Kayd Hendricks

Senior Game Designer

10+ years creating award-winning gameplay systems, narrative driven quests, and player-first experiences across AAA and indie titles.

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About Me

I am a Senior Game Designer currently working at Raven Software on Call of Duty: Warzone 2, where I partner with art, tech, and leadership to deliver new LTMs, weapons, perks, and seasonal features for 20+ million players.

Previously, I shipped major content as Senior Area Designer on Obsidian's Avowed and served as Design Lead on ARK: Survival Evolved and its expansions. My expertise spans end-to-end content ownership, broad game design, and cross-functional collaboration.

I have deep fluency in UE4/5, scripting, and live service design. I'm also the co-founder of the IGDA Virginia Chapter and passionate about mentoring the next generation of game designers.

Skills & Tools

Design

Quest Design, Systems Design, Level Design, Narrative Integration

Technical

Unreal Engine 4/5, Blueprint, C#, C++, Python, Lua

Tools

Visual Studio, Maya, Houdini, Confluence, Jira, Perforce

Portfolio

Call of Duty: Warzone 2

Warzone 2

Senior Systems Designer at Raven Software

Delivering LTMs, weapons, and seasonal features for 20M+ players. Leading Champions Quest mode balancing.

 Avowed

Avowed

Senior Area Designer at Obsidian Entertainment

Owned major content regions from white-box to polish. Designed critical-path quests with narrative integration.

 ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Survival Evolved

Design Lead at Studio Wildcard

Led team to deliver core game and 3 major DLCs. Co-developed design vision for expansions.

Experience

11/2024 - Present

Senior Systems Designer

Raven Software - Call of Duty: Warzone 2

  • Partnering with art, tech, and leadership to deliver new LTMs, weapons, perks, and seasonal features for 20M+ players
  • Leading iteration and balancing of Champions Quest, Warzone 2's most challenging mode
  • Spearheading seasonal testing and integration of cross-title features including advanced movement, camera, and character control systems
  • Ensuring polished gameplay across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms
  • Fostering cross-studio collaboration with Treyarch, Beenox, Sledgehammer, and multiple teams under the Call of Duty umbrella
  • Enhancing player retention and prestige completion rates through iterative design improvements
Key Skills:
Systems Design Live Service Cross-Platform Balancing
06/2020 - 01/2024

Senior Area Designer

Obsidian Entertainment - Avowed

  • Owned end-to-end development of major content regions from white-box to final polish
  • Designed and implemented critical-path quests with tight narrative integration
  • Sole designer responsible for all scripting and event logic in my areas, using proprietary tools and Unreal 5 Blueprint
  • Coordinated with cross-functional teams including art, audio, lighting, and narrative for seamless integration
  • Worked extensively with narrative to drive cost-effective storytelling with deep choice and consequence mechanics
  • Drove gameplay, narrative, and content vision across owned regions, ensuring consistent tone and player flow
  • Enabled complex quest and world event functionality through advanced scripting solutions
Key Skills:
Quest Design UE5 Blueprint Narrative Integration Level Design
10/2014 - 12/2018

Design Lead / Senior Designer

Studio Wildcard - ARK: Survival Evolved

  • Led cross-functional team to deliver core game and 3 major DLCs (Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction)
  • Co-developed design vision for all expansions from concept through launch
  • Directed iterative prototyping and implementation of new creatures, mechanics, weapons, and gameplay loops
  • Ensured cohesive system balance and sandbox integration across 100+ levels of progression
  • Mentored junior designers, supporting career growth through opportunity creation and active advocacy
  • Managed post-launch content updates and balance patches for millions of active players
  • Designed unique biomes and survival mechanics including desert heat, radiation zones, and corruption systems
  • Led implementation of 50+ new creatures with distinctive AI behaviors and taming mechanics
Key Skills:
Team Leadership Systems Design Content Strategy UE4 Mentorship

Let's Connect

I'm always interested in discussing new opportunities and collaborations.

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Richmond, VA