Chase Wenner

With over a decade of experience in the gaming industry, I have led engineering teams across a wide range of projects, from large-scale titles to indie developments. My expertise spans multiple platforms, ensuring seamless gameplay experiences and optimized performance. Whether building core systems, managing technical submissions, or enhancing multiplayer functionality, I thrive at the intersection of technology and game design, driving innovation to deliver high-quality games.

Throughout my career, I've collaborated with cross-functional teams to solve complex technical challenges and streamline development pipelines. My focus has always been on creating efficient, scalable solutions that push the boundaries of what is possible in game development. I am passionate about leading teams to exceed production goals and deliver compelling experiences for players worldwide.

I led the development of core gameplay systems, focusing on the VR rig, interaction mechanics, and player spawning. I built a rapid level transition system optimized for Quest 2, achieving fast load times to support fast-paced, minigame-focused gameplay. In addition, I developed a core framework plugin integrated with EOS, streamlining P2P multiplayer by managing lobby sessions.

I collaborated with the team to define the architecture for minigame flow, gameplay events, and an efficient event binding/listening model. I worked with engineers to enhance the EOS integration, adding advanced matchmaking, leaderboards, analytics, and achievements. Partnering closely with production, I created milestone-driven plans, identifying risks and ensuring smooth development using Agile methodologies.

During my time on the Framework Projects, I led efforts to modernize a 10+ year-old codebase, upgrading development environments, libraries, and build processes across multiple platforms, including Windows, iOS, and Android. I worked closely with teams to streamline workflows, and pipelines.

In addition to technical upgrades, I collaborated with Art, UX, and Marketing teams to ensure TRC compliance and resolve legacy issues with join flows and AWS backend systems. By improving engineering timelines and refining processes, I helped position the projects for success across diverse platforms and devices.

I led the engineering efforts to optimize performance and manage the PlayStation 5 port. I worked closely with engineers to implement systems for managing assets, reducing shader complexity, and improving performance for both CPU and GPU. My role also involved ensuring TRC compliance and coordinating with other teams.

I helped architect the controller support and streamlined the UI for cross-platform functionality. By optimizing workflows and collaborating across teams, I contributed to successfully bringing the project to completion while maintaining high-quality gameplay across platforms.

I led the engineering team in developing gameplay systems for a VR, physics-driven experience. I focused on creating intuitive movement mechanics, including an advanced mantling system for smooth climbing and ladder traversal. My team also built a dynamic level streaming system, enabling complex environments with minimal loading times.

Beyond core gameplay, I collaborated with the AI engineering team to develop a task-driven AI system that reacted dynamically to player actions, creating more challenging and adaptive behavior patterns. I also worked closely with the design team to ensure the game’s puzzle elements integrated smoothly with the VR mechanics. My efforts helped ensure the game’s successful porting to a wide range of VR platforms, including Quest, Steam VR, PlayStation VR, and more, maintaining consistency across devices while meeting platform-specific requirements.

I led the engineering efforts to implement custom AI systems and gameplay mechanics based on design feedback. I worked closely with designers to create unique AI behaviors, item interactions, and puzzle elements, enhancing the overall player experience. Additionally, I developed a physics-based drone vehicle.

I also focused on optimizing performance for low-end devices, collaborating with artists to ensure stable frame rates and efficient asset management. By building level streaming systems and event-driven gameplay, I ensured the DLCs seamlessly integrated with the base game, maintaining smooth and engaging gameplay across all supported platforms.

On Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, I focused on optimizing the game by collaborating with artists to refine high-poly assets, shaders, and collision volumes for improved performance. I established detailed documentation for workflows, best practices, and pipelines to prepare the game for console ports.

Additionally, I helped develop the low-level streaming system, which, when combined with these best practices, enabled a seamless user experience in a dynamic open-world setting. I fostered a development environment that streamlined performance improvements as the game neared completion.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, I focused on optimizing the game for lower-end platforms, ensuring smooth performance across Oculus Quest, Android, and iOS devices. I profiled the game on different devices to identify performance bottlenecks and implemented solutions for both graphical and gameplay issues.

I collaborated with artists to optimize assets and reduce GPU load by refining draw calls and poly counts. Throughout development, I ensured the optimization pipelines were clear, providing documentation to support both artists and engineers in their tasks, ultimately improving the game’s performance across multiple devices. Later I upgraded the game to silicon, which required upgrading the Unreal engine from 4.24 to 4.26.