ABOUT
BRACE
YOURSELF
GAMES

Brace Yourself Games is an award-winning independent game developer and publisher based in Vancouver, Canada. We push ourselves to break conventional design both in our games and in the workplace, blending unexpected genres and mechanics to deliver gameplay experiences that are both fresh and unforgettable. From the rhythmic roguelike hit, Crypt of the NecroDancer and our collaboration with Nintendo on Cadence of Hyrule, to the time defying, cinematic mech-tactics game, Phantom Brigade, we deliver games that challenge the boundaries of play.

Values

  • INCLUSIVE AT OUR CORE

    Our space is where diverse and marginalised voices flourish. We strive for genuine and diverse representation in both our games and the minds that shape them.

  • OPENNESS BY DEFAULT

    Across the board, we view transparency as an ongoing commitment to clear communication and empowering all voices. This commitment is mutual, spanning from our team members to leadership and back.

  • SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE

    We seek innovation over mere effort, and say “no” when an idea, no matter how exciting, lacks a healthy path to delivery. Any extra work needed, is brief, clear, agreed upon, and followed by adequate downtime.

  • UNWAVERING ETHICS

    We consistently and conscientiously prioritise fair practices over predatory monetisation.

  • JOYFUL ENVIRONMENT

    We are a space where fun and camaraderie thrive in a warm and inclusive manner.

  • TRUST & TEAM SAFETY

    Our foundation rests on mutual respect, intentional collaboration, and a commitment to psychological safety in everything we do.

The BYG Team

(Presented in randomized order.)

Stephen Kiazyk

Stephen Kiazyk

Programmer

Stephen joined the game industry after toying with hobbyist game development for many years prior. With industry experience ranging from visual effects, web front and back-end, virtual reality, and computational geometry, he lives an eternal commitment to becoming a Jack-of-too-many trades.

David Nguyen

David Nguyen

(He/Him)

Junior Game Designer

David is a programmer graduate turned designer that’s worked on stuff including the Playdate console, TTRPGs, and now other cool indie projects! An avid rhythm gamer who enjoys dabbing to his coworkers’ chagrin.

Kyle Engelmann

Kyle Engelmann

Programmer

Kyle joined the games industry in 2019 and has experience as a programmer and a technical designer on small and large projects alike. His favorite games are ones with a strong focus on discovery, such as Hollow Knight, Outer Wilds, and Baba is You. In his free time, he enjoys forcing his affection onto his cat, ordering chicken nuggets off the kids’ menu, and trying to learn entirely too many musical instruments at once.

Alexa Schiess

Alexa Schiess

(SHE/HER)

QA Manager

Passionate about documented and efficient problem solving, Alexa worked as a printing press operator for several years before finally making the jump to games (although still a big nerd for print technology). In her spare time, she likes lifting heavy weights and putting them down again.

Hanna Hildebrandt

Hanna Hildebrandt

(SHE/HER)

Technical Artist

Hanna is a technical artist, writer, and award-winning animation director who has worked on more than 40 different video games, movies, and TV shows. She has a background in interactive fiction, UI design, film production, programming, VFX, theatre, and journalism, which is both strangely confluent and difficult to fit in a bio.

Logan Woo

Logan Woo

Junior System Administrator

Logan is the IT guy of the company and a future ethical hacker. When he isn’t working, he is hanging out with cousins/friends, working on his many hobbies, or he is drowning in his backlog of shows to watch and games to play.

Andrew Stewart

Andrew Stewart

(He/Him)

Principal Animator

Andrew is a born and raised Vancouverite who has been fortunate enough to animate on such projects as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and the Gears of War franchise. Throughout his life, he has maintained a passion for video games, art, and anything that allows him to express himself creatively. He is laser-focused on growing his craft and sharing his knowledge with others. He also enjoys any sort of athletic or food-related activity.

Marlon Wiebe

Marlon Wiebe

(HE/HIM)

Lead Designer

Marlon is a videographer, editor, and motion graphics animator who has made many indie video game trailers and cinematics over the years. Along with Crypt of the NecroDancer and Industries of Titan, he’s worked on other prominent games such as Darkest Dungeon, FTL, Into the Breach, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime and many more.

Aaron Gordon

Aaron Gordon

(He/Him)

Game Design Director

Aaron knows a thing or two about design and leadership. He’s worked on a variety of titles from limb-flailing motion games, epic space sims and established AAA fan favorites. With a passion for design frameworks, methodologies and collaborative design, Aaron is a force multiplier for our teams! When he’s not grinding on Destiny, binging One Piece or running D&D you’ll probably find him hurtling down a mountain somewhere or trapped under his cats.

Pavel Efimov

Pavel Efimov

(HE/HIM)

3D Artist, Technical Artist

Pavel is a 3D artist / generalist who enjoys making game art the most when it’s a combination of popping 3D graphics and some tech behind it that makes it alive. Loves establishing content pipelines, enjoys vivid-colored art (does it look weird? even better) and is passionate about car culture.

Danny Baranowsky

Danny Baranowsky

Composer, Designer

Danny Baranowsky is a composer, musician and larger-than-life personality living in Vancouver, Canada by way of Mesa, Arizona. Over the past decade, Danny has risen to the top of his field, composing the music for best-selling games Canabalt, Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, Desktop Dungeons, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and more. Danny’s music immediately demands attention with soaring melodies and complex harmonies and has garnered him critical acclaim from publications such as Kotaku, PCGamer and Destructoid.

Kimberly Voll

Kimberly Voll

(SHE/HER)

CEO

Specialising in AI, game design, and human behaviour, Kim has been making, playing, and thinking about games for as long as she can remember. She’s had the honour of working on some great games big and small, including League of Legends, Fantastic Contraption, and VALORANT, and is extremely passionate about how we can make games and gaming spaces more inclusive by design.

Artyom Zuev

Artyom Zuev

Technical Artist

A generalist with deep passion for technical art, equally excited to work on flashy visuals and the logic powering them.

Ryan Clark

Ryan Clark

(HE/HIM)

Founder

A veteran independent game developer, Ryan has been creating award winning games since 2004, including Crypt of the NecroDancer, IncrediBots, Professor Fizzwizzle, and many more.

Dakota Bosman-Kennedy

Dakota Bosman-Kennedy

QA Tester

Dakota’s love-affair with game design and programming began at an early age with the versatility of the Starcraft Campaign Editor. After exploring a variety of career paths he found his passion in the game industry’s creative and collaborative work environment. In his free time, Dakota enjoys learning about the world, breaking strategy games, and bouldering.

Jaymee Mak

Jaymee Mak

(SHE/HER)

Lead Producer, Publishing and Partner Development

Jaymee is an award-winning filmmaker and actor, who also happens to be a hyper organized game producer who’s passionate about psychological safety. Over the last decade, Jaymee has dipped her marathon-running toes into game design, UX design, community management, marketing and directing. Jaymee loves ending meetings earl-

Nick Gunn

Nick Gunn

(HE/HIM)

Art Director

Nick is a versatile artist with expertise in 3D art and character creation and has a passion for distinctive art in games. Starting in 2005, his professional journey has consisted of contributions to many social, mobile, and indie game projects.

Lilly Lee

Lilly Lee

(SHE/HER)

Financial Controller

While working as a bookkeeper to pay for her accounting degree, Lilly spent mornings on the WoW auction house buying and trading items to amass a horde of gold. Now, with over 15 years of work experience in finance, she uses her skills as the financial controller of Brace Yourself Games.

Alain Carter

Alain Carter

(HE/HIM)

Senior Programmer

With experience in AAA, mobile, and social games, Alain worked for years on game side projects and game jams before making the transition to professional independent development.

Madeleine Gray

Madeleine Gray

(SHE/HER)

Director of Communications

Madeleine (also responds to Maddie) began her career developing communities on the esports side of the industry, building up fans of the Vancouver Titans and Seattle Surge in the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League. She believes games are more fun when you have people to share them with.

This is the BYG Vancouver team, but we also collaborate with other amazing contractors and consultants from around the globe!

Presenting our partners