Summary: Back before Titanfall, Microsoft needed a game that would drive the development of Azure. I was on a small team doing that in the form of a 4x strategy game, aiming to take everything we love about classics like Masters of Orion and adapt them into a game that would play well on a variety of mobile devices. The result was a uniquely intense PvP strategy game full of cunning and bold decisions. Think 4x meets Hero Academy, with the twist that turns are taken simultaneously, so bluffing and mid games became paramount.

For a more in-depth look, check out the Gamasutra article I wrote.

• Platform: Win8 and Windows Phone
• Engine: XNA primarily
• Goals: Distill the 4X genre for mobile devices. Showcase and help develop Azure cloud rendering.
• Date: 2012
• Production Schedule: ~1 year
• Team Size: ~12
• Roles: Systems designer, combat designer, outsource liason.