 70,000 downloads.
Clever tile matching puzzle game. Match adjacent cards by suit or value and make chains. Avoid letting burning tiles reach the bottom of the playfield. An addictive combination of luck and skill.
Originally a 3rd party development project with a flawed design. When production was canceled to concentrate resources on other projects, the game was rescoped, redesigned, and prototyped with assets delivered from the original developer.
Benjamin built the redesigned prototypes in Flash with an emphasis on simplicity and extendability with different decks and items for purchase. He coordinated internal resources, created new assets, and brought the redesigned game to full production.
Unique color matching game. Build friends for the lonely robot Bludeau. Power the machine by connecting tiny critters called volts by spinning and sliding fuses.
Developed in parallel with the Gaia Games Framework, a framework to help with gold and items granting across games, facilitate anti cheating measures, and allow users to communicate with each other.
Benjamin coordinated internal and external resources to help bring features to completion. Assisted with design throughout development and represented the project internally to stakeholders while communicating project goals to 3rd party developers. Coordinated testing, launch, and site integration.
A full featured flash pinball game complete with off-table mini games. Based on Gaia Online properties.
The first game developed for the new Gaia Games Framework. Benjamin helped coordinate internal development with external contractors building the game. Worked directly with designers to build playfield and game features, and keep game on spec and on budget. Was responsible for coordinating testing, launch, and site integration.
Take to the skies with Snoopy. He really puts the dog in dogfight.
Managed external development on the title from early prototypes to launch. Worked with development team to define product, including writing design templates and managing expectations. Presented milestone builds and worked closely with internal stakeholders as well as sales and marketing teams to make sure that product goals were being met. Managed relationship between product and first party, and worked with license holders to make sure that their goals were being met and product was acceptable to all parties. Represented the game at E3 and other press events. Helped coordinate QA efforts and launch.
Snoopy vs The Red Baron was a critical success and Benjamin Cole received the Namco Bandai Holdings Gold award for leadership efforts on the title.
"Don't let the license fool you. Snoopy's game is loaded with intense air combat that players of any age can appreciate."
-Gamespot
Comedy tycoon simulation game. (unreleased)
Based on Xbox Live Arcade game Outpost Kaloki, Benjamin was directed to reimagine the game with a original ip and full featured enough for a retail release. Budgeted the game and planned milestone schedule. Worked closely with the dvelopers on original ip and new game features.
Managed schedule and presented milestones to internal sales, marketing, PR team, and execs to set internal expectations and gather feedback. Managed feedback and presented to external developers. Helped coordinate QA efforts and prepare game for release.
Game was completed and ready for release but change in company strategy left the game ultimately unreleased.
Official Curious George game that launched alongside feature film.
Developed on an extremely short schedule, Benjamin assisted production duties. Vetted development teams suited for a quick multi platform turnaround on PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, and PC, and found suitable developer for GBA. Helped build milestone schedule and delivery schedule for licensor. Worked with Universal to make sure that product was being developed and presented in a way consistent with the brand and the movie.
Presented milsetone builds, gathered feedback, and helped deliver feedback to developers. Helped prepare the game for release and present to Universal.
Compilation of classic Namco arcade hits. Special edition celebrating 50th anniversary of Namco.
Helped coordinate schedule with developer, track development and present milestones for review. Helped coordinate QA efforts and prepare title for release. Assisted with licensing efforts for 80's soundtrack.
Title based on the Cartoon Network show Atomic Betty.
Worked with developer to create budget and milestone schedule, helped track progress on title, and worked with internal stakeholders to deliver feedback on milestones. Worked with license holder to make sure game quality and assets were on spec and properly captured the look and feel of the show.
Based on the classic children's book.
Worked closely with the developer to define feature set and overall game design. Defined milestone schedule and game scope. Developer's first GBA title; helped developer to properly scope game design around team limitations, budget, and schedule. Also assisted developer design assets to GBA spec. Managed expectations between developer, license holder, and execs.
Identified areas where developer was having difficulty and managed product around them, including finding appropriate music contractor.
Managed milestone presentations and gathered feedback for development team. Helped coordinate QA efforts and prepare title for release.
GBAdev.org 2004mb competition winner
Designed game features and worked with programmer to build game in 4mb for competition hosted on GBADev.org. Identified proper GBA tool chain and built art, levels, and music to GBA spec.
Game was finished in time for 2004mb competition and was one of 10 games included on a limited edition cartridge.
Anonymous messaging application. Pick a topic and send messages to other users. No log in, no usernames.
React web application wrapped with Cordova and running a NodeJS backend. Was responsible for all of the frontend and backend development.
Talk to Strangers has been downloaded over 70,000 times.
3D Social video platform.
Developed user interface components in Flash and Flex including video rating ui, chat, and social features. Was responsible for Facebook Social Graph integration.
3D presentation software. Platform to easily build 3D presentations and build for PC and mobile.
Developed in Unity. Built features to help quickly add assets to presentation and facilitate camera navigation in 3D project. Integrated AR features using Viewforia. Prepared assets for integration. Fixed bugs and prepared presentations for launch to clients and for release on app stores.
Location based dog walking software. Every walk should be an adventure.
Application allows user to mark on a map where their dog pees and collect territory. Users are able to leave messages for other dog walkers and see what other dogs in the neighborhood have marked the spot. Built dog avatar designer to let users build a custom dog with parts from several popular breeds.
Worked with client to scope, design, budget, and develop application. Built and managed small team to develop the application.
