About
About Layton
I've made the moment-to-moment sing, drafted deep systems and led multidisciplinary teams.
I’m a creative leader in games and interactive, currently Senior Director, Games & Interactive at Fanatics Collect, where I lead cross-functional teams developing interactive content across Topps and Fanatics Collect.
I started as a game designer and builder, and I still stay close to the build. I have deep experience shipping compelling gameplay from high-level to hands-on across 16 titles and to millions: Snapchat Games (Bitmoji Party, Fashion Icon etc), and at Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja LiveOps shipping to its 1bn lifetime players).
I fell in love with the process of game design from a young age (and have the drawings to prove it). Since that time I've honed my skills leading teams and creating robust gameplay, plus refining it with intentful iterative improvements, even in highly experimental design spaces. I've had the privilege to share some of what I've learned while speaking internationally at Casual Connect Singapore and Casual Connect San Francisco, as well as in Melbourne at Game Connect Asia Pacific. You'll find some of my talks here.
Game Design
Owned, designed, balanced and shipped features and content across most facets of design, including helping build Snapchat’s original games platform from the ground up to 100m+ players as one of its founding designers. Lead Designer on numerous flagship projects including Snapchat’s first AR game Ghost Phone, and UGC community-driven sandbox Fashion Icon.
Creative Leadership & Collaboration
Led multidisciplinary teams of 3-10 developers; feature strike teams, prototyping, R&D, and end-to-end production. Shepherd of the game vision, pillars, milestone progress and forged clear communication channels between internal and external stakeholders. Directed goal-focussed and collaborative brainstorming encouraging holistic, inclusive decision-making and feature development.
Technical Implementation
Hands-on understanding of many disciplines: shipped 3 titles solo, progressed from novice to pro in internal engines while helping improve tools/workflows, and have implemented production content including levels, user interfaces, scripted events & more. Rapidly created and scripted playable prototypes in proprietary engines, Unity, UE 5, and on (the classic!) paper.
Credited Titles
- The Florist (Upcoming)
- Summerhill (Upcoming)
- Puzzlepops! Plus (remaster 2023)
- Ghost Phone (2022)
- Fashion Icon (2021)
- Find My Bitmoji (2019)
- Slide The Shakes (2019)
- Bitmoji Party (2019)
- Campfire Cooking (2017)
- Crash Club (2017)
- Steppy Pants (live-ops 2016)
- Puzzlepops! Trick or Treat (2016)
- Puzzlepops! (2016)
- Fruit Ninja (live-ops 2015)
- Bears vs. Art (2015)
- Hollywood Game Night (2015)
- Fish Out Of Water! (2014)
- Jetpack Joyride (live-ops 2013)
Experience
Fanatics Collect
2026 – present
Senior Director, Games & Interactive
Layton Hawkes
Apr 2023 – Dec 2025
Game Design Consultant
Snapchat, Snap Games Studio
Mar 2018 – Mar 2023
Lead Game Designer
Senior Game Designer
Layton Hawkes
Nov 2015 – Mar 2018
Independent Game Designer & Developer
Prettygreat
Jun 2016 – Nov 2016 · Contract
Game Designer
Halfbrick Studios
Jan 2013 – Sep 2015
Game Designer
VU Curriculum Innovation Unit
Jan 2011 – Nov 2012 · Part-time
Designer / Scripter
Education
Bachelor's Degree, Interactive Media
Victoria University, Australia · 2012
Exchange Program in Media Technology
Aalborg University, Denmark · 2011
Advanced Diploma, Multimedia – Games Development
Victoria University, Australia · 2009
Awards & Honors
Nov 2017
Apple App Store Game Of The Day
Game Of The Day (USA, UK, AUS, +++) for 'Campfire Cooking'
Nov 2016
Australian Game Developer Awards
Excellence in Design – Honorable Mention for ‘Puzzlepops!’
Nov 2016
Australian Game Developer Awards
Accessibility Award – Honorable Mention for ‘Puzzlepops!’
Oct 2015
48hr Game Comp, Brisbane
Pro Team Winner 2015
Oct 2014
48hr Game Comp, Brisbane
Pro Team Winner 2014
Oct 2013
48hr Game Comp, Brisbane
Pro Team Winner 2013
Nov 2012
Victoria University
Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student, Communication and the Arts
Sep 2010
ATOM Awards
Best Interactive/Video Game for Gemma and the Living World
Sep 2010
ATOM Awards
Best Tertiary Multimedia for Gemma and the Living World
Nov 2009
Victoria University
Most Outstanding Final Year Project for Gemma and the Living World