In this position I supervised two projects:
The Sound of Lightning is a first person puzzle game set in an alternate timeline in a Teslapunk setting.
Loxia – Herbs and Potions is a cozy crafting simulation with a stylized look in which players take on the role of a nun in training who cares for patients in a beautiful monastery.
My work: Tech Lead.
Duration: May 2024 – July 2025, 5-10h/week
Studio NightinGames. Unreal Engine 5.
As the studio’s tech lead, my responsibilities where
- studio technical (art) direction: tech stack, staffing, project planning, introducing workflows & documentation, IT, contribution to funding application
- interviewing and mentoring employees
- tech & tech art team management, code reviews and DevOps for “The Sound of Lightning” & “Loxia”
Initially employed as a guide for an intern in The Sound of Lightning, I quickly took ownership over more and more topics, making me a leadership pillar in the studio.
For example, for the first time in the studio’s history, I defined a technical direction tailored to the studio’s needs. Together with our art lead, we also introduced and successfully integrated the role of the technical artist.
Key Learnings
With this being my first professional leadership role, I had to quickly define how I wanted to approach team management and my “tech wishlist” of software and processes I’d love to integrate.
For team management my main goals were:
- high transparency and honesty
- high availability for knowledge transter, troubleshooting
- collaborative task planning & estimation
On a higher level, I learned that I had to be patient with my “tech wishlist”, and continuously, slowly integrate my improvements ideas over time to not overburden the organisation.
Gregor Sönnichsen 