I'm a Senior Game Developer with 7+ years of professional experience designing, developing, and shipping action, casual, casino, and competitive multiplayer games across mobile, PC, and WebGL. I specialize in real-time multiplayer systems, gameplay mechanics, physics simulations, AI, live-service features, and performance optimization, with strong expertise in Unity and Unreal Engine. I have delivered scalable multiplayer titles and production-ready games reaching millions of players worldwide, while mentoring teammates and driving high-code quality. I am passionate about building robust architectures for cross-platform play, optimizing performance for low latency experiences, and delivering engaging live operations. I thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy guiding junior developers toward best practices in multiplayer design, physics, and gameplay systems.

Pineda, Ernest Iyadh Mercurio

I'm a Senior Game Developer with 7+ years of professional experience designing, developing, and shipping action, casual, casino, and competitive multiplayer games across mobile, PC, and WebGL. I specialize in real-time multiplayer systems, gameplay mechanics, physics simulations, AI, live-service features, and performance optimization, with strong expertise in Unity and Unreal Engine. I have delivered scalable multiplayer titles and production-ready games reaching millions of players worldwide, while mentoring teammates and driving high-code quality. I am passionate about building robust architectures for cross-platform play, optimizing performance for low latency experiences, and delivering engaging live operations. I thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy guiding junior developers toward best practices in multiplayer design, physics, and gameplay systems.

Available to hire

I’m a Senior Game Developer with 7+ years of professional experience designing, developing, and shipping action, casual, casino, and competitive multiplayer games across mobile, PC, and WebGL. I specialize in real-time multiplayer systems, gameplay mechanics, physics simulations, AI, live-service features, and performance optimization, with strong expertise in Unity and Unreal Engine. I have delivered scalable multiplayer titles and production-ready games reaching millions of players worldwide, while mentoring teammates and driving high-code quality.

I am passionate about building robust architectures for cross-platform play, optimizing performance for low latency experiences, and delivering engaging live operations. I thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy guiding junior developers toward best practices in multiplayer design, physics, and gameplay systems.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Senior Unity Game Developer at Match Up Games (UK)
May 1, 2024 - October 1, 2025
Developed 'Power Up Pool', a real-money multiplayer billiards game using Unity and Photon Fusion. Integrated Firebase for real-time data management, player stats, and backend services. Translated Figma UI into interactive gameplay with realistic physics and smooth animations. Managed weekly TestFlight builds, optimized performance across iOS, Android, and WebGL. Led technical coaching for team members on gameplay systems and optimization best practices.
iOS Developer (React Native) at Lucid Care (US)
March 1, 2023 - April 1, 2024
Led development of AI-driven mental health assistant mobile app using React Native Expo. Integrated Firebase cloud functions, messaging, and real-time database for app backend. Converted Figma designs into user-friendly features with secure clinician-ready data flow. Ensured HIPAA-compliant secure architecture for user data and insights. Managed weekly TestFlight releases and CI/CD pipeline.
Unity Game Developer at Gameloft (Vietnam)
October 1, 2021 - December 1, 2023
Built and optimized gameplay systems, boosting player engagement by 20% and project delivery by 15%. Contributed to 1M+ downloads across flagship titles (Ice Age Village, Sniper Fury, Dragon Mania Legends). Enhanced mobile performance by resizing/remaking assets (VFX, images, videos). Reduced loading time by 15% through debugging and tuning. Collaborated with cross-functional teams, cutting integration issues by 20%.
Junior Game Developer at Ubisoft Philippines
October 1, 2018 - December 1, 2021
Designed AI systems for enemy behavior, improving gameplay complexity and retention. Created physics mechanics, game economy systems, tournament flows, and character control. Implemented in-app purchases with Unity IAP, StoreKit, and Google Play Billing. Developed interactive UI based on Figma mockups for multiple game systems. Supported code/design reviews to streamline delivery and game quality.
Senior Game Developer at Match Up Games
April 1, 2024 - December 1, 2025
Led development of Power Up Pool, a real-money multiplayer casino billiards game featuring real-time competitive gameplay. Architected and implemented authoritative real-time multiplayer systems using Unity and Photon Fusion 2, delivering stable, low-latency competitive matches. Designed and built complete lobby management, matchmaking, auto-matchmaking, and player synchronization flows, enabling players to enter matches within seconds. Developed leaderboards, ranking systems, divisions, tournaments, and competitive game modes to provide clear progression and boost long-term engagement. Implemented daily and weekly challenges, rewards, and retention mechanics; designed and developed multiple mini-games (Plinko, Higher-Lower, Daily Spin Wheel, coin battles); built anti-cheat measures including network time synchronization and secure cloud data validation. Optimized networking for low-latency, high-concurrency environments; shipped cross-platform live builds for iOS, Android, and WebGL;
iOS Developer (Part-Time) at Lucid Care
March 1, 2023 - August 1, 2024
Led development of core features for an AI-powered mental health and healthcare mobile app using React Native Expo and Firebase. Implemented Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications. Built real-time chat between patients and doctors using React Native Expo, Firebase Realtime Database/Firestore, Cloud Functions, and WebSockets. Developed AI-powered nutrition and mental health analysis systems using Firebase Cloud Functions and Vertex AI, delivering automated health insights. Implemented secure authentication and account management flows using Clerk. Translated designs into production-ready UI with Tailwind CSS and React Native UI libraries. Managed weekly TestFlight releases and supported CI/CD pipelines for continuous delivery, ensuring HIPAA-compliant data handling.
Unity Game Developer at Gameloft
August 1, 2022 - December 1, 2024
Contributed to globally successful titles including Ice Age Village, Sniper Fury, and Dragon Mania Legends. Developed core gameplay systems for action and casual games with 1M+ downloads. Implemented character animation controllers, AI behavior trees, and combat systems; built character progression, weapon upgrades, and customization systems; designed leaderboards, daily rewards, and progression mechanics to boost engagement. Created a map auto-expansion system for top-down RPG gameplay, integrated IAP and ads, optimized WebGL builds, memory usage, and runtime performance, and supported live operations and post-launch content. Integrated Steam services and platform-specific SDKs to expand PC distribution; published builds to Google Play and Apple App Store.
Junior Game Developer at Ubisoft Philippines
February 1, 2020 - July 1, 2022
Designed and implemented AI systems for enemy behavior and combat logic using Unity C#, Unreal Engine C++, and Blueprints; developed physics-based gameplay mechanics and character controllers across Unity and Cocos. Built game economy systems, tournament flows, and progression logic using SQL and AWS; implemented Unity IAP, StoreKit, and Google Play Billing; developed interactive UI systems from Figma designs; assisted with code reviews, performance optimization, and cross-team collaboration to accelerate feature delivery and improve code quality.

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science at University of the Philippines Diliman
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2022
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at University of the Philippines Diliman
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2022
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at University of the Philippines Diliman
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2022

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Gaming, Healthcare, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment