My Role

I worked as a generalist engineer on free-to-play title Tetris Blitz for Android and iOS at Electronic Arts.

Project Difficulties

The game had a rapid iteration cycle both in development and in live ops, requiring engineering support for new content. In addition, it was based on a proprietary engine in C++, and the lead programmer had left without proper knowledge transfer.

My Solution

I was exposed to many new problems during this project. I learned how to manage time between rapidly creating new features and fixing existing bugs by working closely with internal QA and automated exception reporting tools. Over time I was able to improve code quality and bring down the bug count, which was critical for a game installed to tens of millions of devices. I’ve carried an obsession for high quality code from this project to everything else I’ve done since.

Notable Features

“Power-ups of the week” development with new spins on Tetris blocks and custom art from both in house and promotions from brands like Toyota and Wheat Thins.

Internal tools in C#/Windows Forms

Limited time challenges

Cloud saving

UI and gameplay systems

Integrated multiple 3rd party SDK’s using C++ and Objective-C within a custom build system.

Tetris Blitz has unfortunately since shut down, but it had a great 7 year run!

Official Site