HELLO THERE AND WELCOME TO MY PORTFOLIO!
I am Maximilian Santa, a Gameplay-focused Level Designer based in Berlin, Germany, with 7+ years of professional experience working on shipped AA and AAA projects. My work focuses on designing immersive gameplay spaces with strong emphasis on stealth gameplay, traversal, verticality, player guidance, and environmental storytelling. This portfolio showcases selected professional and personal projects developed in Unreal Engine and Unity.
ABOUT ME
Who am I
Hello, my name is Maximilian Santa and I am a Gameplay-focused Level Designer based in Berlin, Germany, with over 7 years of professional experience in game development.
Throughout my career, I have worked on shipped AA and AAA titles across PC and console platforms using Unreal Engine and Unity. My work focuses on creating immersive gameplay spaces with strong emphasis on stealth gameplay, traversal, verticality, player guidance, and environmental storytelling.
Currently, I am working as a Lead Level Designer at Triple Espresso on Copa City, where I lead and mentor a team of designers while contributing to gameplay spaces, level flow, and overall player experience.
Previously, I worked at Daedalic Entertainment on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, where I designed and implemented gameplay levels with focus on stealth gameplay, traversal, pacing, and player readability.
Before joining Daedalic, I worked at AnotherWorld VR in Berlin, contributing to multiple VR projects including Kobold Chapter I and Pagan Peak VR. Working in VR helped strengthen my understanding of spatial design, player orientation, interaction design, and immersive gameplay experiences.
MY PROJECTS
Here are the projects that I have worked on:
Professional Projects
Copa City
Copa City is a large-scale football tycoon game where players organize and manage high-stakes football events across entire city districts. As Lead Level Designer, I worked on gameplay-driven urban spaces focused on player navigation, crowd flow, environmental storytelling, and creating visually memorable football event experiences.
Read more about my role during this project
Level Design
Unity
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: GOLLUM
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a action-adventure video game based on the popular book series by J.R.R. Tolkien. Developed by Daedalic Entertainment, the game follows the story of Gollum, a complex character known for his role in the original series. Players will be able to explore the dark and twisted world of Middle-earth as Gollum, and make choices that will impact the story's outcome.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is released on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X in 2023.
Read more about my role during this project
Level Design/ Game Design
Unreal Engine 4
PAGAN PEAK VR
Pagan Peak VR is a virtual reality game developed by AnotherWorld VR. It is based on the German crime series "Der Pass" and takes players on a thrilling journey to solve a murder case in the Alps. The game features stunning graphics and immersive gameplay, allowing players to explore the beautiful and haunting landscapes of the Alps while gathering clues and solving puzzles to uncover the truth behind the crime.
"Pagan Peak VR" is available on Steam for virtual reality platforms such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality.
Read more about my role during this project
Game Design
Unreal Engine 4
KOBOLD: CHAPTER I
Kobold Chapter I is a virtual reality game developed by AnotherWorld VR. It is a dark and atmospheric adventure game set in a haunted mansion, where players take on the role of a detective investigating the haunted mansion. The game features a variety of puzzles and interactive environments, and uses photogrammetry to create highly detailed and realistic 3D enviroments.
The game is available on Steam for virtual reality platforms such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality.
Read more about my role during this project
Game Design/ Level Design / Performance Optimization/ 3D Retopo
Unreal Engine 4
TELEKOM: MEETING JOSH
In this virtual reality experience, "TELEKOM: MEETING JOSH", players are taught how to improve their basketball skills by none other than Josh Mayo himself. Through a variety of techniques and tactics, players can learn how to achieve the best possible results on the court.
This game was developed specifically for the Telekom intern app store.
Performance Optimization/ 3D Art
Unreal Engine 4
Private Projects
The Heist
First Person Stealth Shooter
Inspired by Farcry
Level Design / Environment Design / Scripting
Cityy
3- Player Co-op
Inspired by The Division/ The Last of Us
Level Design / Environment Design / Scripting
Trenches
First Person Cover Shooter
Level Design / Environment Design / Scripting
CYBER PUNK ALLEY
Level Design / Environment Design
School Projects and Game Jam´s
BREAD AND GAMES
Action-Top Down Twinstick Shooter for up to 3 local players
Producer / Game Design / Level Design
Unity
WIFI ADVENTURE
Adventure game with a focus on working on a mobile game
Game Design / Level Design / 3D Art
Unity
PIRATE SPLASHY
Xbox Kinect camera controlled game for children under the age of 6 years
Idea/ Game Design / Programming (Unity C#) / 3D Art
Unity
NIU´S ADVENTURE
Action adventure with a open world to explore and fight against enemies
Level Design / 3D Enviroment Artist / Programming (Unity C#)
TRANSMISSION SOLDIER
Action shooter platformer for up to six local players with multiple maps and weapons
Game Design
Unity
TWO PLAYERS ONE CUPSULE
VR game where two player are controlling one character by looking into a specific direction and communicating
Idea/ Game Design/ Level Design
Unity
ENDSTATION (ESCAPE ROOM)
Real escape room build inside a real car with multiple riddles
Construction / Puzzle Design
Memories (Unity)
A blank world where the player has to shoot paint to find the way and explore the world
Idea/ Game Design
Unity
WORK EXPERIANCE
LEAD LEVEL DESIGNER AT TRIPLE ESPRESSO
March 2024– Current
As Lead Level Designer at Triple Espresso, I work closely with a team of six level designers on Copa City, a large-scale football tycoon game focused on organizing major football events across dynamic urban environments.
My responsibilities include designing and overseeing gameplay spaces, player flow, traversal, level layouts, and environmental storytelling across multiple production levels. I collaborate closely with Design, Art, Code, QA, and Production teams to ensure cohesive gameplay experiences and maintain consistent quality throughout development.
In addition to hands-on level creation, I support the team through feedback, mentoring, iteration reviews, and day-to-day production coordination.
LEVEL DESIGNER AT DAEDALIC ENTERTAINMENT
December 2019– July 2023
During my time on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, I worked primarily as a Level Designer while also contributing to gameplay and design discussions throughout development. My responsibilities included designing and implementing gameplay levels from early concept to final shipping state, creating stealth and traversal spaces, environmental puzzles, climbing sections, and supporting narrative moments in collaboration with the writing team.
A major part of my work focused on gameplay flow, player readability, environmental interaction, and iterative level development. Throughout production, I contributed to more than 70% of the game’s levels across multiple stages of development.
GAME/ LEVEL DESIGNER AT ANOTHERWORLD VR
December 2018- July 2019
During my work on Pagan Peak VR, I collaborated closely with the art team to create immersive and readable gameplay spaces within the mountain cabin environment. My responsibilities included implementing gameplay interactions, supporting environmental storytelling, and designing puzzle sequences focused on player progression and exploration.
One of my main contributions was the design and implementation of escape-room-style puzzles that guided players through the cabin and supported the overall gameplay flow and pacing.
INTERNSHIP AT ANOTHERWORLD VR
March 2018- August 2018
As part of the development of Kobold Chapter I, I contributed to narrative design, world-building, and the creation of immersive gameplay spaces focused on horror and environmental storytelling. My work included supporting the game's lore, atmosphere, and interactive storytelling elements to strengthen player immersion.
One of my main contributions was the design and implementation of the final level, which was fully created by me and focused heavily on tension, horror atmosphere, pacing, and player experience.
QA- TESTER AT SMILEGATE EUROPE
Mai 2017- July 2017
During my time at Smilegate Europe, I worked as a QA Tester on CrossFire, supporting gameplay testing and quality assurance processes throughout development. My responsibilities included identifying and reporting gameplay issues, reproducing bugs, and collaborating with development teams to verify fixes and improve overall player experience.
KNOWLEDGE
My fields of work
LEVEL DESIGN
My expertise lies in gameplay-focused Level Design, from early prototyping and blockout creation to final implementation and polish. I specialize in creating immersive gameplay spaces with strong focus on traversal, stealth gameplay, verticality, player guidance, and environmental storytelling. Throughout my professional career, I have worked on shipped AA and AAA projects using Unreal Engine and Unity while collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams across production pipelines.
SCRIPTING
My technical experience includes gameplay scripting, mechanic prototyping, and gameplay implementation using C# and Unreal Engine scripting systems. Throughout both student and professional projects, I worked on gameplay logic, interaction systems, mechanic iteration, and scripting gameplay features within collaborative production pipelines. During The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, I contributed to implementing and iterating gameplay mechanics and player interactions across multiple gameplay spaces.
ART
During my studies and early development projects, I gained experience working with 3D art pipelines and creating low-poly environment assets within small multidisciplinary teams. My work included 3D modeling, asset preparation, and supporting level art integration using Maya, 3DS Max, and ZBrush.
This experience helped strengthen my understanding of environmental composition, asset workflows, spatial readability, and close collaboration between Level Design and Art teams.
PHOTOGRAMMETRY
During my time at AnotherWorld VR and within personal projects, I gained hands-on experience with photogrammetry workflows and scanned environment production. My responsibilities included scanning real-world environments and objects, preparing scanned meshes, optimizing assets, and integrating them into Unreal Engine pipelines.
A notable project involved scanning and recreating a 90s-themed room at the Computerspielemuseum Berlin. Working extensively with photogrammetry strengthened my understanding of environmental detail, asset optimization, and realistic environment creation workflows.
Langues
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German - Native
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Polish - Native
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English - Fluent
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
MEDIADESIGN HOCHSCHULE FÜR DESIGN UND INFORMATIK
After my previous college went bankrupt, I made the decision to continue my game design studies at the Mediadesign Hochschule für Design und Informatik Berlin. Following seven semesters, I successfully earned my Bachelor of Science degree.
2016 – 2019
„People may forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.“
Anonymous
KONTAKT
Thank you for your interest in my portfolio.
Please feel free to contact me through the following methods
Berlin, Germany
