Maxim Ostanin

Game Designer @ Saber Interactive

About

The resolute Senior Game Designer with 7+ years in AAA and mobile development for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. Proven track record in system design, progression balancing, and live operations for high-profile franchises. Experienced in managing cross-functional teams, collaborating with publishers/franchisors, and delivering engaging player experiences from concept to post-launch. Also have extensive experience as a Video Script Writer with 4+ years of creating engaging YouTube videos about games, their mechanics and development, which has garnered up to several million views. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS ◆ Worked on system design and delivered major gameplay features for a critically acclaimed AAA title for PC and consoles, including post-launch content, new modes and much more. ◆ Managed teams of up to 4 designers across AAA and mobile projects, ensuring on-time delivery and high-quality feature implementation. ◆ Designed and shipped 3 commercial and over 10 non-commercial games across multiple platforms, reaching millions of players globally. ◆ Created and maintained comprehensive design documentation and terminology guides, improving cross-team communication and production efficiency. ◆ Wrote, gathered footage and participated in the release of more than 160 YouTube videos about games, which reached from several hundred thousand to more than 3.5 million views and many positive comments. CORE SKILLS ◈ Game Design & Development: System design, balancing & implementation; Progression systems & live-ops; Gameplay feature ownership (from concept to release); UI/UX design; Playtest planning & iteration cycles. ◈ Leadership & Collaboration: Team management & mentorship; Cross-functional team coordination; Strategic pipeline & roadmap planning; Mentoring, developing & onboarding. ◈ Video Script Writing & Creating: Writing scripts; Gathering & fact-checking material; Redacting & approving the voiced and edited video. ◈ Tools & Technologies: Unreal Engine, Unity, Game Maker, proprietary engines/editors; Jira, Trello, Notion, Confluence, Miro; Adobe XD, Coggle, Photoshop, Maya; Perforce, Fork; VEGAS Pro. My goal is to create titles and mechanics that will stick in players' minds and hearts. Always open to communication and discussion of work issues. Telegram: @DarkSamurai My site and portfolio: [work in progress] E-mail: darksamurai.max@gmail.com

Country

Armenia

City

Yerevan

Industry

Computer Games

Skill

Game Design, Game Design Documents, Game Development, Mobile Game Development, Team Leadership, Game Publishing, Project Management, Video Games, Scriptwriting, Video Editing, Interviewing, University Teaching

Experience

Game Designer

Saber Interactive

2021-3 - Present · 5 yrs 7 mos

Kentron, Yerevan, Armenia

• Designed or participated in designing most of the core gameplay systems for the studio's key AAA project from concept to release. • Created a large part of the project documentation, including a dictionary of project terminology. • Created and balanced progression systems (including post-release live updates). • Oversaw weapon, armour, abilities, and equipment production for all in-game classes. • Designed and participated in the implementation of platform features. • Supported localisation and worked on Russian localisation. • Conducted multiple playtest cycles, analysed player feedback, and implemented balancing changes. • Coordinated with publisher (Focus Entertainment) and IP holder (Games Workshop) on approvals and feature direction. • Managed live support of the project after release, including post-launch content updates and supervision of the post-launch development team.

Video Script Writer

IGM (game community)

2021-4 - 2025-9 · 4 yrs 6 mos

Saint Petersburg, St Petersburg City, Russia

• Wrote scripts for video game history & development YouTube content. • Researched, fact-checked, and curated materials for editorial use. • Gathered questions for interviews with the channel's guests.

Game Design Consultant

Maff Media

2024-12 - 2025-5 · 6 mos

Moscow, Moscow City, Russia

• Consulted on game design questions. • Reviewed existing game design documentation and proposed improvements. • Created design documentation for in-production projects.

Game Designer

Pika Games (indie team)

2020-9 - 2021-5 · 9 mos

Vladivostok, Primorye, Russia

• Participated in the full-cycle development from concept to launch of an independent mobile project in the Japanese crossword (nonogram) genre. • Fully developed system design, including documentation, mechanics and balance. • Managed a small indie team, provided creative direction and constructive feedback. • Handled publishing tasks.

Lead Game Designer

Game Forest

2018-9 - 2021-2 · 2 yrs 6 mos

Vladivostok, Primorye, Russia

• Led a team of game designers for various studio projects, including onboarding, management and work planning. • Led system design and participated in production for the studio's key mobile project - Toy Story Drop!. • Created core features, managed live-ops, and ensured narrative fidelity to the animated film series. • Coordinated multi-team feature production across art, code, and QA. • Coordinated with publisher (Big Fish Games) and IP holder (Disney) on approvals and feature direction.