About Us
Coal Interactive is made up of the core team of Sam Wey and Gary Brunetti, two game industry veterans, and augmented by the support of our talented network of friends. We make games which leverage triple A game design sensibilities and production values into games on emerging AR/VR platforms. Our company name, paired with our diamond logo conveys this process where we compress vast experience and effort into small things of immense value. Our team’s credits include Friday the 13th, Star Citizen, Lost Planet 3, Abzû, League of Legends, God of War Ascension, The Unfinished Swan, and Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Our AR/VR credits include Follow Me Dragon, Jurassic World VR Expedition, Fresh Out, The Martian VR Experience and more. We are based in Beijing, Los Angeles, and around the world.
Sam Wey
Founder, Creative Director
With twelve years of experience in the entertainment industry, Sam Wey is a uniquely well-rounded creative director focused on crafting compelling interactive experiences. His passion for video games has fueled a career spanning art, game design, and story development. He began his career as a 3D artist at Nickelodeon Animation Studios on shows like the Kung Fu Panda television series. After discovering a passion for crafting experiences, he transitioned to game design for video games like ABZÛ, Friday the 13thv, Star Citizen, and Lost Planet 3. His interest in emerging immersive technologies has inspired his most recent accomplishments; including the AR app, Follow Me Dragon and the VR LBE Jurassic World VR Expedition. He made his directorial debut on the VR narrative, Fresh Out which made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Sam Wey provides creative leadership by leveraging a deep understanding of game production to elegantly tie together aesthetic and technical disciplines in support of rich experiential design. He recently founded Coal Interactive, in Beijing, China. In his spare time, he explores Beijing’s restaurant scene with his wife and practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
His portfolio of design and art can be viewed at: http://www.samwey.com
Gary Brunetti
Technical Director
With more than 24 years of experience in all aspects of game development, Gary is unmatched in the depth and breadth of his experience. In addition to his broad technical skills, he has a proven track record of leading teams to exceed expectations while meeting deadlines. He has provided internal and external art team direction and management across teams large and small. His long list of credits include: League of Legends, God of War Ascension, The Unfinished Swan, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Interstate '76, Full Spectrum Warrior, Zork Nemesis, Interstate '82, Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder, Dead To Rights II, and 50 Cent: Bulletproof. In recent years he has contributed to pioneering work in VR and AR on projects like Follow Me Dragon, Raising a Rukus, and The Martian VR Experience. Every morning Gary surfs the waves off the coast of Los Angeles. His body of work can be viewed at http://www.garybrunetti.com/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/garybrunetti
Steve Yoshimura
Design and Monetization Advisor
With 19 years of experience in the game industry Steve Yoshimura has been designing games since before the title “game designer” existed. He began his career at such historic game studios like Konami and designed some of the most iconic scenes in the Tomb Raider series during his time at Crystal Dynamics. For the last five years, his systemic approach to design has enabled him to become a expert in mobile games monetization and cryptocurrencies. For Bullet Time AR, he has provided invaluable guidance in mobile game design and monetization. In his free time, he wrecks players in Overwatch.
Seiji Tanaka
Advisor
A founding member of Glitch City LA, Seiji Tanaka was a pioneer of the indie game development scene in Los Angeles and his credits include the touchstone of indie game culture, Journey. As a serial entrepreneur with a broad skill-set, Seiji has provided Bullet Time AR with a wealth of indie game dev wisdom.
Matt Hubel
Concept Artist
Matt’s is an extremely talented digital artist whose beautiful paintings have been featured prominently in the gaming community. His key art has established aesthetic direction for Bullet Time AR. His portfolio is available at: https://www.matthubelart.com/
Ye Feng 野风
Animator
Ye Feng is a talented animator and aspiring gameplay programmer. His passion for game development has inspired him to broaden his skillset and learn Blueprint Scripting at a school in Qingdao, China. His stylish animations have been vital to the development of Bullet Time AR.