Hi, my name is Aimi Watanabe

and I design games by balancing a bit of structure and surprise. My work centers around building systems and producing content that feels intentional, readable, and rewarding, while leaving space for player expression and emergent moments. With experience across mission design, worldbuilding, and live content, I approach every feature with an eye toward quality, scalability, and long-term player engagement.

For the past five years, I worked on Ashes of Creation as a Narrative Designer at Intrepid Studios. As part of a team of roughy 200 colleagues, I contributed to the development of a large-scale open-world MMO built around player-driven cities, dynamic content, and a peer-to-peer economy. During the early access release on Steam, I supported the live-service product by designing new quests, events, and cosmetic content tailored to the game’s evolving world and lore.

Before entering the game industry, I earned my bachelor's degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, where I received an Honorable Mention in Outstanding Research for my work in linguistics. I later joined several labs as a published researcher, including UC Berkeley, the Child Mind Institute, and the Max-Planck Institute. These experiences helped to broaden my perspective as a designer and continue to inform how I approach complex problems with analytical rigor.

In 2020, I completed my master’s degree in Game Development at the Academy of Art University, where I gained hands-on production experience through fast-paced, collaborative projects. My thesis project, Monolit, was recognized as runner-up for Game of the Year at the Rookie Awards. I later competed in the IGDA x Core Game Jam, where Tumbleweeds Shooting Gallery placed 7th overall.

As a designer, I'm driven by curiosity for how players move through worlds. I enjoy designing missions, systems, and spaces that feel cohesive, legible, and alive, where mechanics support narrative intent and player choice shapes the experience. I value iteration, collaboration, and the quiet craft of turning complex ideas into something players intuitively understand.