Game Director · Bladework Games
HughShelton
Two decades of designing heroes, classes, systems and teams. Game Director on Marked for Mayhem. Previously Lead Hero Designer for Heroes of the Storm, Lead Class Designer for WildStar, Lead Game Designer for Titanfall: Assault, and Design Lead & Design Manager on Madden NFL.

Bladework Games · 2022 – Present
Marked for Mayhem
Competitive 4-player action dungeon runner. The mission is shared. The glory isn't.
I joined Bladework when we were 10 people. We’re now 40, and together we’ve built an original game that does something different by mixing competition with co-op.
As Game Director I support our CEO, who is also the creative lead and lead designer, and do whatever I can to help move the project forward, from prioritizing features and load balancing the team to building analytics dashboards and doing hands-on work in editor.
- Joined at 10 people, now a team of 40
- Game Director (Apr 2025 – Present)
- Design Director (Apr 2022 – Apr 2025)
- World premiere at the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct 2026
- First public playtest in November 2026
- Coming to Steam & the Epic Games Store in 2027

Heroes of the Storm
Lead Hero Designer · Blizzard Entertainment

WildStar
Lead Class Designer · Carbine Studios

Titanfall: Assault
Lead Game Designer · Particle City

Madden NFL 19 · 20 · 21
Design Lead & Design Manager · Electronic Arts

EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters
Creative Lead & Design Department Head · Electronic Arts

Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids
Lead Game Designer · n-Space

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
Game Designer · n-Space
Also
- Golf Cart Ranger
- Kingdoms of Amalur MMO
- Surface to Air Mayhem
- 2D roguelite strategy game
This is a character that might allow some new team compositions to work. Teams that are built around that poke, that disengage … just wearing them down from staying further back.
Two decades of designing games
Started as a tech designer at n-Space in Orlando in 2007 and worked through systems, gameplay, content, class & hero design into leading and managing design teams. In 2021 I jumped back into hands-on development by building a 2D roguelite strategy game. Today I'm Game Director at Bladework Games.
- Since
- 2007
- Studios
- 8
- Genres
- MOBA · MMO · Sports · RTS · Action
- Expertise
- Gameplay Design · Systems Design · Technical Design · Combat Design · UX Design
- Education
- University of Central Florida, B.A. Digital Media
- 2022 – PresentRemote
Bladework Games
I joined Bladework when we were 10 people. We’re now 40, and together we’ve built an original game that does something different by mixing competition with co-op.
As Game Director I support our CEO, who is also the creative lead and lead designer, and do whatever I can to help move the project forward, from prioritizing features and load balancing the team to building analytics dashboards and doing hands-on work in editor.
- Game DirectorApr 2025 – Present
Marked for Mayhem
- Design DirectorApr 2022 – Apr 2025
Marked for Mayhem
- 2021 – 2022United States
Independent
- Solo Game DeveloperAug 2021 – Apr 2022
Built a 1st playable version of an original 2D roguelite game, picking up project planning, programming, business, outsourcing, art, and general software development
- 2017 – 2021Orlando, FL
Electronic Arts
- Associate Game Design Director (Creative Lead)Feb 2020 – Aug 2021
EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters. Creative Lead crafting the vision, controlling design quality, and driving priorities for launching EA back into golf
- Senior Game Designer (Design Lead & Manager)Dec 2017 – Feb 2020
Madden NFL 19, 20 & 21. Designed audience-growing features, managed dozens of designers, and led multiple feature teams
- 2015 – 2017Orlando, FL
Particle City
- Senior Game Designer (Gameplay, Systems, Tech & Economy)Dec 2015 – Nov 2017
Lead Game Designer, Titanfall: Assault. Hands-on design and balancing for an Apple Editor’s Choice free-to-play RTS
- 2014 – 2015Irvine, CA
Blizzard Entertainment
- Senior Game Designer (Systems & Gameplay)Sep 2014 – Dec 2015
Lead Hero Designer, Heroes of the Storm. Led dozens of developers to create playable characters from concept to completion
- 2012 – 2014Orange County, CA
Carbine Studios
- Senior Game Designer (Systems & Gameplay)Jun 2012 – Sep 2014
Lead Class Designer, WildStar. Led a 6 person team creating playable classes, abilities, and progression systems
- 2011 – 2012Providence, RI
38 Studios
- Game Designer (Tech & Content)Feb 2011 – May 2012
Kingdoms of Amalur MMO (shelved). Created areas, quests and events, and prototyped dungeon and boss encounters
- 2007 – 2010Orlando, FL
n-Space
- Game Designer (Systems, Gameplay & Tech)Jul 2007 – Oct 2010
Led all game design on Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids and Golf Cart Ranger; designed levels and encounters for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2; tech design on two shelved Wii titles
- 2008Orlando, FL
Iron Square Mobile
- Game Designer (Tech), contract2008
Surface to Air Mayhem