Joseph Walters

Director of engineering and technology with 30+ years of experience leading teams in gaming, VR/AR/XR, and simulation industries, skilled in setting strategic directions. Proven track record of managing cross-functional teams and fostering partnerships with major industry players like Sony and Disney. Successfully directed innovative projects that enhance product performance and customer engagement. Eager to leverage expertise in problem-solving and creating exceptional products that captivate customers.

Bio

Professional Experience

Education, Publications & Skills

Games and Projects

BIO (OR A CORPORATE MONTAGE)

It’s a montage more like “School of Rock” than “Rocky” since it has more guitars than exercise.

This is the story of Joe…

Joe has worked on every aspect of visual software and entertainment software starting. He works on any platform and in any environment but specializes in leading teams working on 3D visualization through games, simulations and AR/VR/XR development.

(Insert Van Halen “like” guitar music to avoid copyright issues)

Joe went to the Art Institute of Houston and was an artist until he discovered that children like to eat and have shelter. So, he set out to find an alternative that he would love doing but also provide sustenance for his family. Then one day he discovered that making video games was an actual job that he could do. So, for the next thirty or so years he did just that. He worked for, contracted with, and even started some of the top computer gaming and simulation companies in existence.

He has always looked for work that pushed the boundaries of what others thought possible. During his time working for Shockwave.com he created the first Flash multi-player games as well as the first Shockwave 3D web games. While at Unity he worked with external companies to help solve problems using the Unity engine. His highlights were working Qualcomm to integrate VR and AR capabilities into the Unity engine, helping NASA create the Mars Rover simulation using real-time data and helping Disney prototype their ride pre-visualization tools (pretty cool stuff). Somehow, during this time he also found the time to write a book on how to program video games.

He was leading a team of developers at Heartwood, Inc. where he has helped the company transition from contracting one-off projects for multiple customers to creating several re-usable B2B products with multiple customers. This allowed Heartwood to create one product for five customers and in turn reduced the development cost per customer to 20% of what it was (again, pretty cool stuff). Additionally, he worked on VR and AR products designed to train the railway industry employees in a safe virtual environment. Turns out this is cheaper and easier than FedExing a 286,000-pound freight car to each of the students.

Currently Joe is at Disney directing the Interactive Experiences team and building the foundation for mixed reality, games and experiences in the parks. We call it Arena and it is being built to provide the APIs and backend Games as a Service for game engines (web, Unity and Unreal) to function and interact with the parks through the existing apps as well as future parks apps. Arena includes a Multiplayer engine, Trivia Engine, Asset Delivery System, Rewards Engine, Quest Engine and so many more cool systems I will just let him tell you about it when you meet in person. This outstanding team also worked on the Play Disney Parks, Team of Heroes, the Droid Depot, and helped the Disney Cruise Lines team on the Uncharted Adventures apps.

To sum it up he is 70% team leader, 20% programmer, 10% game designer.

Professional Experience

Disney experiences - Director of Interactive Experiences (3/23 – 09/25)

Drove the strategic direction and development of the Interactive Experiences engineering team
Using proven management techniques, I improved the teams job satisfaction, performance, production and innovation year after year.
Worked with our product teams to improve guest satisfaction for Play Disney Parks, Team of Heroes, Uncharted Adventures, and Droid Depot gaming apps
Shifted the teams focus to larger physical interactives and beyond strictly mobile development using the Unreal Engine
Collaborated with the Connected Products team to develop gameplay systems for enhancing interactive experiences within the Disney parks
Defined and directed the Games as a Service Platform for networked experiences as a long term goal for all of Disney Parks.
Directed the AR technology for experiences in parks in conjunction with Disney Imagineering
Defined a camera-based AR system utilizing advanced computer vision techniques for a digital mirror system.
Heartwood, Inc. - TECHNICAL Lead (9/17 – 3/23)
Led the team as Manager and Engineering Lead, overseeing project execution and ensuring alignment with company goals
Researched and integrated new development environments and platforms, enhancing team productivity and project scalability using Unreal and Unity game engines
Designed and developed internal proprietary DevOps processes and tools, improving efficiency and reducing deployment time
Engineering architecture and development for internal projects for product delivery on Mac/Windows, iOS, Android, Web, Hololens, MagicLeap, Oculus and Vive
Designed and implemented new development processes for all new titles, streamlining production and improving project turnaround times
Third Track, Inc. - CTO/Partner (6/12 – 9/17)
Led the development strategy and drove infrastructure improvements using Unreal and Unity engines.
Established links between the artistic vision and technical implementation of game engines
Ensured consistency across multiple products and operating systems, leading to a unified user experience and reduced maintenance costs
Engineered and prototyped games and experiences for Desktop, iOS, Android, HoloLens, Magic Leap, Oculus, and Vive using various languages, enhancing cross-platform compatibility and user experience
UNITY TECHNOLOGIES – Technical account Manager (10/11 – 6/12)
Consult in depth with customers who are planning to use Unity for their games and simulations.
Building long-term relationships with customers and technical decision makers for key accounts
Provide presentations and technology demos at trade shows and on site for customers
Technical expert in the use of Unity product portfolio for game and simulation development
Provide product development recommendations and technical data to Unity’s product development teams as a strong internal advocate for our customers
Primary contact for VR/AR/XR developers
MindFuse, Inc. - CEO/CTO (9/06 - 10/11)
Key member of executive team reporting directly to the board of directors.
Raised funds for game development from Angel Investors.
Original game software development, story and character designer for the game world and all primary characters.
Facilitated company growth by implementing effective project management strategies
Provided overall technology direction and creative vision.
iOS Game programming & Social Media games development, Game and Character Designer
Project Manager and Director for the following game titles - The World of Gatheryn, Deadliest Catch iPad Social Game, Rednecks vs. Zombies iPhone Game, Firefly Nights iPhone Game, Zombie Boss prototype.
Skunk Studios, Inc. - founding partner/Technical Director (2001 - 2006)
Programming and managing programming crew.
Primary contact for all outside development, including Mattel, Real Networks and EA.
Managed all software, hardware, networking, and all research for new technologies.
Increased product revenues year over year by a minimum of 50%.
Project Manager, Core Architect and Lead Programmer for the following titles - Planet Hot Wheels (8 Track, King of the Hill, Bus Jump, and Potty Tipping), Gutterball, Qbeez, Tennis Titans, WordUp, MahJong Adventures, Daily MahJong, and Spelvin.
Shockwave.com - Senior Engineer (2000-2001)
Shockwave game programming.
Designed and developed a top selling arcade game emulating system for classic Midway.
Created first Flash multi-player game and shockwave 3D web based game.
Worked with executive staff and server team to create backend multi-player engine.
Created 15 top ten titles
Ego2, Inc. - Independent consultant (1995 to 2000)
Independent software consulting for cross-platform software development
Designed and developed serious game training systems for nuclear and oil industries
Designed and implemented customized VR programs for real estate industry
Research and development for new computer media including VR & internet technologies
Intellimedia/Intelliplay - Senior Engineer (1992 to 1995)
Created and managed the programming team for sports game titles for the retail market.
Researched and developed game engines and software for games development.
Created 28 game titles for ESPN sports titles across multiple platforms.