Available to hire
I’m Marcus Montgomery, a veteran game design leader focused on building player-centered experiences through trusted cross-functional collaboration and clear, actionable feedback. I craft design language that guides teams from concept to shipped features while mentoring others and championing player engagement.
I have led design direction for PC and console games at Xbox Game Studios Publishing and Meta/Oculus, partnering with studios worldwide and advocating for partner visions across organizational boundaries to ship polished, engaging experiences.
Experience Level
Language
English
Fluent
Work Experience
Design Director at Xbox Game Studios Publishing
January 1, 2022 - July 1, 2025Directed creative alignment across partner studios and internal stakeholders; delivered targeted milestone feedback, annotated gameplay improvement videos, and combat tuning samples to clarify design goals and provide actionable insights. Produced in-engine tuning samples and video walkthroughs to reinforce combat goals and improve feedback. Championed partner product visions among Microsoft stakeholders, building cross-organizational support. Collaborated with production to track milestones and provide strategic feedback aligned with core pillars, enhancing engagement in subsequent user research playtests. Partnered with User Research to design playtesting plans that clarified feature perception and guided adjustments to boost engagement.
Product Manager at Meta (Oculus)
September 1, 2018 - January 1, 2022Defined product requirements and success metrics for System Apps and Platform Art teams; led feature development for Oculus Move, Scoreboards, and Home Environments across Quest platforms. Oversaw production and release of Myst environment with entitlement coordination, boosting payments by 6.8%. Managed the Japan Environment pivot, instituting cultural QA controls that made Ryokan Retreat the top environment in Japan. Led design and implementation of Gateways, UGC Homes, and a UX redesign that increased UGC Home creation by 110% and DAU by 3% and multiplayer DAU by 7%.
Senior Gameplay Designer at nWay
February 1, 2018 - September 1, 2018Led creation, implementation, and balance for 19 fighters in Power Rangers: Legacy Wars; coordinated with engineering, animation, and VFX to deliver polished gameplay across a compressed timeline. Incorporated community feedback and analytics to refine balance and expand roster, improving engagement and trust.
Lead Game Designer at Limbic Software
July 1, 2016 - November 1, 2017Led design and coordinated design staff; acted as creative liaison with publishing partner in Germany. Planned high-impact launch events, balanced three-faction combat, tuning 30+ weapons and enemies. Designed gacha drop tables and collaborated with engineering to streamline data integration, improving rarity drop rate consistency.
Lead Game Designer at Glu Mobile
May 1, 2015 - April 1, 2016Spearheaded development of enemy AI, player weapons, and user-generated level creation. Designed 3 distinct enemy factions and replayable mission structures with varied objectives, alongside prototyping the weapon combat systems and AI to support user-generated level creation.
Lead Game Designer at Kixeye
November 1, 2012 - May 1, 2015Led systems and live-ops design that improved player retention, optimized matchmaking fairness, and enhanced team workflow efficiency. Managed a 5-person design team to ensure predictable hero releases in live-ops. Designed and implemented the tutorial and Quests system, increasing D7 by 15% and 27% respectively.
Senior Designer at Backbone Entertainment
August 1, 2006 - October 1, 2012Led the design team across multiple titles, collaborated with other leads to drive concept development, and improved studio processes and best practices. Oversaw the development of new minigames for Dance Central 3 and led two Capcom IP reboots (Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and 1942: Joint Strike) within a tight nine-month cycle.
Senior Designer at Sony Computer Entertainment
May 1, 2001 - May 1, 2006Authored core design documentation and coordinated cross-discipline and designer efforts focused on level design and the implementation of player attacks, enemy AI, and fight mechanics.
Level Layout Director at The 3DO Company
March 1, 1998 - February 1, 2001Designed and balanced core gameplay systems, enemies, and player abilities for multiple console titles. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to turn creative concepts into polished, playable experiences from concept through final implementation.
Education
BA – Computer Science at Cornell College
January 11, 2030 - March 19, 2026Qualifications
Industry Experience
Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet
Experience Level
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