Portfolio
I’m Manuel Otheo, an Unreal Engine C++ engineer with 13+ years in game development. I lead multiplayer engineering on Kiln at Double Fine through Hammerbyte Games, with hands-on ownership of replication, movement prediction, and online systems across PC and consoles.
Based in Puebla, Mexico (UTC−6). Available for remote senior and lead engineering roles, including contracting through my existing personal company.
Download CV (PDF) · Email me · LinkedIn
Kiln Link to heading
Multiplayer engineering for player-created clay characters Link to heading
Role: Senior Multiplayer Engineer, December 2022–present
Studio: Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios, through Hammerbyte Games
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox PC/GDK, Steam
Technology: Unreal Engine, C++, Iris, PlayFab; ongoing migration of parties and lobbies to EOS
My work centers on three connected problems:
- Clay replication: synchronizing deformable, player-created meshes using custom Iris serialization and quantization.
- Movement prediction: accommodating different pot sizes in custom movement replication and client prediction.
- Online flow: keeping parties, matchmaking, servers, and map travel coordinated across platforms.
Official game trailer. The sections below describe my engineering contributions.
Replicating deformable clay Link to heading
Players create their own clay bodies, so a fixed character representation is not enough. The network needs to carry the changing clay state as well as the character’s movement.
I designed and implemented custom Iris replication for the deformable clay meshes. Quantization reduces network payload size and replication time. The engineering tradeoff is how precisely to represent the clay state while keeping the data practical to send during gameplay.
Clay replication clip. My contribution: the custom Iris serialization and synchronization behind the deformable meshes.
Predicting movement for different pot sizes Link to heading
Player-created pots have different sizes, which the movement networking needs to accommodate. I implemented custom movement replication and client prediction around those differences, alongside debugging authority and synchronization issues across clients and servers.
Gameplay context for the movement work. This clip is not a controlled latency or packet-loss test.
Getting a party into a match Link to heading
I designed and implemented persistent parties, PlayFab matchmaking, host migration, and dedicated-server workflows. This work connects asynchronous service responses with the game’s session and travel state.
Two concrete reliability problems were premature connections and stale or duplicate map travel. I implemented host-readiness checks before connection and request-scoped travel validation so a travel update is checked against the current request.
Matchmaking flow. My contribution includes party coordination, matchmaking, dedicated-server workflows, and travel validation.
Persistent parties, social lobbies, and gameplay matches have different lifecycles. I worked on the session architecture that coordinates them, including lobby discovery, filtering, and transitions between online spaces. I’m also migrating parties and lobbies to Epic Online Services, including authentication, presence, and invites.
Social lobby context for the session and party systems.
Technical leadership Link to heading
I lead Kiln’s multiplayer team while continuing to design, implement, and debug systems in C++. I work with engineering, design, UI, production, QA, and platform specialists on integration, code review, and cross-platform issues.
Alongside this engagement, I founded Hammerbyte Games and grew the studio from 3 to 25 employees. I led its engineering team, built Jenkins CI/CD pipelines, and helped deliver 10+ commercial projects.
Gridiron Link to heading
Competitive multiplayer football Link to heading
Role: Unreal Engine Developer, June 2019–October 2021
Studio: 1336 Studios
Platform: Steam
Technology: Unreal Engine, C++, AWS
I worked on earlier versions of Gridiron, helping transition the project to Unreal Engine and establish its multiplayer foundation. My contributions included C++ gameplay features, networked systems, matchmaking, and AWS-backed online services.
Game trailer. My work relates to earlier versions of the project.
Gambit Gun Link to heading
In-house demo at Hammerbyte Games Link to heading
Role: Programmer & Director
Studio: Hammerbyte Games
Technology: Unreal Engine
Status: Unreleased; demo developed at Hammerbyte Games
I coded and directed Gambit Gun, a demo we developed in-house at Hammerbyte Games. It is a top-down roguelite shooter set in a futuristic world, where players take on bounties and fight waves of enemies. Its weapon system combines five different parts to create weapons with different behaviors and playstyles.
Gambit Gun demo video.
Environment and promotional artwork by the Hammerbyte Games team; shown as context for my programming and direction work.
Wishlist on Steam · More about Gambit Gun
Battle Leet Link to heading
Gameplay engineering and technical direction Link to heading
Role: Gameplay Programmer & Technical Director
Studio: Hammerbyte Games
Technology: Unreal Engine, Gameplay Ability System (GAS), CI/CD
Battle Leet is a multiplayer arena brawler developed at Hammerbyte Games. I worked on gameplay programming, system architecture, and the Gameplay Ability System (GAS), built CI/CD pipelines, and provided technical direction for the project.
Battle Leet video. My contributions included gameplay, architecture, GAS, CI/CD, and technical direction.
The Ethereans / EIFS Link to heading
Character customization and dynamic 3D export Link to heading
Role: Programmer
Studio: Hammerbyte Games
The Etherean Empire File System (EIFS) lets users customize 3D characters and export them for use outside the application, including 3D printing.
I implemented the application and its integrations, including dynamic STL and FBX export and the custom launcher used to download, update, and run the tool.
Paperbox Era / Boxboxverse Link to heading
Networking for a shared social world Link to heading
Role: Networking Programmer
Studio: Hammerbyte Games
Boxboxverse is a shared virtual world where players interact through avatars and chat. I implemented networking, servers, and chat for the project.
Fortnite / UEFN Link to heading
Published experiences from Hammerbyte Games Link to heading
Role: Programmer & Director
Studio: Hammerbyte Games
Technology: Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN)
I coded and directed the following Fortnite experiences at Hammerbyte Games, alongside our standalone games and co-development work. These projects are published under the Hammerbyte creator profile.
Idle Heroes Simulator Link to heading
An idle progression game where players clear enemy waves, collect loot, recruit heroes, and use rebirths and relics to develop their builds.
View island on Fortnite · Island code: 0197-2360-3756
LOCOCards Link to heading
A card-based party game inspired by Crazy Eights. Players take timed turns and compete to empty their hands first.
View island on Fortnite · Island code: 1810-3494-6825
Weapon Crafting Simulator Link to heading
A progression-focused experience built around defeating bosses, upgrading equipment, and unlocking new areas.
View island on Fortnite · Island code: 1177-4525-0329
Día de Muertos Prop Hunt Link to heading
A Fortnite prop hunt experience themed around Día de Muertos.
Additional UEFN projects — Technical direction Link to heading
I directed Hammerbyte’s development work on the following experiences:
- Super Speed Tycoon: a progression game built around increasing speed and jump levels and competing in races.
- Superhero Gun Game: a free-for-all gun game featuring superpowers.
- Free for All Gun Game: a competitive experience with round scoring, leaderboards, and currency tracking.
- Ship Battle: a team-based experience with ship combat, custom objectives, and UI.
Technical direction & consultancy Link to heading
Drunken Dragon: Inns & Quests Link to heading
Role: Technical Director
Studio: Hammerbyte Games
I provided technical direction for Hammerbyte’s team as it developed an alpha version of Drunken Dragon: Inns & Quests in Unreal Engine. The work included a customizable tavern where players could display their collectibles. The implementation and art production were carried out by the Hammerbyte team.
Mariachi Legends Link to heading
Role: Technical Consultant & Programming Team Lead
Studio: Hammerbyte Games, co-development
I provided technical consultancy and directed Hammerbyte’s programmers contributing to Mariachi Legends, a combat-focused Metroidvania. My role centered on technical guidance and supporting the programming team; the implementation was carried out by Hammerbyte’s developers.
Rift of Raigard Link to heading
Technical direction for a mobile strategy game Link to heading
Role: Technical Director
Studio: Dun Rite Games
Platforms: Android and iOS
Technology: Unity, C#
Status: Cancelled during development
I led the project’s technical direction and worked on gameplay, AI, backend integrations, and prototypes. I also supported the engineering team and collaborated with design and production on scope and technical risk.
Awards & Recognition Link to heading
1st Place — Centro Fox Hackathon (2016) Link to heading
First place with the Lone Wolf team for Villeder, a game designed to teach children ages 5–8 about ecological sustainability.
1st Place — Samsung Launching People (2016) Link to heading
First-place team award for an educational game designed to teach children about personal finance.