# Team

Dan Nikolaides — Technical Director

A University of Illinois Computer Science graduate, Dan Nikolaides has been making waves in the gaming industry for over 15 years. As a Lead Programmer and UE4/5 expert, he has held tech leadership roles at prominent companies like Midway Games, Warner Brothers, Day 1 Studios, Phosphor Game Studio, and Symmetric Games. Dan's impressive list of franchise credits includes Mortal Kombat, Stranglehold, Man of Steel, Gears of War, NBC's Heroes, World War Z, WWE, Nether, Outpost Zero, and more. Currently, Dan serves as the CEO of Symmetric Games, CTO of Studio 369, and Tech Director for MetalCore.

Matt Candler — Studio 369 CEO

With over two decades in the gaming industry, Matt Candler began his journey at Activision in 1995, working on the MechWarrior 2 franchise. Since then, he has been involved in producing, publishing, and financing games, accumulating over 100 titles across various platforms. Matt also held the position of Vice President of Interactive Development at Paramount, where he developed a digital publishing division focused on iPhone, Xbox, and PlayStation titles. In recent years, Matt has been investing in and producing games, predominantly for PC and console platforms. Currently, he is the President of Studio 369, a team specializing in Action/RPG, Survival, Building, and FPS games developed using Unreal Engine.

Victor Lopez — Art Director

Boasting over 25 years of experience, Victor Lopez is an acclaimed art director known for his work in interactive experiences, video content for film, theater, and video games. His diverse clientele includes Lucas Film, Disney, Nike, Adidas, Numbir9 Films, MGM, Mandalay Bay, WB, Oats Studios, Leviathan, Redline, Arbor, and Tesla. Victor's video game credits encompass Nether, Outpost Zero, Dakka Squadron, Gears of War, Stranglehold, Blitz, SlugFest, Psi-Ops, Bullet Storm, Mortal Kombat, Man of Steel, Horn, and The Path to Luma. In May 2020, Victor co-founded Studio 369 with Matt Candler, focusing on high-quality Unreal Engine 5 game development.

Jon Cooper — Design Lead

Jon Cooper, MetalCore's Design Lead, has nearly 15 years of experience in design across a range of projects. With a talent for distilling complex ideas into digestible concepts, Jon has held Lead Designer roles at companies like Darkside Game Studio and Phosphor Games. His expertise and background make him the ideal choice for MetalCore's design leadership.
