“It was a pleasure to work with Xander on Disney Magic Kingdoms. Throughout our collaboration, he has showed an exceptional blend of strategic vision, creative insight, and leadership. Xander excels in navigating all stages of game development, managing teams and resources to deliver high-quality results on schedule. His dedication to creating a collaborative and innovative environment kept our work fun and enjoyable! I'm sure that any production will be lucky to have Xander on the team.”
Sign in to view Xander’s full profile
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Contact Info
Sign in to view Xander’s full profile
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
500+ connections
Sign in to view Xander’s full profile
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
View mutual connections with Xander
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
View mutual connections with Xander
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Sign in to view Xander’s full profile
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
About
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
Activity
Sign in to view Xander’s full profile
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
-
One month ago in LA with Brandon Zien Lori Wright Leo Olebe Jason Ronald . . . looks like an album cover 😆🎸🎶 #TeamXbox
One month ago in LA with Brandon Zien Lori Wright Leo Olebe Jason Ronald . . . looks like an album cover 😆🎸🎶 #TeamXbox
Liked by Xander Zammit
-
"Mommy, can we talk about Lincoln?" My middle son kept asking my wife this last night, repeating it with such earnestness that she decided to…
"Mommy, can we talk about Lincoln?" My middle son kept asking my wife this last night, repeating it with such earnestness that she decided to…
Liked by Xander Zammit
-
Hello connections! My team is looking for a producer. We're working on a cool game and our team is great. Studio is full remote on EU…
Hello connections! My team is looking for a producer. We're working on a cool game and our team is great. Studio is full remote on EU…
Liked by Xander Zammit
Experience & Education
-
Gameloft Toronto
********
-
*** ******
** **********
-
** ***** ******
****** ***** *******
-
****** ***** *******
******* ******* ******** ******* **** ***********
-
-
**** ******** ********* ******
-
-
View Xander’s full experience
See their title, tenure and more.
Welcome back
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
or
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
Licenses & Certifications
-
Ontario College Advanced Diploma Game Development Program
-
Recommendations received
9 people have recommended Xander
Join now to viewView Xander’s full profile
Sign in
Stay updated on your professional world
By clicking Continue to join or sign in, you agree to LinkedIn’s User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy.
New to LinkedIn? Join now
People also viewed
-
Andre Macedo
Toronto, ONConnect -
James Waters
Greater Toronto Area, CanadaConnect -
Tasha Huggins
Toronto, ONConnect -
Renee Wong
Greater Toronto Area, CanadaConnect -
Medeea S. Leonte
Toronto, ONConnect -
Jace Hijazi
CanadaConnect -
Suryan Mon •
Toronto, ONConnect -
Roman Chernoliasov
UkraineConnect -
Wook Song
North York, ONConnect -
Janette Kosakowski
Ontario, CanadaConnect -
Karina Martínez
Toronto, ONConnect -
Joe Prosperi
Toronto, ONConnect -
Andrea Osorio
Toronto, ONConnect -
shubham mahendrakar
Greater Toronto Area, CanadaConnect -
Joe De Sousa
Toronto, ONConnect -
Serhii Zahorulko
VinnytsyaConnect -
Shivaraj Bagali
BengaluruConnect -
Joakim Öhlund
IrelandConnect -
Rodney Farquharson
NassauConnect -
Lina Abdulkader
CanadaConnect
Explore more posts
-
Dr. Yves Jacquier
Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation
80
-
Ayla Derrick
So excited to take this course! Alex's first course, First Principles of Game Design, kick-started my game journey. I can only imagine this course will be an amazing continuation of my game design education ~ Alex is where and how I got started in my game design journey and education. I cannot recommend him enough.
3
-
Joshua Javaheri
👶 Game producers = great parents… ? 🎮 Problem-Solving: Working with different partners/audiences with varying comm methods. 💬 Empathy/Sympathy: Seeing the world through other viewpoints. Interpreting signals! 🧘♂️ Stress Management: Resilience in the face of constant pivots & uncertainty… Are you a creating clarity or chaos when having to clean 💩? 📅 Organization: Scheduling routines and adjusting when your plan goes south. Have a mitigation? That helps! Game production = solid parenting prep! 🌟👾🍼 #parenting #chaos💩 #empathy
48
5 Comments -
Benjamin C.
🎮 Want a job in the video game industry? 🎮 Begin with the end in mind.* ➡ When you drive to work do you just turn left or right based on how you feel that day? 😅 (I hope you left extra early that day) ➡ When you gather data for a project, do you grab monthly active users, popular breakfast items and breeds of dog? 🤐 (This report might be fun but your boss will not be happy) ➡ When you schedule a doctor appointment, do you call random numbers in the phone book? 🙃 The same applies to...well...applying for jobs. ❔ Do you look at the minimum requirements for a job or do you click easy apply on cool titles? (Although, I might as well shoot my shot for Game Director) ❔ Do you update your resume with your most relevant experience when you apply? What is your desired outcome? Work backwards and you'll see at least some of the steps in a path to get there. This is not easy to do, because there is no perfect way to be the best fit for a job. Everyone's journey is different. What steps have you taken to get to your goal or how have you been successful in your journey? *One possible end goal pictured #Letsgetyouhired #RecruiterAdvice
156
15 Comments -
Jessica Chapados Arseneault
The more studios get closed, the more I think about how there's nothing quite seeing your whole Industry falling apart to be honest. None of my friends with "normal" jobs walk around seeing job offers and are like "Hey if this whole Video Game thing doesn't end well, I could do that", but I've done it more times than I can count at this point and it's exhausting. Librarian? If the whole video game thing falls apart, could be nice. Bus driver? If the whole video game thing falls apart, could be nice. Professional wall painter? If the whole video game thing falls apart, could be nice. Desk attendant at the airport? Meh, if the whole video game thing falls apart, could be nice. Gouv Clerk? At this point, if the industry dies before it comes back from ashes, sure, why not! The industry is in shambles and sometimes, it do be hard to feel secure because even those who did feel secure could have the grass cut from under their feet. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel for each individual in the same or in a worst position, because it's not because we have a job now that we aren't looking at the future with uncertainty 🫂
63
1 Comment -
Carina Kom
I like sharing the good news about the video game industry (because I know many people have been burned by working through it). Although, as a whole, the industry is expected to continue growing year after year. What do you think this means? The concept of diversity becomes the inevitable truth. Growth encompasses variety and innovation, bringing a richer palette of stories and experiences. This transformation is driven by a new wave of creators who are not just making games but also crafting cultural bridges. A fantastic example is the upcoming game 'Rooster', which celebrates Asian heritage in a deeply authentic way. The team behind Rooster has a shared vision of representing this culture through fun and accessible gameplay experiences, which aligns beautifully with broader industry trends toward inclusivity and representation. It seems like they love what they do to boot! If there was a clear path to surviving the video game market while also enriching the social impact of gaming, IMO, it would be to get behind and champion these vital initiatives. #diversity #equity #inclusivity #asianheritage #rooster
21
1 Comment -
Guido Schmidt
2nd Book Progress – Be so good they can’t ignore you This week has been great. I have been fleshing out my other significant character in the development team: an ambitious Senior Level Designer from Italy who is free-climbing in her free time. She is going to have a major story arc in the book. On her journey to becoming a team leader, she has faced several difficult problems in the past that carry over to our current project. She has a reputation of focusing mostly on herself and her own achievements. She is very controlling and wants to get into higher positions for the privilege and power they offer. This is also the main reason why her former team leaders had kept holding back on giving her more responsibilities, especially with regard to leading other team members. Naturally, this made Simone feel somewhat bitter to the point where she feels the company owes her a promotion. At this stage she joins project leader Angelo and his team to lead the level design department there. This is a great opportunity for her, and with Angelo’s guidance, she starts to thrive. A few key things he tells her are that your leaders need to understand what kind of leader you would be if they were to give you this chance. Therefore: 1️⃣ Focus on others and elevate your team members over your own achievements. 2️⃣ Lead before you officially are a leader. 3️⃣ Do remarkable things for the project. 4️⃣ Be so good they can’t ignore you. Once she internalizes these points, she starts changing her behavior and immediately sees success and recognition from the team. When the pandemic hits she really begins to shine. Her wits and adaptability ensure a great working environment despite the new challenges of working from home. She even surpasses Angelo in making sure everyone feels valued, cared for, and able to perform at peak efficiency. This, truth be told, is the best compliment you can get as a leader. When someone in your team becomes better than you. #gamedesignimpossible #writing #gamedevelopment #gamedesign
16
-
Carla Rylance
🎮Monthly External Game Dev Pulse🎮 I’m on a personal mission to broaden my awareness and gain an ongoing pulse into the landscape of External Development in the Video Games industry. Video Games is an industry that I have been employed in for nearly 20 years, with External Development covering much of this tenure. I love it, I live and breathe it, and I’ll be doing this until I’m much older and wrinklier. I care about seeing this industry continuing to thrive, and I believe that the flexibility, scalability, and diversity of expertise in External Development can be a key component in supporting the industry as the landscape begins to (hopefully) restabilize. As such, I am starting a monthly pulse survey to gain regular snapshots in time of the industry-wide vision on External Development, with an aim to provide Video Games professionals the data needed to lean on external development to create increased development stability. To help with this mission, I am asking the community to please take 5-10 minutes completing this 5-question survey. I plan to release these pulse surveys on a monthly basis, and as a thank you I will share key data and insights with this community on Linkedin. This survey is open to participation for those working in External Development in the Video Games industry as a Service Provider, Developer or Publisher. I hope that this personal initiative will help many throughout the industry, whether you are involved in external development, hoping to learn more about external development, or interested in learning more about options for industry stabilization. I hope for a large pool of diverse participants, so if you see the value in this initiative please do share this post with your network. If you have any feedback for how the most can be made of this initiative, or improve the questionnaire for future releases, please let me know your perspectives through a Linkedin message. Thank you.
51
4 Comments -
Kenn White
EDIT: I appreciate everyone's interest, but we've found our new DD. Offer accepted last night. Game Producers: Going fast, but we're hiring a Development Director on my team. This is a mid-to-senior level production role, based in the US working remote (from approved states) focusing on process and general skills. We are actively interviewing, but still open to a last minute unicorn if you'd like to get in to the process before we make our decision. My ideal candidate fills all of the following (READ these, don't just reach out blind): - At LEAST 5 years experience in production (DD, Producer, PGM, TPM) IN the game industry, with a STRONG preference toward LiveOps/MMOs. If you don't have actual experience working on a live service game, that means we have to train you into the role - and I need someone who can not only come in strong, but can help level us up. You've been there, you know the drill, you've learned the hard way what works and more importantly, what does NOT. - Real scrum experience. Our team is undergoing an agile transformation as I write this and that means I need someone to help with that. The CSM or PSM-1 is the minimum price of admission here, but I need actual boots-on-the-ground experience in running agile teams, preferably with experience helping with a waterfall-to-scrum transformation ON a live game. - More than just a "pod leader" or scrum master. If you've got a lot of experience with running stand-ups, sprint plannings, and moving tasking on Jira boards, that's great. I need you to also be able to become an expert in the game, understand issues that relate to player expectations, live market sales, in-game event planning, greenlighting content. The best candidates are more than just production - they're a little bit design, a little bit product, and a little bit magician. - You've got a system for that. I'm going to ask you how you come up with your dates. I'm going to ask you how you validate your reports. I'm going to ask you how you assess risk, how you track your team's health, how you update leadership, how you make sure we're on course. I'm going to want to hear your systems you've created or used more than just how you personally do it all yourself. If we've worked together in some capacity and you'd like to talk to us about this OR you know someone I should talk with, reach out asap. This role is not going to stay up for long as we're already actively interviewing.
83
17 Comments -
Michael Fitch
Practice interviews can be incredibly valuable. Especially after you've been through something traumatic like a layoff or a toxic work environment. Find someone you know well, someone you trust; if you don't have anyone like that, reach out and find someone (www.amirsatvat.com has resources). It's important that you pick someone who can give you critique and someone you can hear it from. One of the things that we do in every interview, whether we're conscious of it or not, is to frame our own work in relation to the experiences we have had. There are a lot of potential pitfalls in that beyond the obvious bad-mouthing of people and companies. For example, I've interviewed a lot of senior production leaders over the last few years. Several of them have related situations where they were not able to get higher-level alignment among stakeholders - this is extremely common in game development. But, how you relate that experience makes a tremendous amount of difference. If you focus on how frustrating it was, how blocking the stakeholders were, how impossible it was to make progress because of that issue, that doesn't put you in the best light. As a production leader, I expect you to resolve issues like that. If, on the other hand, you focus on how you got the team to work around the blocking issue, how you got the stakeholders into alignment, how you forced accountability into leadership on the lack of alignment - now we're talking. Every story you tell in an interview gives the people you are talking to a window into what working with you is going to be like. If you're not aware of your own unconscious framings when you're telling these stories, you may be putting their focus on the wrong places. Practice telling those stories with people who have the right ear to call out the false notes that are coming up. Again, especially after a highly emotional event, you're likely bringing emotional contexts to your stories without even being aware of it. You wouldn't walk up to the mound at a baseball game without having practiced your pitch. Get your reps in on interviewing, and it will pay off.
13
3 Comments -
Chris Klimecky
Tip for publishing consideration submission to Midwest Games... tldr - Send info through our portal (https://lnkd.in/gWtKgpuU), not through email (or LI). I get that it's a little counter-intuitive...you might think you want to put your info right in front of the sourcing decision influencers' faces. But it's actually a disadvantage - especially those of you who are agents throwing multiple titles at us at once. The submission portal goes right to our database, and that database is there for a reason: to keep an organized and consistent record of all submissions in one place. I look through there all the time. I'm reminded of titles I may have overlooked or need to go back to consider as circumstances change all the time. We rarely, if ever, make immediate decisions or even quick deep review/consideration. Our factors for consideration shift regularly. I do not review your particular email regularly, or at some point even remember you sent one. I go to the database. Connection via other channels is good. Discussion about your game over other channels is good. But having your core game info in those channels is not good. Please use the submission portal!
27
3 Comments -
Hailey Rojas
Dear Games' Industry, I've had enough of remaining silent, and you should too. If there's going to be any change in the way our community does things, it needs to start with us. THE PEOPLE. 👏 How many layoffs is it going to take? How many people have to uproot their entire lives, only to have it ripped from them right before they even start? How many more IPs, corrupted by microtransactions are we willing to put up with?? Is this the Industry we want to leave behind for the next generation??? As someone who's had friends give up on their dreams because of the sheer hopelessness they felt, I already know my answer. I'm sure these Indies do too. Cave Bear Games Digital Scorpion Interactive DigiPen Institute of Technology WTTW Games Kyrie Studios Steelion Studios Serious Point Games Dontae Phillips Willem Delventhal Kat Craig Raftur Games Dinobyte Softworks LLC Indie Game Academy Things need to change. And I want to help dedicate my platform to accomplish that. #IndieRevolution #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #Games #Change #Movement #EnoughIsEnough #Indie #OpenToNetwork #ProjectManager #Community #Networking
206
47 Comments -
Brad Faucheux
🔴Attention Job Seekers🔴 I'm not a recruiter or a Career advisor BUT.... I have been a victim in the past for phishing scams and unfortunately so has my family Be very cautious and extra careful before just clicking on a job link I know in this dark time, everyone is racing to be first and jump on an opportunity anytime a job posting shows up (I respect that) BUT also it gets darker.... as Scammers are aware of this too to grab your personal info and lead you into a mess problems. Please Please give a moment to check your sources carefully with third party websites promoting animation jobs 🙏 such as greenhouse as they are also gullable to fall for scams if not triple checked themselves. https://lnkd.in/e_C7AW5M ^ it's safe 😇 I've seen multiple animation job links being posted multiple times on this platform from questionable sources, even from profiles that have been botted. Which is atrocious. I try to do most of the work before forwarding links that seem legit but in this infested AI universe Scammers are getting more weapons to trick us. So if a link I've posted is bogus or if my profile has been used please LET ME KNOW and I'll put it on blast 💥 . Thanks and Stay safe out there Fam. #important #jobseekers #animation
44
8 Comments -
Britain Vanderbush
One phrase that keeps coming up from big game publishers when trying to justify their layoffs and cuts is this, "the market is oversaturated." They're intelligent enough to identify that fact and blame it on enhancements to technology and accessibility, but they don't appear to have been intelligent enough to acknowledge that their habitual hiring/firing practices have contributed directly to the market's oversaturation that is now harming their growth. I can almost guarantee that every one of you reading this knows multiple people who have started their own indie studios, joined an indie studio, or become solo developers following the disillusionment they experienced due to the current widespread job insecurity in AAA games. These companies have identified the problem while simultaneously contributing to the problem, because the ability to think in terms of short-term financial gains does not equate to the ability to think in terms of human behavior. Unless employment in AAA becomes truly equitable - and I'm talking about what will take years of shows good faith, of creating and maintaining steady full time employment for everyone across the board (that means doing away with a lot of temporary contract work), that means no more leaving the creators out to dry - the future of games will belong to Indie developers. There will at some point be a decisive shift in power if there is not active, intentional, and equitable change made by the people in positions of power. I'm not saying this with hope that the indie devs will win out above AAA. Not at all. I want both to thrive, and to everything there must be a balance. I've been far more enmeshed within and therefore very hopeful about the future of AAA games throughout my career, and I still dream of a world in which AAA game devs on every rung of the ladder have steady and unshakable lifelong employment within that world. It IS possible, and it HAS been possible. But as long as greed is at the wheel, that dream will not become a reality outside of independent studios. And that's just the truth of it. What can you do? In whatever capacity you are able, do what you can to create a more honest, decent, and equitable world. You can do this in your company, you can do this in your personal life with the people you meet. Take every little opportunity to do something good, because every good act plants a seed. We simply haven't had enough little good acts, and that shows up in in society in big, big ways. Peace to you. -B
4
-
Nataliia Chekh
Transferable Skills from Gaming to Game Development Transitioning from passionate gamer to game developer is easier than you think. The skills you've honed through gameplay can be valuable assets in the development world. Here’s how your gaming experience translates into game development expertise. 1. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking In Games: Strategy and RPGs like The Legend of Zelda or Civilization require solving puzzles, making strategic decisions, and thinking ahead. In Development: Game development involves debugging code, designing levels, and balancing mechanics. Highlighting your in-game problem-solving skills can showcase your ability to tackle development challenges. 2. Team Collaboration In Games: Multiplayer games like League of Legends or Overwatch emphasize teamwork and communication. In Development: Collaboration is key in development teams. Your experience coordinating with teammates to achieve common goals can demonstrate your ability to work well in a team environment. 3. Creativity and Innovation In Games: Creative thinking is required in games like Minecraft, where players solve problems and create content. In Development: Creativity is essential for designing mechanics, storylines, and characters. Showcasing your creative achievements in gaming can illustrate your potential for innovation in game design. 4. Technical Proficiency In Games: Gamers often understand hardware, software, and platforms. Modding communities require basic programming skills. In Development: Familiarity with gaming platforms and programming concepts eases the learning curve for development tools. Experience with modding or game editors like Unreal Engine or Unity is particularly valuable. 5. Time Management and Perseverance In Games: Long campaigns and high ranks in games require significant time investment and dedication. In Development: Game development projects often have tight deadlines and require sustained effort. Your dedication to mastering difficult games showcases your time management and perseverance. 6. Understanding Player Experience In Games: Avid gamers know what makes a game enjoyable or frustrating. In Development: Empathy for the player is crucial. Your deep understanding of player experience can help you create more engaging, user-friendly games. Transitioning from player to professional involves leveraging the skills you've developed through gaming. By identifying and articulating these transferable skills—problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, technical know-how, time management, and player empathy—you can position yourself as a strong candidate for roles in game development. Embrace these skills, continue to learn, and take the leap from playing games to creating them.
6
-
Kelly Bender
#NarrativeDesignTip Embrace Single Spacing. One of the most common mistakes I see new game writers making is they include double spaces. AN EXAMPLE OF WRONG VIDEO GAME WRITING: HUNTER CHARACTER: "I came across a herd of deer in the forest. They were led by a majestic stag with sharp horns. We should send a hunting party out immediately while they are still grazing." AN EXAMPLE OF RIGHT VIDEO GAME WRITING : HUNTER CHARACTER: "I came across a herd of deer in the forest. They were led by a majestic stag with sharp horns. We should send a hunting party out immediately while they are still grazing." Video Games use SINGLE SPACING due to UI (User Interface) design limitations, dialogue bar sizes, coding, localization, game engine limitations, and the fact it also looks cleaner. Besides spell-checking, checking for single spacing should be part of your editing process. Here is how you can easily check it. Step 1: Press CTRL/CONTROL + F to access the FIND & REPLACE tool. Step 2: Press the SPACEBAR TWICE in the FIND section. Step 3: Press the SPACEBAR ONCE in the REPLACE section.
33
5 Comments -
Connor Bacon
Hello! Rather a weird ask, but does any here know of any good resources (preferably low cost or free) that could point me in the direction of getting started with the basics of audio and sound design for games? Stuff to do with Wwise, FMOD, UE/Unity etc? Would be a huge help :)
2
4 Comments
Explore collaborative articles
We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.
Explore More