JAMES SWEATMAN

CRAFTING GAMES & BUILDING TEAMS

EXPERIENCE

18 YEARS IN DESIGN

TITLES

+10 TITLES ACROSS MOBILE, CONSOLE, PC, & HANDHELD

Marvel: Contest of Champions, RuneScape, F1 Clash, FIFA, Chronicle: RuneScape Legends, Star Trek: Fleet Command and many more.

CURRENT ROLE

SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR - SCOPELY

Star Trek: Fleet Command

I'm a game design obsessive and champion of new, innovative ideas. I bring more than decade of design and creative direction with a sprinkle of production, management and art direction for a more distinct depth and flavour. Trained on the largest franchises in games history, honed by a gaming legacy and leading gaming future, I am in love with games, design, and the creative potential of our medium.

A leader of teams and creatives, setting an example for others to surpass, with the goal to inspire, ignite, and empower on every step of the creative journey. I want to understand how everyone I have the pleasure to work with can be their best self and facilitate incredible design.

I believe in the power of the player. Defining the who and why of games to craft experiences that can be special to the individual and enjoyed by the masses. Whether its premium, free or everything in between, knowing the why of the player and our games is what will make it a joy to experience.

Ultimately I'm here to craft special experiences with the best people I can find, mould, or be lucky enough to cross paths with. For me, Games are the greatest artistic medium and I live to not just be a part of them, but continue their legacy.

CAREER HISTORY

2025-NOW

SCOPELY

REMOTE, UK

Senior Creative Director

Creative Vision holder and leader of a 30+ strong team of designers across multiple specialisms, tasked with setting out a future for both design and the game that captures the high expectations of Scopely and STFC. Working with Senior Leadership to take STFC into the future with confidence and quality, building upon successes with a powerful new vision for success.

• Creative and Product leader, shaping the future vision of the game

• Rebuilding the 30+ person game and UX design org to meet the demands of the game & company

• Shaping roadmap, content direction, and player experience across all design functions

• Career and people planning, to ensure the highest standards across the craft

2023- 2025

HUTCH

LONDON, UK

Creative Director

Creative & Product leader Formula 1 Clash, shaping the future creative vision for the product while building a new design function at the studio. Mixing creative aspiration with product reality to deliver delightful player experiences that drive product growth for the future of the studio. Kickstarting new product development on a fresh genre play for Hutch with a large IP partner.

• Primary Owner for the F1 Brand of products and new product development

• Achieving annual revenue growth & setting the game up for greater success in its next season

• Unification of studio design team under stronger leadership, with career pathing and growth

• Long term product plan, achieving multi-year renewal of F1 license

2019-2023

KABAM

VANCOUVER, BC

Studio Game Director/Lead Game Designer

Privileged to Lead the phenomenal 25 person design team on the world beating Marvel: Contest of Champions. Providing creative direction on all areas of game design, product direction, and team leadership on one of the most successful and enduring mobile games of all time.

• Creative direction for new product development at Vancouver Studio

• Kabam Company and Vancouver Studio product and portfolio strategy

• Game Director for large scale cross-platform new IP

• Business planning and P&L ownership for New Product Development

2018-2019

ROOK GAMES

CAMBRIDGE, UK

Creative Director

One man design army, providing support and direction on new product development to several studios in early stage ideation. Consulting on concept development, core loop design, and monetisation direction while exploring my own game ideas.

• F2P design direction and guidance

• Market research, analysis, and product design

• Game vision construction

• Premium to F2P conversion and ideology exploration

2010-2018

JAGEX

CAMBRIDGE, UK

Lead designer/producer/creative producer

Across 8 years and 5 roles from legendary pillar of the industry - RuneScape, building critically acclaimed CCG Chronicle: RuneScape Legends, to creating my own new product development department I could not have experienced more during my time in Cambridge.

• Creative Director for Chronicle: RuneScape Legends

• Led design from initial conception to live service

• Design mentorship and guidance for the team and studio

• Rapid prototyping and R&D team, production & design lead

2008-2010

HB STUDIOS

LUNENBURG,NS

Game Designer

My first professional experience in the games industry was a foray into the AAA world of EA Sports and major franchises like FIFA, as well as classic Atari IP like Backyard Sports, marrying rigid design process with inspiring new directions in old franchises.

NOTABLE TITLES

MARVEL: CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS

2019

LEAD GAME DESIGNER

Challenged with continuing the rampant success of MCOC into the future by providing a cohesive creative direction, leading a multifaceted design team, and working with a vast, passionate audience that knows what it wants.

CHRONICLE: RUNESCAPE LEGENDS

2016

LEAD GAME DESIGNER

Taking the genus of a unique gameplay idea, growing it into a critically acclaimed core mechanic, and bringing it to market in an extremely competitive space while learning the do’s and don’ts of leading a product.

RUNESCAPE

2012

PRODUCER/SENIOR GAME DESIGNER

Working across multiple roles on one of the most successful MMORPGs of all time is something that can only be experienced first hand. Whether collaborating with the most fanatic community, to crafting experiences for a truly unique game, it was a privilege to be a part of the RuneScape story.

BACKYARD SPORTS - ROOKIE RUSH

2010

GAME DESIGNER

A foray into leading a large collection of features on a game for the first time taught me a great deal about the design process, how to better provide direction, and that failure is to be embraced not shunned.

FIFA 09

2008

GAME DESIGNER

Owning a feature on one of the pillars of my childhood was a thrill ride and the biggest learning experience of my early career, but has still to this day provided me with the incredibly proud moment of picking my game up from a retail shelf.