Mike Barrette
@mikebarrette
I am an experienced worldbuilder, narrative designer, and artist delivering polished game worlds.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I bring 20 years of experience as a worldbuilder, story designer, and artist, shipping multiple titles across small teams and AAA productions. I combine critical analysis with creative imagination to move projects from concept through prototype to completion.
My work spans world and level design, narrative design, concept art, and environment art; I've led design and art teams, produced illustrated story-maps, and built playable prototypes. I am highly skilled with Photoshop and the Adobe Creative Suite, 3D tools (3ds Max, Maya, Softimage) and development in Unreal Engine 4.
I am organized, adaptable, and a strong cross-team collaborator who can lead or contribute in both independent and team roles. I focus on delivering cohesive worlds and compelling narratives that support gameplay and engage players.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Creative Direction and Artistic Production
Alphazett Studio
Jan 2019 - Present (6 years 7 months)
Authored and produced an ongoing online world-building project with original fiction, digital art, and subscriber content. Consults on web and graphics projects and is developing content for an RPG-style card game.
World Design Lead
Holospark
Jan 2015 - Jan 2017 (2 years)
Created mission maps and prototyped levels for a sci-fi FPS, collaborating with art and design teams to implement gameplay and level mechanics. Delivered playable prototypes used in production planning and iteration.
Lead Level Design & Art
Cryptic Studio
Jan 2013 - Jan 2015 (2 years)
Designed and built level maps for an open-world fantasy MMO, producing playable areas and supporting ongoing content updates. Coordinated with art teams to maintain visual and gameplay consistency across maps.
Narrative/World Design Lead
Warner Brothers Games / Surreal Software
Jan 2004 - Jan 2012 (8 years)
Led narrative and world design in pre-production, producing illustrated story-maps and prototype playable levels and guiding world-building from paper maps to fully developed Unreal environments of 100+ streaming maps. Authored level design docs and coordinated art/design teams for prototyping.
Environment Lead, Lead Concept Artist
Microsoft Game Studios
Jan 1998 - Jan 2004 (6 years)
Coordinated and delivered environment and concept art for multiple titles, including building all multiplayer map environments for Crimson Skies 2 and managing teams to deliver additional DLC. Produced concepts, prototypes, and technical specs to support level production.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
SASouthern California Institute of Architecture
Master of Architecture, Architecture
Master of Architecture degree completed at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles, California.
SASyracuse University School of Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture, Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University School of Architecture in Syracuse, New York.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Website
mikebarrette.comPortfolio
alphazett.comJob categories
Interested in hiring Mike?
You can contact Mike and 90k+ other talented remote workers on Himalayas.
Message MikeFind your dream job
Sign up now and join over 100,000 remote workers who receive personalized job alerts, curated job matches, and more for free!
