Game Engineer · Software Engineer · Jordan

Jana AlBdour builds worlds

I've spent 8 years shipping games — co-founding Sakura Games, prototyping 50+ titles at CrazyLabs, and engineering live-service systems at Jawaker. From hyper-casual mobile to cozy open-world RPGs on Steam, I own the full stack: gameplay architecture, client systems, performance, and production tooling. I build things that work, at scale, and ship.

Rising Star Award — Mobile Game Awards 2021
🏆 1st Place Zanga Game Jam · 2nd Place Very Big Indie Pitch ×2
🎤 Speaker: Germany · Japan · USA · Jordan
50+
Games Shipped
Hyper-casual prototypes, edutainment titles, indie releases, and live-service game modes.
8yrs
Unity Experience
From game jam one-shots to production systems with millions of active users.
3+
Studios & Roles
Founder at Sakura Games, Prototyper at CrazyLabs, Engineer at Jawaker.
// 01

Games

Magical Teddy
GAME 01
Magical Teddy
Cozy Open-World RPG · Steam · PC & Mac · Coming Soon

A cozy adventure through an enchanted forest full of diverse magical regions. Gather resources, master spells, free captured creatures from the Hazard Henchmen who've corrupted the land, and restore magic to the world.

What I Built

Solo developer and publisher on Steam. Built the entire open-world RPG — exploration systems, spell mechanics, resource gathering, quest logic, NPC interactions, and full Steam SDK integration including achievements and cloud saves. Designed for PC and Mac.

Unity C# Open World Steam SDK Steam Achievements PC / Mac
GAME 02
Qawqaa
Action · Arcade · Endless Runner · Android & WebGL

Help mother Qawqaa collect her babies and defeat the evil spikes! A 3D arcade endless runner — jump, shoot, and survive. One of Sakura Games' flagship public titles, released on Android and HTML5 and showcased at international game pitches.

What I Built

Designed and built the full gameplay loop from scratch — procedural obstacle and collectible generation, collision and scoring systems, progression, and mobile-optimised rendering. Shipped to Android and WebGL.

Unity C# Android WebGL Procedural Gen Mobile Optimisation
Qawqaa screenshot
1% One Percent
GAME 03
1% — One Percent
Narrative Experience · Browser · Unity · Collab with Sham Bdour

A narrative-driven experience about moving through the world while constantly performing, filtering, and surviving. Explores identity, visibility, and the invisible labour of existing in public spaces.

What I Built

Designed and engineered the full experience in Unity — interactive narrative systems, dynamic scene transitions, and UI that mirrors the game's themes. Exported and optimised for WebGL, playable in-browser with no install.

Unity C# WebGL Narrative Systems UI Design
// 02

Prototypes

50+ hyper-casual prototypes built at CrazyLabs — each exploring a distinct mechanic, interaction model, or technical approach, typically within a 1–2 week cycle.

50+

Some titles under NDA — visuals available on request

// 02

Experience

JULY 2024 — PRESENT
Software Engineer
Jawaker — Live Service · Amman, Jordan
  • Contribute to a large-scale, long-lived production codebase supporting multiple live game modes with millions of active users.
  • Design and implement client-side architectures for complex state management, dynamic game rules, runtime configuration, and asynchronous flows.
  • Integrate features against backend-driven APIs — handling data validation, error cases, sync issues, and evolving server contracts.
  • Gained hands-on backend exposure in Ruby (Rails) and Clojure, applying functional programming patterns to improve system boundaries and data flow clarity.
  • Build editor tools and internal utilities that improve debugging speed, iteration cycles, and reliability across a mature codebase.
APRIL 2022 — MAY 2024
Unity Prototyper
CrazyLabs — Hyper-Casual · Remote
  • Designed and developed 50+ hyper-casual game prototypes, rapidly exploring mechanics, interaction models, and technical approaches under tight deadlines.
  • Applied OOP, dependency injection (Zenject), and clean code practices to keep prototypes extensible and handoff-ready.
  • Collaborated daily with international, cross-functional teams — designers, producers, and analysts — communicating in English across time zones.
  • Optimised frame rate and memory across a range of low-end Android and iOS targets; built strong intuition for data-driven experimentation pipelines.
MAY 2017 — APRIL 2022
Unity Engineer & Co-Founder
Sakura Games — Indie Studio · Jordan
  • Co-founded and led development of an indie studio building educational games and serious games for Arabic-speaking audiences.
  • Delivered 5+ edutainment titles in direct partnership with educational institutions, aligning technical implementation with curriculum requirements.
  • Owned the full development lifecycle — gameplay architecture, UI systems, animation, third-party SDK integration, multi-platform builds, and post-launch support.
  • Won Rising Star Award (Steel Media, 2021), placed 2nd at Very Big Indie Pitch twice (2018 & 2019), and won 1st Place at Zanga Game Jam (2018).
// 03

Technical Skills

🎮
Unity & C#
Unity (all versions)C# Zenject / DIEditor Tooling AddressablesWebGL Export URP / HDRP
⚙️
Backend & APIs
Ruby on RailsClojure REST APIsSQL Functional ProgrammingPython
🧠
Systems & Architecture
Legacy CodebasesState Management Client ArchitectureLive Service Async FlowsPerformance Opt.
🌐
Platforms & Tools
Android / iOSPC / Mac (Steam) WebGLC++ Unreal EngineGit
🎯
Game Engineering
Rapid PrototypingGameplay Systems Open World RPGEdutainment Hyper-CasualSDK Integration Arabic / RTL UI
🤝
Leadership & Comms
Studio Co-FounderInternational Teams Public SpeakingCross-functional Arabic (Native)English (Fluent)
// 04

Awards & Recognition

2021
Rising Star Award
Mobile Game Awards — Steel Media
🌍
2021
Ambassador
Womenpreneur Digital Hub & Women in Games
🥈
2018 & 2019
2nd Place — Very Big Indie Pitch
Steel Media
🥇
2018
1st Place — Zanga Game Jam
Zanga
🎖️
2020
Shortlisted — Women in Games Global Awards
Women in Games International
🎯
2018 & 2019
Nominated — IMGA & The Rookies
IMGA · The Rookies Awards
// 05

Public Speaking

ADC Kongress
Germany
2022
Pocket Gamer Connects
Jordan
2019 – 2024
Startup Camp Youth
Portland, USA
2019
The Global Summit
Japan
2018
IEEE International Leadership Summit
Jordan
2018

Let's build
something
great.

Open to senior game engineering roles, contracts, and interesting collaborations.

Based in Jordan. Available internationally. Arabic & English.