DRAW & CODE PARTNERING WITH MERGE VR
01/08/17
#061
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Over recent weeks the Draw & Code team has been bolstered by a tremendous trio of talented souls who are each bringing something very different to our Liverpool studio. Niall is the games guru and lateral thinker, Giuseppe understands AR and the possibilities it heralds, while Stephen’s specialty is transporting viewers of his art into strange new worlds, part video game, part dream.
Niall Taylor has joined the squad as our crack games designer and is already proving his worth as he helps get SwapBots complete and ready for release. With a stunning portfolio of ambitious, oddball and entertaining indie games behind him, Niall’s work has even seen him nominated for a BAFTA, which is all kinds of fancy.
“I’ve worked on a lot of weird and wonderful games, but for me SwapBots is something really special. It’s always been a dream of mine to help create the coolest toy in the shop, and every time I see those SwapBots transform I cannot wipe the smile off my face!”
Brand new senior developer Giuseppe Scarvo is our kind of guy. He is overflowing with enthusiasm for augmented reality, which means he will fit in here very well indeed! His previous experience includes working for the Open University on educational uses of augmented reality.
“AR is changing the way people interact with machines. Computers no longer detach or isolate users from the real world, but instead serve the purpose of connecting them to it in a deeper, more memorable way. Interacting with the world through AR feels natural and way more fun than clicking and typing. AR is, without a doubt, the direction towards which we need to push the interaction between humans and machines.”
“Being part of the AR revolution feels thrilling, almost ‘too good to be true’. As an AR developer I feel like I have the great responsibility of crafting the building blocks of this revolution. However, here at Draw & Code, we paint these blocks with unicorns and robots. And it feels awesome.” – Giuseppe Scarvo
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Last, but most certainly not least, is Stephen Chan. One of the most talented artists and designers working in Liverpool, regular Draw & Code watchers may know the name – you can find his stunning work coming to life in our Aspect AR art app and we collaborated on a crazy short film presented as anaglyph 3D (old school 3D using the funky red and cyan glasses) that Gizmodo featured back in 2013.
Since then Stephen has also collaborated with our own Emily and Tom as Midnight Polygon, last year creating an astounding augmented puzzle game together.
“Having collaborated with half of the Draw and Code team throughout the years on creative projects ranging from animation, projection mapping, and AR, it felt like a natural progression to join the team. It’s an exciting time to work on Swatbots and AR and be innovators in the technology.” – Stephen Chan
Welcome to the Draw & Code team!
