Projects




- Implemented and iterated third-person action combat in Unreal Engine (including accessible FPS and Elden Ring–style melee) using Gameplay Ability System and Blueprints.
- Refined combat and player experience by implementing camera shakes, adjusting animation timings, collaborating on VFX/audio cues, rule consistency, and overall feedback loops.
- Designed, pitched, implemented, and iterated weapons, abilities, combat mechanics, AI behaviors, and world systems in a networked live-service environment.
- Led AI/NPC development from concept to implementation, adjusting designs based on player feedback.
- Served as DRI for enemy AI/NPC development and balance, creating more responsive, challenging, and immersive combat encounters.
- Built, iterated, and shipped 50+ mobs and a boss fight, each with unique movesets and behaviors for diverse player skill requirement.



- Collaborated with Directors, Product Owners, and team members to elevate overall player feel.
- Engineered a modular, designer-friendly weapon authoring system and shipped 30+ weapons, including advanced behaviors (controllable rockets, God of War–style axe).
- Documented hundreds of consumable items and weapons, and partnered with Engineering to build a flexible consumable item pipeline (supporting hunger/thirst, throwables, channelables, deployables, etc.).
- Owned and maintained weapon and consumable pipelines, creating and updating combat balancing sheets to identify weaknesses and power spikes.
- Led dozens of playtests with stakeholders to iteratively refine game feel and maintain balanced combat.


- Implemented and iterated core systems in Unreal 4 (C++ & Blueprints) and Unity (C#), including advanced player movement (vaulting, climbing, dashing, double jumping), projectile physics, melee combat, networked player states, and interactive elements.
- Prototyped and shipped features for a strictly server-authoritative, networked environment.
- Created functional prototypes for executives and product owners, with documentation detailing cross-departmental requirements.
- Organized and led stakeholder playtests to refine gameplay and align design goals.




- Documented experience goals, core loops, level design, and player feedback requirements.
- Concepted, implemented, and iterated accessible VR movement/interaction mechanics based on playtest insights.
- Created 8 in-game event sequences, 4 levels, 8 carnival mini-games, and a boss fight, incorporating goal communication, particle effects, and a cohesive puzzle vibe.



- Tracked and managed more than 3000 hours of tasks from early game conception to release.
- Reviewed and critiqued art, design, and engineering deliverables to ensure experience goals were met within a feasible roadmap.
- Organized and led team sync-ups to maintain productivity—especially during remote transitions.
- Worked in-engine to develop and maintain the visual style of Beasts environments.
- Implemented, tested, and iterated on core and extraneous gameplay systems and features.
- Led outreach for a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $25k in total.
- Built and maintained scene management and performance optimization systems; helped squash critical bugs.
- And much more!










- Collaborated with level design interns to develop and iterate multiple ship-ready maps using the proprietary engine, code base, and scripting language.
- Designed, documented, and iterated 9 features aligned with studio gameplay goals; pitched 2 finalized features to studio leads.
- Concepted, documented, and iterated a new battle royale game mode experience.
- Prototyped a custom map game mode by repurposing existing assets and systems to achieve design document goals.
- Worked across departments to streamline AI encounter implementation and pushed changes to the code base after code review.
- Implemented and iterated on unique encounter designs for a gameplay prototype reflecting the design leads’ vision.
- Supported a prototype game mode with map setup, spawn placement, playtests, and iterative feedback in Radiant.
- Connected with team members from all disciplines to learn workflows, philosophies, tools, and professional insights.

- Served as the 3D artist responsible for both environment and character art, shaping the visual identity of the game.
- Contributed assets and polish across the game to support its emotional and narrative goals around environmental awareness.
- Helped deliver a cohesive visual message supporting the game’s social commentary on pollution and ecological neglect.



About

Skylar Kelley
Combat Designer / Game Designer / CEO
Skylar Kelley, also known as Sky, is a passionate Game Designer and Developer in his mid-20s with a broad range of interests — from psychology and engineering to art, history, and beyond. As a Combat Designer, Sky's mission is to deliver memorable, impactful, and industry-leading moment-to-moment experiences that resonate with players.
Sky thrives at the intersection of technical design, feel-driven gameplay systems, and cross-discipline collaboration — working alongside top-tier engineers, designers, and artists to build unforgettable combat.
Skylar’s design philosophy is rooted in rapid prototyping in engine, using his programming experience to find and follow fun fast. He believes in testing early, iterating with player feedback, and staying relentlessly focused on player experience to achieve tight, responsive, and satisfying gameplay.
Education
Aug ’17 – May ’21
University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA
Princeton Review’s #1 rated game design program
BA: Interactive Media & Games Design – School of Cinematic Arts
Overall GPA: 3.52
Applied Work GPA: 3.93
- Design Implementation & Theory, Documentation, Communication
- Pitching, Critique, Iteration, Collaboration
- Theme Park Design, Cinematography, Film Theory
Minor: Video Game Programming
- C++, C#, Java, Algorithm Design, Vector Math, Physics, Data Management

Resume
Contact
Phone: (949)-701-7209
Email: SkylarKelley@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/skylarkelley
Studio Email: SDKMediaContact@gmail.com
Currently Located in: Southern California
Gallery
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Demo
This section is currently a work in progress. Stay tuned for future updates showcasing live combat and gameplay samples.