Fortnite (Live Game)
ROLE: Balance Designer II
DESCRIPTION: I worked at Epic Games for about 7 years in multiple QA and Design roles on our Battle Royale game Fortnite. In my most recent and prominent role at Epic, I was a Balance Designer allocated to the Battle Royale team. While with the balance team, I owned season wide loot economies for build and no build BR mode, weapon design, live balance patches, and supported gameplay features, map features, progression/battle pass rewards, and vehicles. I focused heavily on making player centric data informed decisions through aggregated player data and playtest feedback.
CORE Work TASKS:
- Analyze player feedback and demonstrate player empathy to make player motivated decisions
- Ensure weapons, items, loot tables, and gameplay is always balanced for all player skill levels and all play styles
- Theorycraft and create new player augments, weapons, items, and play modes
- Documenting processes and design changes to futureproof our work
- Playtest live daily to ensure we always have a pulse on what’s happening in Fortnite
- Screen and interview potential candidates of multiple disciplines for new employment opportunities within Epic
- Support additional Design features as needed
Owned design features:
Click or hover over images for more info:
Showdown Loot Economy
Owned the start-to-finish design and implementation of loot and gold economy for Chapter 7 Season 2: Showdown
Westar 34’s (Dual Pistols)
Owned the start-to-finish design of the Westar 34’s (Dual Pistols) concurrently with other Star Wars weapons
DLT-19 Blaster (Assault Rifle)
Owned the start-to-finish design of the DLT-19 Blaster (Assault Rifle) concurrently with other Star Wars weapons
CR-2 Blaster (SMG)
Owned the start-to-finish design of the CR-2 Blaster (core SMG) concurrently with other Star Wars weapons
Scatter Blaster (Automatic Shotgun)
Owned the start-to-finish design of the Scatter Blaster (Automatic Shotgun) concurrently with other Star Wars weapons
Jawa Blaster (Single Fire Shotgun)
Owned the start-to-finish design of the Jawa Blaster (single fire shotgun) concurrently with other Star Wars weapons
Updated Stark Industries Rifle
Primary balance owner for the Updated Stark Industries Rifle
Heavy Impact Sniper Rifle
Owned the start-to-finish design of the Heavy Impact Sniper Rifle
Vehicle Mod: Mortar
Primary balance owner for Vehicle mods and vehicle mod revisions in Ch5s3
Vehicle Mod: Machine Gun
Primary balance owner for Vehicle mods and vehicle mod revisions in Ch5s3
Water Bending
Primary balance owner for Water Bending launch and Water Bending balance revision
Harbinger SMG
Owned the start-to-finish design of the Harbinger SMG
Additional Features Supported - Design:
Hover image for more details
Fortnite Reload
Our team was the direct owning team on Fortnite Reload. As such, I provided significant playtesting and design feedback throughout the modes iterative design process
Blitz Royale (New Playmode)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting, design feedback, and supporting loot economy balance
Fortnite The Simpsons (New Season)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and design feedback
Galactic Battle (New Season)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and design feedback
Fortnite Hunters (New Season)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and design feedback
Fortnite Absolute Doom (New Season)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and design feedback
Metallica: Fuel. Fire. Fury. (Event)
Supported the Metallica: Fuel. Fire. Fury. event through playtesting and design feedback
Fortnite Wrecked (New Season)
Supported overall season through significant playtesting and design feedback
Fortnite Midas Presents: Floor is Lava (Midseason Content)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and balance feedback
Fortnite Myths vs Mortals (New Season)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and design feedback
Fortnite Underground (New Season)
Supported overall development through significant playtesting and design feedback
Fortnite OG (New Season)
Supported overall development through playtesting
Find the Force (Midseason Content)
Supported overall development through playtesting
Vault Breakers (Midseason Content)
Supported overall development through playtesting
Weekly Quests Ch4 S1 (Quest Content)
Supported overall development through playtesting
Indiana Jones Quests (Quest Content)
Supported overall development through playtesting
Past Features Developed as a QA analyst:
Click or hover over images for more info
Chapter 4 Season 3 Battle Pass
I was the overall owner for all test execution on this feature
Chapter 4 Season 1 Battle Pass (Battle Pass 3.0)
I was the overall owner for all test execution on the Battle Pass design overhaul as a new transfer to the Battle Pass Team
(Click image for more info)
Vikora’s Level Up Quest Pack
Purchasable pack with placed in game tokens that unlock cosmetic rewards
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Axion Sentinel’s Level Up Quest Pack
Purchasable pack with placed in game tokens that unlock cosmetic rewards
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Strange Transmissions Quest Pack
Purchasable pack with cosmetics and unique in game quests. Executed as a collaboration with a third party partner
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Bioluminescence Quest Pack
Purchasable pack with cosmetics and unique in game quests
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Saint Academy Quest Pack
Purchasable pack with cosmetics and unique in game quests
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Phantasm’s Level Up Quest Pack
Purchasable pack with placed in game tokens that unlock cosmetic rewards
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Snap Quests
Unique in game quests that unlock parts of a buildable character
I was a supporting analyst of this feature, as part of my onboarding to a new space
Live Events developed:
All images are clickthrough links to in depth breakdowns of the live event
Additional Features Supported - QA:
Hover image for more details
Marvel POIs (Map Feature)
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Placed Rifts (Gameplay Feature)
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Decoy Grenade (Item)
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Hidden Chest (Gameplay Feature)
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Foraged Campfire (Gameplay Feature)
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
Storm King (Limited Time Mode)
I supported development on this feature through playtesting and initial test scope and planning
Slurpy Swamp (Point of Interest)
I was the overall owner for all test execution and quality on this feature
B.R.U.T.E. (Vehicle)
I supported the owning analyst with all test development and execution on this feature
Fortnite / Epic in the Media:
Top Five Most-Played Games on PlayStation and Xbox in 2025 in the US Were the Same as in 2024
Fortnite just had it’s ‘biggest day’ ever thanks to Fortnite OG with over 44.7 Million players
It’s happening, actual games are being made in Fortnite
Silicon Valley is racing to build the next version of the Internet. Fortnite might get there first.
‘Fortnite’ was the most important video game of this decade, and it will be for the next one too
Is ‘Fortnite’ The Most Popular Game Ever? It’s Beating TV and Movies
‘Fortnite’ Maker Epic Games Is Now Worth More Than Twice As Much As Major League Soccer
Awards:
Time100 Most Influential Companies - Epic Games (Time Magazine 2024)
Game of the Year - Fortnite (Samsung Galaxy Store Awards 2020)
Grand Prix Award in “Digital Craft” (Cannes Lion 2020/2021)
Grand Clio for Experience/Activation (Clio Awards 2020/2021)
Nominated: Best Live Special - Travis Scott and Fortnite Present: Astronomical (The Streamys 2020 )
Special Award - Epic Games (BAFTA 2019)
Studio of the Year - Epic Games (Golden Joystick 2019)
eSports Game of the Year - Fortnite (Golden Joystick 2019)
Best Ongoing Game - Fortnite (The Game Awards nominated 2020 - present; won 2018, 2019)
Ultimate Game of the Year - Fortnite (Golden Joystick 2018)
Best Multiplayer Game - Fortnite (The Game Awards 2018)
Most Influential / Best Game of The Decade - Fortnite (Wired || Washington Post || Forbes || Business Insider || Time)
BAFTA || Gamers’ Choice Awards || D.I.C.E. || Game Critics Awards
What working on Fortnite taught me:
While working on Fortnite I learned how to build gameplay for a large player ecosystem with unique challenges in a fast-paced environment. As a large scale live service game with rapidly changing goals, I needed to constantly know what my players were thinking, feeling, and wanting. Overall, Epic has a very high tolerance for risk in their development process. This risk tolerance allowed me to complete every stage of the design pipeline, from pen-and-paper prototyping all the way through post ship live support. Fortnite is on the forefront of changing how players and non-players alike consume entertainment, media, and the internet as a whole. Given this, working on Fortnite taught me how to execute design for that rapidly changing entertainment space while still delivering my promises to my players.