LUKE ANDERSON
XR Design, Creative Strategy, Direction & Leadership
PERSISTENCE OF VISION
I AM CONSISTENTLY:
· Thirsty for pushing boundaries and expanding the possibilities of XR & spatial computing.
· Ferocious for developing XR products, promoting healthy team dynamics, working stronger and smarter, not harder.
· Wholeheartedly integrating individual growth, organizational adaptability, culture, tactics, and strategy.
CALCULATED RISK TAKER
INNOVATOR
Here are some examples when I followed my gut and took calculated risks pursuing innovation.
DIGITAL DOUBLES
BRINGING HUMAN CONNECTION TO THE DIGITAL REALM WITH AI-POWERED AVATARS
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In my role as Producer of Games & Experiences at RFLXT Games Platform I led the AI-driven digital doubles initiative, featuring AI-powered avatars designed to interact with users in real time. These avatars can mimic human expressions, respond intelligently, and engage in meaningful conversations. Powered by advanced AI, Digital Doubles open up new possibilities for personalized experiences in gaming, entertainment, and beyond. Whether used as virtual companions or immersive characters, they bring a new level of realism and interactivity to the digital realm.t. https://rflxt.com/​
VIRTUAL OFFICE
AN IMMERSIVE ANIMATIC EXPLORING REMOTE DESKTOP SHARING
​This concept video showcases a collaborative virtual office environment where users can interact with each other's avatars in real-time. The virtual space features shared desktops, interactive whiteboards, and 3D models, creating a seamless platform for teamwork and brainstorming. It demonstrates how digital tools can bring a more immersive and productive dynamic to remote collaboration, allowing teams to work together from anywhere.
MIXED REALITY
THE BENEFITS OF IMMERSIVE TRAINING
This video demonstrates the process of creating mixed reality training experiences using Altoura. The results are striking: immersive training led to a 60% increase in trainee adoption and retention compared to traditional learning methods. Trainees fully grasp the sequence of events, develop muscle memory, and gain an acute awareness of placement of the individual change parts down to individual bolts. This ensures they can hit the ground running, seamlessly transitioning to real machinery with confidence and precision
PEPPER'S GHOST AR
UTILIZING VR HEADSETS WHEN THEY'RE NOT ON YOUR HEAD
This proof-of-concept reimagines the classic 'Pepper's Ghost' illusion with a modern, interactive twist, providing users with an intuitive, low-friction way to manipulate holograms. Designed for training and educational applications, it leverages the advanced capabilities of a headset even while docked. Hand-tracking sensors and passthrough cameras feed into an inverted display, which is then reflected onto a mirror. When users place their hands behind the mirror it creates the sensation of reaching directly into the digital realm, offering a seamless blend of physical and virtual interaction.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR - DOUBLEDOWN INTERACTIVE
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Responsible for leading creative team of 30+ artists to deliver content and feature solutions for top social casino product, DoubleDown Casino. Shepherded the company from a start-up to a highly successful enterprise grossing $300 Million a year with a market value of $825 Million. http://www.doubledowninteractive.com
Pioneered the social casino genre, combining a love of casino games & a free-to-play business model in the online realm.
Inspired & oversaw creative teams of illustrators, graphic designers, motions designers, and audio designers to deliver end-to-end full service audio/visual solutions for stakeholders and end-users.
Drove the graphic fidelity and audio/visual language of products across all platforms, flash, html5/JS, UNITY.
Incubated new products, features, games, and casino content through approval, pre-production, and development.
Cultivated a work environment valuing candor, accountability, and the fostering of creativity, innovation, and growth.
Committed fully to advocating for the player experience and emotional impact in every facet of development.
Prototyped casino themed experiences for desktop flash, html5/JS for mobile, GearVR and HTC Vive using UNITY.
Participation in Senior Leadership meetings, consulted on business strategy, facilitated external vendor procurement.
Shipped Products:
DoubleDown Casino - Flash/HTML5-JS for desktop and mobile
Ellen’s Road to Riches Slots – UNITY engine for mobile
DoubleDown Classic Slots - UNITY engine for mobile
DoubleDown Fort Knox - UNITY engine for mobile
DOUBLEDOWN CASINO
THE FLAGSHIP CASINO APP
DoubleDown, the company, was very disruptive as a Seattle success story, giving rise to an entirely new market, the slots free to play genre. The flagship product, DoubleDown Casino fueled the company's success, rocketing from a startup, through growth, and multiple acquisitions. It taught me the importance of making a calculated risk.
ELLEN'S ROAD TO RICHES SLOTS
HAVE A LITTLE FUN TODAY
This app would not have happened if it were not for the vision and persistence of the DDI Creative team. They kept the faith and took the initiative from a NO to a MAYBE to a YES. It shot to the number one spot in the iOS App Store free casino apps category within an hour of the announcement on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
DOUBLE DOWN CLASSIC SLOTS
A BROADER PAINTBRUSH
This app filled a niche for fans of traditional 3 reel stepper slots. I take pride in promoting DDI's adoption the UNITY engine to give DDI artist's a broader paint brush to work with. The team set a new industry high bar for visual fidelity. They slayed it.
DOUBLE DOWN FORT KNOX
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Fort Knox was a labor of love for the team. Continuing our product expansion of UNITY games, our goal was to deliver a high fidelity slots experience that put the 'jackpot slots' fan at the center of the casino. It was a challenge to implement responsive layout but well worth the effort.
THE AGENCY
THE INDUSTRY DARLING MMO/SHOOTER PROJECT
Working as a tech artist on The Agency, an innovative PS3 MMO/shooter, was a wonderful opportunity to delve into my craft and hone my skills. The fact that the game was cancelled is unfortunate. However, through some serendipity, this led to an even greater opportunity with DoubleDown. The universe works in strange ways. This was a valuable lesson in gratitude and the power of building positive relationships. Watch the e3 trailer below. OR... for a deeper dive, here's a link to behind the scenes video. https://youtu.be/YrUeT6rcU9s
VALKYRIE ENTERTAINMENT
Principal & Co-Founder
Valkyrie Entertainment is a game developer and service provider based in Seattle that's been providing the video games industry with high quality production services and co-development since 2002.
Clients included Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts, SONY, Volvo, Midway, Amaze, Junction Point, Wild Tangent, and more.
I founded Valkyrie with my business partner, Joakim Wejdemar, and it is still operating today. What I learned from the experience of starting and running a business is the importance of assembling a dream team, enrolling experts into your circle of allies, promoting your vision, and sticking to your convictions.
