Lightning Rod Games

We make emotionally engaging games that encourage players to think creatively.

We have a tremendous team who shipped our last game, A Fold Apart, on all the consoles, PC, mobile, and even Apple TV, with different control schemes, in fifteen languages, with each one feeling like it was the primary platform. Narratively, we’ve made people cry. Artistically, we’ve wowed players (with the biggest Museum in Seoul even doing an exhibition of our game art). Technically, we’ve delivered a brand new mechanic that was so innovative, it was highlighted at the GDC Experimental Gameplay Workshop. We were also thrilled to work with Apple as part of the first cohort in their Apple Arcade offering which netted A Fold Apart the title of Best Mobile game at the Canadian Game Awards in 2021 (along with nominations in six other categories).

Recognition for A Fold Apart

platforms

the team

Mark Laframboise

Mark Laframboise (He/Him)

Mark Laframboise previously worked as a game designer at Disney Interactive, where he helped develop the core gameplay systems for the hit Facebook/mobile game Words of Wonder. Mark’s experience with a long-distance relationship provided the inspiration for the story and gameplay of A Fold Apart. Marks enjoys wearing many hats including business development, project management, systems design and gameplay programming.

Steven Smith

Steven Smith (He/Him)

Steven Smith has been developing software for more than a decade. He was last seen at Electronic Arts Worldwide Motion Capture before departing to found Lightning Rod Games. With a degree in computer science and a diploma in fine art, he finds a happy balance in the games industry. Steven is a true generalist and enjoys solving problems in new domains.

Stephanie Chen

Yee-Shine Chen (She/Her)

Yee-Shine Chen is a 2D artist with a strong passion for designing and creating artwork for games. She has spent over a decade working with international games companies, and provides art direction for our projects. Her talents include 2D character and environment design including materials, textures and UI, as well as assisting with the creation of new 3D assets as required.

David Zhu

David Zhu (He/Him)

David Zhu is an experienced 3D animator and Sheridan graduate who is helping bring our characters to life. He has previously worked at animation and game studios including Ubisoft, and specializes in rigging, storyboarding, and digital background painting. His primary responsibilities on our projects include 3D modeling, rigging and animating characters and environments, and creating stunning visual effects.

Kit Kwan

Kit Kwan (He/They)

Kit Kwan is a game design graduate from the NYU Game Center with a fondness for telling interesting stories with charming characters. Kit is the lead writer for LiveScream and Cybersonic Strike, and they are looking forward to helping the team create more heart-warming experiences in the future.

Ciarán Downes

Ciarán Downes (He/Him)

Ciarán Downes is a programmer with a passion for emotional storytelling through all entertainment mediums. His comprehensive background in sound engineering and music/video production gives him a unique approach to game programming and design.

Ana Damnjanovic

Ana Damnjanovic (She/Her)

Ana Damnjanovic is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto with a degree in Computer Science and a major in Cognitive Science. She puts her programming skills to use bringing worlds and characters to life in video games.