Meet The Founders

3 veterans. 25 titles. Over 50 years of experience.

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Joe Russo

Beginning his career at Sony Online Entertainment, Joe cut his teeth on Everquest, working his way up through the ranks to become a Lead Systems Designer on Everquest II. After spending some time at n-Space, he eventually landed at CCP North America where he put his considerable talents to work as a Senior Technical Game Designer on World of Darkness and Sparc. When the opportunity to build something new presented itself, he jumped in with both feet. If you ask his kids, you’ll find him in such leading roles, as “Head Designer” on Maneater.

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David Dearing

Starting as a Programmer in 2002, David spent Act 1 of his career in the Los Angeles area, shipping several titles including Call of Duty: Finest Hour with Spark Unlimited, and The Saboteur for Pandemic Studios. In Act 2, he joined CCP North America in 2010 where he worked on the never-to-be World of Darkness MMO. At Xaviant, he pitched The Culling and saw it in to Steam Early Access before departing to build something he could call his own with Shipwright.

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Jim Weinhart

Starting in QA at High Voltage Studios, Jim quickly distinguished himself and moved into Design. After shipping an impressive list of titles, he eventually made the move to Xaviant where he blossomed from Lead Systems Designer to Lead Gameplay Programmer during his time working on Lichdom: Battlemage. In 2016, he finally jumped ship in order to found Shipwright. Long walks on the beach are off the menu, but you’ll either find him in the hot tub, or in the basement keeping busy with one of his many hobbies.