Team

Michela RimensbergerCEO and Chief Storyteller, Co-founder

Michaela read her first book at the age of three and books have been a passion ever since, but her true love will always be video games. Her affinity for games, storytelling and epic tales, combined with a degree in Computer Science and Business Administration makes her the perfect cast for the guild leadership.

Ismael WittwerCTO and Art Director, Co-founder

Ismael has a degree in Computer Science and 15 years of experience in the development and implementation of complex software systems in the field of computer graphics, image and sound synthesis. Alongside his passion for interaction design and digital art, this experience qualifies Ismael as the perfect match for the position of the CTO.

Melena WittwerHead of Software Engineering, board member

Having a master’s Degree in Mathematics and a bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Melena is constructing the very fabric that drives Return to Nangrim. Her passion for clean code and uncompromising OOP makes her the perfect code-ninja.

Silas WittwerLead 3D Artist, board member

Silas’ obsession with procedurally generated materials and non-destructive texturing workflows, in conjunction with his pronounced knowledge in 3D art, predestined him to be the project’s lead 3D artist.

Severin WalkerStoryteller

As a twenty-year roleplaying gamemaster and worldbuilder, Severin now forges stories and puzzles for Arafinn. Storytelling and game development have become passion and profession for him. He also works as a freelance 3D artist and a tutor for game design and visual effects at the SAE.

Tanja Kristina SonderLinguist

Tanja devoted her life entirely to language or, to be more precise, the creation of languages. Her fascination for the ancient Germanic and Nordic languages makes her the Lord of Languages in the Arafinn universe.

Philip AmeyProduction Editor

Philip has a master's Degree in Philosophy from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He has several years of experience in the publishing industry. Philip’s precise work and expertise is of great value to the project.

Igor KrsticIllustrator, Concept Artist

Igor's disposition for the dark arts and his very morbid art style make him THE creator of dark moods and atmospheres. Igor is responsible for designing the ethnic art of the Nangrim Dwarves.

Hans EkaputraConcept Artist

Hans honed his art skills while studying Visual Communication at the University of Jakarta. His pencil has been part of the Return to Nangrim project from the very beginning. His technical drawings and concepts breathed life into the habitat of the dwarves.

Phu Thieu MacIllustrator, Character Artist

Phu is an emerging illustrator and character artist from Viet Nam. His strength lies in the drawing of mind-blowing fantasy characters, but his superpower is the drawing of realistic hair and beards of all shapes and forms.

David TranIllustrator

David’s short stories illustrating the everyday life of the dwarves are legendary. His unique style and his ability to bring simple paper to life is charming.

Maksim KuznetsovIllustrator, Concept Artist

Maksim, alias Max, has a special flair for the realistic rendering of metals and fabrics. During his studies at the University of Ekaterinburg he specialized in the design and illustration of characters and weapons. He is responsible for the dwarven weapons, jewelry and the royal dwarven coinage.

Wes DevoreSound Designer, Composer

Wes has a special talent for bringing environments to life with his carefully designed ambient soundscapes. Originally on the academic side, Wes changed his ways and became a full-time composer and sound designer.

Evan RogersSound Designer, Composer

For the past decade, Evan has specialized in composing trailer music and designing sound effects. He produced famous trailer music for Battlefield 1 and How to Train Your Dragon 2. Evan was part of the production team who designed the great sound effects in Return to Nangrim.

Luca FagaQuality Assurance

Luca's bright mind manages to crash an arbitrary system within minutes. This ability and his in-depth knowledge of quantum shifts make him the number one quality overseer at Sycoforge.

Dominique SandozFrontend Developer

Beside studying Computational Linguistics at the University of Zurich, Dominique's life revolves around front-end development. In addition to his work as a developer and CSS guru, he is also a valued expert on new media and online marketing.

Asdrubal Leon3D Artist

Asdrubal is a gifted 3D artist with many years of experience in 3D modeling and game asset creation. His outstanding work is appreciated by the entire production team, who call him “Michelangelo of Orlando”.

Cherrelle Ann Consulta3D Artist

Cherrelle is a Senior 3D artist living in New Zealand. She has been fascinated with games since she was young. This passion led her to conquer the world of gaming and get her hands on famous AAA games like Uncharted 4 and the Last of Us. Cherrelle’s superpower is character design.

Krzysztof Marcinowski3D Animator

Krzysztof has a master’s degree in Graphic Design and Animation in Poland. His great experience in character animation and rigging has driven a lot of games, movies, and commercials and awarded him the title "Master of Puppets" in the team.

Anthony David C. Calderon 3D Artist

Anthony is a Philippine based 3D artist who has earned his stripes by working on numerous high-profile projects such as Uncharted 2, Madden NFL 11 and Medal of Honor: Warfight. His interest in art, drawing and sculpting certainly contribute to his unique character creation skills.

Srdjan Orelj3D Artist

Srdjan started pursuing his passion for 3D Art while still in the high school, after watching LOTR for the first time. He studied Graphic Design along with 3D Art and, following graduation, decided to stick with 3D Art and go all in, learning more about Anatomy. He has successfully finished more than 50 projects to date.

Seth KopchuStoryteller

Seth is a writer from the USA. He is inscribing the lore of Arafinn into the little things that make up the bigger picture, such as letters and book pages, bringing characters and scenery to life with his vibrant writing style. When he’s not busy writing, he’s either in VR or making people laugh with his comedy.

Balladeers of Nangrim

Caleb BloodComposer

Caleb is a prolific music composer for film, television, commercial and video game projects, in addition to working with respected filmmakers and game developers. Together with Marco, he composed the main theme of Return to Nangrim.

Daniel SadowskiComposer

Daniel’s love for video games goes back to the early 80s. Paired with his greatest passion, the composing of music, he created the soundtrack to popular titles such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike and Heroes of Sky Realm. With his edgy and heavy-orchestral style, he is the best choice for embodying the pure power of the dwarves.

Jose VaronComposer

Jose's affinity for extraordinary instruments, especially when they are a thousand years old, and his musical spirit has made him a true master of medieval and ancient music. Jose is responsible for the ambient music and various musical atmospheres in Return to Nangrim.

Marco Valerio AntoniniComposer

With a degree in Orchestration and Audio Post-Production, Marco is the perfect composer for the enchanted world of Nangrim. Marco is a Maestro of epic classical music. He has worked on numerous projects, including iconic games such as Star Wars Battlefront II and Halo Wars II, and Netflix's House of Cards.

Katt NewlonProfessional Cellist

Katt’s musical pursuits have taken her all over the world in a multitude of capacities, from being a soloist in Carnegie Hall, to rocking out in the indie music festival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, but video game music is something that has always been close to her heart.

Martin VilligerComposer

Martin is a Swiss composer known for his numerous works for TV documentaries and commercials. Music has been his passion for his whole life – he started composing at the age of 7 – which is reflected in his work. He fully commits to a project, embodying every aspect of a topic in his music.