We’d like to extend a massive thank you to all of our SFASX Assessors! It’s always a mammoth task to get so many student projects marked with actionable feedback, and every year we’re humbled to see the industry step up to the challenge! Search for a Star and Sumo Digital Rising Star literally couldn’t happen without your help! 

This year we’ve had new faces join the judging stage, as well as returning friends from previous SFAS challenges. Our partner studios have also been invaluable here, so special thanks go to: Sumo Digital, nDreams, BossAlien, TT Odyssey, TT Games, d3t, Guerilla Games, Kwalee, Red Kite Games, Furious Bee and Firesprite!

We’re looking forward to Finals Day, which caps off the SFASX journey, on April 15th! The event features a full day of networking, industry talks and has a mini expo area for studios to showcase to students, so make sure you’ve signed up for a FREE ticket here.

Now, it’s time for us to honour the work of the industry professionals who’ve volunteered their time to ensure that the next generation of game developers have the best possible chance of bridging the gap between education and employment. 

Programming Assessors:

Julian Adams – Technical Director –  TT Odyssey

Scott Bevin – Lead Programmer – d3t

Ben MacKinnon – Senior Unity Developer – Soluis Group

James Persaud – Senior Programmer – Paradox Interactive

Simon Wasselin – Senior Game Designer – Remedy Entertainment

Paul Roberts – Lead Programmer – Blue Beck

Alexander Dudok de Wit – Developer – King

Joey Fladderak – Senior Developer – Talespin

Aldo Fanelli – Senior Gameplay Engineer – Cloud Imperium

Shashank Sharma – Senior Software Engineer – Byjus

Adrian Brown – Freelance – APB Computer Services

Ciro Duran – Senior Software Engineer –  BossAlien

Greg Booker – Lead Game Engineer – Wargaming

Norbert Kett – Lead Programmer – Four Flash Interactive

Andrew MacLusky – CTO – Nomad Worls

David Horachek – CTO – Arbelos Interactive

Daniel Collinson – Senior Game Programmer – Firesprite

Luis Alejandro Vieira – Software Developer – Rockstar North

Darren Ferrie – Senior Programmer – Supermassive Games

Charlie Marshall – Senior UI Programmer – Wargaming

Petr Tomicek – Senior Programmer – Creative Assembly

Thomas Phillips – Lead Programmer – Burnthouse Games

Liana Pigeot – Senior Game Programmer – Mojiworks

Quentin Warnant – Senior Programmer – Sumo Digital

Tim Page – CTO – Well Played Games

Alexandros Konstantonis – Lead Developer – The Multiplayer Guys

Tom Rab – Lead Programmer – Fortitude Games

Shaun Ross Mitchell – Senior Tools Programmer – Lockwood Publishing

Tom Sampson – Senior Programmer – Sumo Digital

Brian Beacom – Software Engineer – Ruffian Games

Richard Fabian – Senior Programmer – TT Games

Jo Jones – Senior Programmer – Future Games of London (Ubisoft)

Jason Horsburgh – Senior Programmer – Ninja Kiwi

Vincent Chu – Lead Unity Developer – Atalon Venture

Muhammad Saad Khan – Gameplay Programmer – Rematch Studios

Andrew Gresyk – Senior Gameplay Programmer – PUBG Amsterdam

Ellie Maria Tiwara Hayward – Senior Gameplay Programmer – Splash Damage

Ankit Goel – Senior Programmer – HotHead Games

Aleix Adrian Azuela Luengo – Lead Developer – Magnet Games

Liam de Valmency – Senior Principal Programmer – Media Molecule

Kieran D’Archambaud – Contract Programmer – Koding Ltd

Sulea Cosmin Traian – Senior Soft Engineer – Amber Studio

David Bowley – Senior Programmer – Codemasters

Scott Lamb – Lead Programmer – Future Games of London (Ubisoft)

Gregory Neale – Programmer – Future Games of London (Ubisoft)

Andrew Hutchings – Principal Programmer – Future Games of London (Ubisoft)

Luc Shelton – Senior Tools Programmer

Markus Pursche – Programmer – Mataboo

Baris Cigal – Founder – Xpanse Game Studios

Marco Papalardo – Senior Programmer – Sumo Digital

Joshua Flitcroft – UI Programmer – Ubisoft Barcelona

Davide Zordan – Freelance

Vincent Hubau – Gameplay Programmer – Ubisoft Quebec

Markus Boberg – Lead Multiplayer Programmer – Nuked Cockroach

Nicholas Hendricks – Senior Software Engineer – Hypnos Entertainment

Frank Fasola – Software Engineer – This Game Studio

Dean Stanfield – Global Head of Development – Mesmerise

Jamie Massey – Associate Engineer – Wargaming

Ruggero Riccobene – Senior Game Mechanics Programmer – TT Games

Cosmin Bararu – Game Programmer – Wargaming

Tiffany Wild – Gameplay Programmer – Ubisoft Leamington

Ted Everett – Senior Producer – The Irregular Corporation

Pierre-Arjun Dalaya – Gameplay Programmer – Ludia

Luca de Simone – Game Programmer

Character Art Assessors:

Steve Wilding – Art Director – TT Odyssey

Claudio Clemente – Senior Character Artist – Cloud Imperium

Marcus Whinney – Senior Character Artist – nDreams

Blair Armitage – 3D Character Artist – Riot Games

Chris Bruin – Lead Character Artist – Cubic Motion

Steffie Garcia – Lead Artist – Big Pixel Studios

Pavel Savchuk – Senior Concept Artst – CCP Games

Emily Davison – 3D Artist – XR Games

Andrea Cammarata – Games Lead Artist – GSN

James Teeple – Character Artist – Jagex

Anthony Brunton-Douglas – Character Artist – Jagex

Isaac Pringle – Character Artist – Jagex

Lauren Lapierre Armande – Character Artist – Jagex

Zakia Abdullah – Character Artist – Mediatonic

Liam Cullen – Art Director – Perchang

Alex Downham – Director – Default Interactive

Scott Church – Lead Artist – Climax

Said Zamzad – Associate Art Director – Jagex

Javier Benitez – Art Lead – Dekogon Studio

Adam Vickerstaff – Freelance

Karl Wickens – Art Director – Criterion

Claire McClaughry – Lead Artist – Well Played Games

Simon Dew – Art Director – SEGA Hardlight

Environment Art Assessor:

Dom Wright – Lead Environment Artist – Firesprite

Simon Dew – Art Director – SEGA Hardlight

Anthony O’Donnell – Lead Artist – Firesprite

Javier Benitez – Art Lead – Dekogon Studio

Ben Wilson – Material Artist – Ubisoft Stockholm

Tom Lawson – Environment Artist – Sumo Digital

Matthew Stott – Senior Environment Artist – Pixel Toys

Stefan Oprisan – Material Artist – Frontier

Leonardo Iezzi – Senior Level Artist – Ubisoft Toronto

John O’Malley – Senior Artist – Black Shamrock

Michal Kozlowski – Senior Artist – Cloud Imperium

Hayo Koekkoek – Senior Environment Artist – Rocksteady

Ben Sidwell – Senior Artist – Hutch Games

Cristian Leon – Senior Artist – CCP Games

Christopher Harper – Senior Tech Artist – Splash Damage

Matthew Syrett – Lead Artist – Table Flip Games

Connor McKee – Lead 3D Artist – Missing Game Studio

Quentin Papleux – Senior Lighting Artist – Sumo Digital

Saija Wintersun – Senior Artist – Rebellion

Robert Lancaster – Senior Environment Artist – Boss Alien

Alan O’Brien – Senior Artist – Lockwood Publishing

Lewis Thompson – Weapons Artist – Ubisoft Bucharest

Stuart Walls – Lead Artist – Firesprite

John Griffiths – Lead Artist – Fabrik Games

Kareem Leggett – Senior Level Artist – Deep Silver: Fishlabs

Ioana Oprisan – Lead Artist – Spire Interactive

Neil Gowland – Senior Environment Artist – Sumo Digital

Hannah Watts – Art Lead – Coatsink

Daniel Kavanagh – Senior Environment Artist – NaturalMotion

Emil Bachvarov – Senior Artist – Coatsink

Keith Leclezio – Senior Artist – Sony London Studio

Tomislav Spajic – 3D Generalist – Previously at Starbreeze

Dom Shaw – 3D Generalist – Firesprite

Farhan Noor – Tech Artist – Treyarch

Mark Eastland – Environment Artist – Dambusters

Kemal Yaralioglu – Environment Artist – Frontier

Alexis Arfyriou – Level Artist – Ubisoft

Ian Snyder – Game Developer – Man MET

Andrei Popescu – Level Artist – Ubisoft

Oscar Soper – Lead Artist – Slightly Mad

Abigail Cox – Lighting Artist – Machine Games

Teppo Ylitalo – Environment Artist – Remedy Entertainment

Luis Jiminez – Lead Environment Artist – NaturalMotion

Adam Vickerstaff – Freelance

Claire McClaughry – Lead Artist – Well Played Games

Liam Cullen – Art Director – Perchang

Alex Downham – Director – Default Interactive

Scott Church – Lead Artist – Climax

Said Zamzad – Associate Art Director – Jagex

VFX Assessors: 

Karl Wickens – Art Director – Criterion

Dominikus Reiter – VFX Artist – Dom FX

Pawel Margacz – Senior VFX Artist – 505 Games

Iain Anderson – VFX Artist – Freelance

Steven Cheung – VFX Artist – Ubisoft Montreal

David Rolfe – Senior VFX Artist – Hangar 13

Niels Dewitte – VFX Artist – Freelance

Clement Lowys – VFX Artist – Ubisoft Montreal

Quinn Kazamaki – VFX Artist – Naughy Dog

Niel Venter – Lead VFX Artist – Splash Damage

Victor Munoz Martinez – VFX Artist – nDreams

Chris Ioakeimoglou – VFX Artist – Supermassive Games

Iryna Tkach – Senior VFX Artist – Splash Damage

Dean Ashford – VFX Artist – Sumo Digital

Dominik Dziubalski – VFX Artist – Flying Wild Hog

Johannes Richter – Principal VFX Artist – Remedy Entertainment

Kirill Samoilenko – VFX Artist – Outfit 7

Alican Afsar – VFX Artist – Infinity Ward

Aaran Burnett – VFX Artist – Coatsink

Conrad Hughes – VFX Artist – nDreams

Aaron Miller – VFX Artist – nDreams

Omar Amores – VFX Artist – Creative Assembly

Jacob Beckley – VFX Artist – Cloud Imperium

Mustafa Alobaidi – Senior VFX Artist – Avalanche

Gareth Richards – Lead VFX Artist – Sledgehammer Games

Maximilien Faubert – Senior VFX Artist – Guerilla Games

Mie Stokholm – VFX Artist – SYBO

Sarah Akers – VFX Artist – Lucid Games

Nicolas Teetz – VFX Artist – Yager

Ryan Hoss – Senior VFX Artist – Deep Silver Volition

Pete Nicholson – Senior Tech Artist – TT Odyssey

Jeff Johnson – Lead VFX Artist – Splash Damage

Kristen Griffin – Senior Tech Artist – Rebellion

Teo Barrault – VFX Artist – Cloud Imperium

Eline Slingerland – VFX Artist – King

Ryan Shepheard – VFX Artist – Playstation

Adam Stephen – Acting Lead VFX and Lighting Artist – Ubisoft Reflections

Animation Assessors:

Augusto Moura – Senior Gameplay Animator – Remedy Entertainment

Raul Ibarra – Animator – Moon Studios

Gary Bendelow – Animator – Freelance

Mark Peart – Senior Animator – Slightly Mad Studios

Ali Fox – Lead Animator – Rebellion

Wing Fung Chan – Senior Animator – Jagex

Steven Knock – Creative Lead – Funky Panda Games

Tim West – Senior Animator – Frontier

Daniel Lim – Senior Animator – Sumo Digital

Paul Brown – Lead Animator – Jagex

Francisco Massanet – Animator – Animal Logic

Luke Madden – Animator – Sumo Digital

Raveen Rajadorai – Technical Artist – Creative Assembley

Saif Munawar – Animator – Bulkhead Interactive

Daniel Seager – 3D Animator & Rigger – Dovetail Games

Corey Crawford – Animator – Deep Silver Dambusters