Jesus Lou, Developer in Barcelona, Spain
Jesus is available for hire
Hire Jesus

Jesus Lou

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Technical Leadership Developer

Location
Barcelona, Spain
Toptal Member Since
April 5, 2019

Over the years, Jesus has developed and led several mobile projects, from small companion apps for TV shows to games played by millions working for market leader King. He has the experience needed to develop and maintain quality software, always being communicative, proactive, and resolutive. He's a generalist-specialist that can handle different technologies and scenarios, from leading a team to carrying a project through its entire lifecycle.

Portfolio

King
Jenkins, Git, Amazon, Android, iOS, CMake, Python, C++
King
Jenkins, Git, Amazon, Android, iOS, CMake, Python, C++
Novarama Technologies
Java, Objective-C, Make, Git, PS Vita, PlayStation, C++

Experience

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Git, Xcode, Visual Studio

The most amazing...

...project I've worked on is a companion app for a TV show where spectators were able to play against the contestants in real time from their homes.

Work Experience

Principal Engineer

2019 - PRESENT
King
  • Developed a framework to share client features coded across all King games.
  • Assisted, mentored, and coached the lead developers of four live titles.
  • Helped standardize the tech stack, tools, and processes across four different teams.
  • Helped with the design and development of a series of features for our live titles during their whole lifecycle using C++.
  • Created tools to automate and validate our content creation using Python.
Technologies: Jenkins, Git, Amazon, Android, iOS, CMake, Python, C++

Lead Developer

2015 - 2019
King
  • Led a team as lead developer, mentoring and coaching two other developers.
  • Participated in the design and implementation of several features for Bubble Witch 2 Saga, Diamond Diaries Saga, and Diamond Digger Saga using C++.
  • Standardized the release process of four different titles using Python, Jenkins, and Bash.
  • Organized and prioritized tasks while keeping an eye on timing and code quality.
  • Rewrote an entire title from scratch using a different C++ framework in the timespan of eight months.
  • Automated the way we packed and tested new content using Python and Jenkins.
Technologies: Jenkins, Git, Amazon, Android, iOS, CMake, Python, C++

Regular C++ Developer

2013 - 2015
Novarama Technologies
  • Participated in the development of several undisclosed PlayStation 4 titles, taking from gameplay tasks to more technical, engine related ones using C++.
  • Contributed to the entire development cycle of a PlayStation Vita title, also taking from gameplay tasks to more technical, engine related ones using C++.
  • Developed and maintained several features for two trading card games, released on iOS and Android.
  • Built and maintained a companion app for a TV series for kids, released on iOS and Android.
  • Participated in the development of a mobile title where we mixed C++ with JavaScript and HTML5.
Technologies: Java, Objective-C, Make, Git, PS Vita, PlayStation, C++

Unity C# Developer

2012 - 2013
Ivanovich Games
  • Developed an iOS mobile game as a solo developer using Unity, taking care of all aspects of the development cycle.
  • Developed a companion app for a TV show where people were able to play at the same time as the contenders.
  • Developed a set of tools for content creation using C# and XNA, from level editors to an anagram generator.
Technologies: XNA, Unity, C#

Kanji GO – Learn Japanese Kanji, Hiragana & Katakana

https://jesuslou.com/kanjigo/
Kanji GO is a free app to help Japanese students learn the three Japanese writing systems: kanji, hiragana, and katakana. It's structured in different sections, each one representing a JLPT Noken level, from JLPT Noken 5 to JLPT Noken 1.

It was developed using Flutter and Dart, which made it possible to release on both Android and iOS with the exact same codebase.

I've been in charge of all the process, from coding to graphic design, build process, and publishing.

Bubble Witch 2 Saga

https://itunes.apple.com/app/bubble-witch-2-saga/id834393815?mt=8
I helped to manage the transition of Bubble Witch 2 Saga from a different team to our department, where we adapted it to our tech stack, tools, and processes. Soon after, I was assigned as lead developer. Apart from designing and developing new features, I also was in charge of keeping the quality of the code, making sure we delivered on time. At the same time, I was also managing two other developers, helping them grow and advance in their careers.

Diamond Diaries Saga

https://itunes.apple.com/app/diamond-diaries-saga/id1313343774?mt=8
Diamond Diaries Saga is a mobile title released on iOS, Android, and Facebook. I've worked in some minor features and bug fixes. However, where I've most added to this project is in the mentoring and coaching of their developers, guiding them through the ins and outs of maintaining a live title played by millions of players every week.

Diamond Digger Saga

When I joined King, I was assigned to this project. With the help of two other developers, our mission was to rewrite the entire game from scratch using a different C++ framework. It took us eight months. Soon after that, we started delivering new features on a three-week basis.

Open Source: Doner Suite

https://github.com/Donerkebap13
The Doner Suite is a series of personal projects, where I wanted to push my C++ skills and to gain knowledge about the open source community and their processes. During its development, I learned and improved my knowledge about different compilers, continuous integration frameworks, unit testing, code coverage, etc.

The entire suite is formed by three different libraries and a simple game project to test them all together. Those are the following:
• DonerReflection: A C++14 reflection library to define class information in compile time for later usage.
• DonerSerializer: A C++14 easy-to-use serialization library. It uses the power of DonerReflection.
• DonerComponents: A C++14 Component-based game object model framework for developing video games with game object activation/deactivation, child hierarchy, messaging system, prefabs, nested prefabs, and tags. GameObjects and their components can be defined in JSON files (thanks to DonerSerializer).

Letris TVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLPxAin5Z-E
Letris TVE was a companion app for a Spanish TV show based on the mobile game Letris. I developed all the different challenges that appeared on TV and in the app and came up with a technology that would allow people to play in real time against the contenders, even though the show wasn't live.

Invizimals: TV Tracker

This was a companion app for a TV series for kids based on Sony's IP "Invizimals." At some point during the chapters, you would see a color code on screen and, after framing it with your phone camera, an augmented reality scene would appear on your TV. Then, you needed to perform different actions to interact with the characters displayed, such as taping, rotating, rubbing, etc.

Invizimals: Revolution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSxNOx6f-z0
Invizimals: Revolution was a companion app for a toy series based on Sony's IP "Invizimals". After putting the figure in top of its card and framing it afterward with your phone camera, the app would recognize the toy shape and would add the toy to your digital collection, where you could use them later to fight.

Invizimals: Hidden Challenges

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qgYRzbUSI
Invizimals: Revolution was a companion app for a Trading Card Game based on Sony's IP "Invizimals." By using augmented reality you could frame any of the cards back with your phone camera to see that Invizimal in 3D. If you put two of them close enough, they would start fighting against each other.

Lumen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gRkRD-ylyw
Lumen was my Master's degree project, where we needed to develop a full game in ten months. We were a team of three developers and three artists and we developed our own technology to create it, using primarily C++, DirectX, and MaxScript. Lumen is a 3D platformer where you could modify your surroundings with the help of your magic camera.

Wozznic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Kby0i6jk8
Wozznic was my first professional project. I was the only developer with Unity and C# knowledge in the company, so I did it all by myself. I also developed some level editors using C# and XNA. It was developed in three months.

Space Legends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK--Djf0vTM
I participated in the early stages of the development of Space Legends. The most interesting part about it was that we mixed two different technologies to create it. All the game logic and 3D graphics rendering were made using C++, but all the UI was done by using HTML5 and JavaScript. We achieved that by rendering a web browser in top of our C++ rendering pipeline.

Languages

C++, Python, C#, Objective-C, Java, Swift, Bash, Dart

Tools

Microsoft Visual Studio, Xcode, Git, Visual Studio, CMake, Make, Jenkins, PyCharm, Illustrator CC, Photoshop CC, Travis CI, GitHub, Android Studio, Gradle

Paradigms

Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Test-driven Development (TDD), Continuous Integration (CI), Automation, Behavior-driven Development (BDD)

Platforms

Windows, iOS, Android, Amazon, MacOS, PlayStation, Firebase

Other

Team Mentoring, Career Coaching, Technical Leadership, PS Vita, UX Flows, Team Leadership

Frameworks

Unity, Flutter

Libraries/APIs

XNA

2012 - 2013

Master's Degree in Video Game Development

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona

2010 - 2012

Degree in Video Game Design and Development

Universidad Camilo José Cela - Madrid

2007 - 2009

Higher Technician's Degree in Computer Applications Development

IES Santiago Hernández - Zaragoza

Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring