// Game Developer & Systems Engineer

ALEX
ZAPALAC

Building Worlds in Code

From AAA at Rockstar Games to shipped mobile titles — I architect high-performance gameplay systems, craft procedural worlds, and write the kind of C# and C++ that keeps framerate locked at 60+.

View My Work Get In Touch
8+
Years in Industry
GTA
Shipped at Rockstar
5K+
Star Systems Simulated
Unity3D
C#
C++
iOS & Android
Procedural Generation
Performance Optimization
AAA Development
Unreal Engine 5
Shipped Titles
Unity3D
C#
C++
iOS & Android
Procedural Generation
Performance Optimization
AAA Development
Unreal Engine 5
Shipped Titles
// 01 — About

The Story

I went from building Pong out of NAND gates to shipping code on Grand Theft Auto 6 at Rockstar Games. That range — from hardware-level thinking to AAA production — is what makes me a different kind of engineer.

I earned my undergrad in Computer Engineering, then completed an intensive Master's program under Brenda and John Romero at UC Santa Cruz, where I shipped my first commercial game. I've since worked across AAA studios, mobile, and independent development.

My superpower is building systems that are both technically elegant and genuinely fun — whether that's a fluid dynamics simulation for flowing lava, a galaxy of 5,000 procedurally generated star systems, or low-latency native C++ APIs for mobile AR.

I'm currently deep in development on Dreamwalker: The Forgotten Gate, a passion project 7 years in the making.

C# C++ Blueprints
Unity3D Unreal Engine 5 iOS Android
Procedural Generation Performance Profiling Multiplayer Systems Spatial Hashing Custom Physics Tooling & Editors
Git Perforce Helix Swarm Jira Confluence FMOD
// 02 — Projects

Selected Work

01
Mobile · Unity · Shipped
Bloom Box

A mobile puzzle game shipped to the Google Play Store with 29 hand-crafted levels. Built a custom in-engine level editor from scratch using Scriptable Objects — all solo.

UnityC#AndroidScriptable ObjectsFMOD
02
PC · Unity · Simulation
The Dark Beyond

Galaxy simulation with 5,000+ procedurally generated star systems using Poisson Disk Sampling. Engineered a distance-based activation system that took framerate from 3 FPS → 60+ FPS.

UnityC#Procedural GenSpatial Hashing
03
PC · Unity · Shipped · Steam
Eruption

A 3D puzzle game shipped to Steam. Built a procedural lava mesh via Marching Squares and a custom fluid dynamics algorithm using height sampling and spatial hashing to generate realistic lava flow.

UnityC#Marching SquaresFluid SimFMOD
04
Mobile · C++ / C# · Native API
AR Face Tracking SDK

Built a native C++ API for iOS and Android enabling real-time AI facial tracking. Integrated with Unity via C# marshaling, maintaining 60+ FPS while running async AI detection algorithms concurrently.

C++C#UnityiOSAndroidMarshaling
05
PC · Unreal Engine 5 · Tech Demo
Skyworld

Open-world flying RPG tech demo. Used 3D Poisson Disk Sampling in C++ for procedural island generation, reducing memory complexity from O(N³) to O(N) via spatial hashing. PCG vegetation, AI behavior trees.

UE5C++BlueprintsPCGAI Trees
WIP
In Development · Passion Project
Dreamwalker: The Forgotten Gate

A 7-year passion project currently in active development. More details coming soon.

More soon
// 03 — Experience

Where I've Been

2023 — PRESENT
Independent Game Developer
Self-Directed
  • Shipped Bloom Box to Google Play with a custom in-engine level editor
  • Engineered real-time multiplayer systems (peer-to-peer & server-authoritative)
  • Built multiple high-performance procedural simulations in Unity
2023
Game Development Instructor
Hussian College
  • Taught Unreal Engine 5, game design, and systems architecture
  • Mentored students with career development and direct industry experience
2020 — 2022
Game Designer / Engineer
Rockstar Games — GTA VI
  • Contributed C# development to a large-scale multiplayer AAA open-world title
  • Resolved core software architecture issues and fought technical debt at scale
  • Implemented player-facing features; maintained performance via Perforce + Helix Swarm
  • Participated in rigorous peer code review across a large distributed team
2019 — 2020
Software Engineer
Namazu Studios
  • Built a native C++ AI facial tracking API for iOS & Android integrated with Unity
  • Maintained 60+ FPS with async C++ running concurrently with Unity's render loop
  • Designed developer-facing internal tools for content team Unity integration
// 04 — Contact

Let's Build Something

Open to senior Unity/C# roles, interesting contracts, and collabs on ambitious games. Fastest response via email.