A casual multiplayer shooter where players compete to freeze each other in a fast, action-packed arena. Architected the full ecosystem — UE5 client, Next.js / Node.js / MongoDB backend, Firebase Auth, AWS GameLift.
Status — Ongoing
Type — Overdawn Studio commercial project
Duration — 2 months
Stack — Unreal Engine 5, Next.js, MongoDB, Firebase Auth, AWS GameLift
Role — Multiplayer system engineer, technical designer
Engineered 5+ core systems, including a server-side rewind algorithm for latency compensation that lets shooting, freeze states, and tag mechanics all feel instantaneous regardless of the player's connection. The whole game balances on this — without SSR the rest doesn't matter.
A network of gameplay systems in C++ and Blueprints — player movement, shooting mechanics, freeze states, power-ups — all designed to compose with the rewind layer underneath them.
Stitched the UE5 client to a RESTful Next.js / Node.js backend with MongoDB underneath. Identity flows through Firebase Auth; the backend lives on Vercel. The seam between the client and the web stack had to be invisible to players, and is.
Designed and shipped the party and matchmaking UX on AWS GameLift, prioritizing a frictionless flow across distributed dedicated server instances. The shortest path from "open the game" to "in a match with friends" is the one I cared about most.