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Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

unreal engine developers - Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

Unreal Engine’s success is driven by talented individuals who push its capabilities in game development.

Below is an updated list of top Unreal Engine developers worldwide. These professionals have earned recognition through open-source contributions, leading tech roles while still coding, influential content creation, impactful AAA projects, and awards in global competitions – all within the Unreal ecosystem. Each profile highlights why they stand out and includes relevant social links for further insight.

  1. Tim Sweeney
  2. Jeremy Stieglitz
  3. Sjoerd De Jong
  4. Victor Careil
  5. Mathew Wadstein
  6. Chris Murphy
  7. Kim Libreri
  8. Brian Karis
  9. Nick Penwarden
  10. Tom Looman
  11. Kate Rayner
  12. Zak Parrish
  13. Michael Allar
  14. Ben Cloward
  15. Ryan Laley
  16. Rama (EverNewJoy)
  17. Laurens Corijn

Now, let’s explore each of these Unreal Engine luminaries and their contributions in more detail.

Tim Sweeney

YouTube Video

Nationality: American

Tim Sweeney is the founder and CEO of Epic Games, as well as the original creator of the Unreal Engine.

A veteran programmer, Sweeney famously wrote hundreds of thousands of lines of code for the first Unreal Engine and remains deeply technical in his role. Under his leadership, Unreal Engine has become a cornerstone of game development, and he has been recognized with industry honors including a GDC Lifetime Achievement Award. Tim’s continued vision and hands-on approach to technology ensure Unreal Engine stays at the cutting edge.

Jeremy Stieglitz

Nationality: American

Jeremy Stieglitz is the co-founder of Studio Wildcard and the original lead designer/programmer of ARK: Survival Evolved, one of the most successful Unreal Engine games in recent years.

A hands-on developer, Jeremy has a deep understanding of Unreal – he personally drove ARK’s implementation of massive open-world multiplayer with dynamic weather, complex AI, and mod support. Prior to ARK, he co-founded Trendy Entertainment and developed Dungeon Defenders. At Wildcard, Jeremy famously continued coding on ARK post-launch, quickly rolling out fixes and features based on community feedback. His “always be coding” approach as a studio co-director kept ARK evolving. Jeremy’s work proved Unreal Engine could handle large-scale survival sandboxes, inspiring many other projects. He’s now co-showrunning an animated series and new games, but remains closely tied to Unreal tech.

Sjoerd De Jong

Sjoerd De Jong - Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

Nationality: Dutch

Sjoerd “Hourences” De Jong is a long-time Unreal Engine expert turned Evangelist at Epic Games.

He made his name in the Unreal community as a level designer and modder – Epic even contracted him to create maps for Unreal Tournament 2004 when he was just starting out. Sjoerd later led development of award-winning indie games like The Ball and The Solus Project, both showcasing Unreal’s power. Today, as Unreal Engine Evangelist for Europe, he shares his two decades of experience through training sessions and the popular “Unreal Tips & Tricks” series. Sjoerd’s journey from fan to official Unreal ambassador exemplifies his passion and influence.

Victor Careil

Nationality: French

Victor Careil is the founder and lead engineer of the Voxel Plugin for Unreal Engine.

His work significantly expands Unreal’s capabilities for voxel-based worlds – enabling destructible terrain, Minecraft-like environments, and planet-sized landscapes with ease. Victor’s passion for graphics and high-performance C++ led him to start the Voxel Plugin project about five years ago, and it has since grown into a popular tool used by many Unreal developers. By open-sourcing core features and engaging with the community, he’s democratizing advanced voxel technology. Victor continues to push Unreal’s boundaries, proving that one talented developer can have a big impact on the engine’s ecosystem.

Mathew Wadstein

Nationality: American

Mathew Wadstein is a prolific Unreal Engine educator best known for his “WTF Is?” YouTube series, which demystifies hundreds of Unreal Engine concepts.

Over the years, Mathew has produced 1,000+ tutorial videos, attracting a large following of aspiring developers (his channel surpassed 67k subscribers). He later joined Epic’s official learning team to create training content, contributing courses like “Your First Hour in Unreal Engine”. Mathew’s down-to-earth teaching style and commitment to answering “What the F*** is…?” for every node and tool have empowered countless people to learn Unreal Engine from scratch. He remains an active community contributor, releasing new templates and tips for UE5.

Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy - Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

Nationality: Australian

Chris Murphy is an Unreal Engine evangelist and technical artist whose influence spans development and education.

Based in Australia, Chris founded Pub Games, an indie studio, before joining Epic Games to advocate Unreal full-time. He has shipped projects across PC, VR, console, and mobile – experience he now channels into teaching others. Chris is known for running Unreal Engine workshops globally and showcasing advanced techniques (like shader and world-building tricks) at events. He also spearheaded community game jams and created example content for Epic. As a startup founder-turned-Epic evangelist, Chris combines practical game-making skills with a gift for sharing knowledge, making him a respected figure in the Unreal community.

Kim Libreri

Nationality: American

Kim Libreri is the Chief Technology Officer at Epic Games, driving Unreal Engine’s expansion beyond games into film, TV, and other industries.

With a 20+ year career in VFX and technology (credits on The Matrix and more), Kim brings a cinematic vision to Unreal. He spearheaded Epic’s push into virtual production – Unreal Engine was used in “The Mandalorian” and other shows under his guidance. Kim is responsible for fusing state-of-the-art tech with visual artistry at Epic, ensuring the engine excels at real-time storytelling across mediums. He often appears at events like GDC and SIGGRAPH to showcase Unreal’s latest capabilities. Under his watch, Unreal Engine has become a platform of choice not just for games but for movies, AR/VR, architecture, and simulation. Kim’s strategic and technical leadership keeps Unreal on the forefront of what’s next.

Brian Karis

Nationality: American

Brian Karis is a graphics engineering luminary at Epic Games, credited as a principal architect behind Unreal Engine’s cutting-edge rendering features.

As Engineering Fellow – Graphics at Epic, Brian led the research and development of UE5’s Lumen real-time global illumination system, which achieves advanced lighting never before possible in games. In his decade with Epic, he also contributed heavily to physically-based rendering in UE4 and the groundbreaking Nanite virtualized geometry system. Brian frequently shares technical insights at SIGGRAPH and GDC, helping demystify Unreal’s renderer for the wider industry. His ability to blend academic techniques with practical engine code has made him one of the most respected graphics programmers in game development.

Nick Penwarden

Nick Penwarden - Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

Nationality: American

Nick Penwarden is the Vice President of Engineering at Epic Games, overseeing Unreal Engine’s development and technical direction.

With a background in engine programming and optimization, Nick has been instrumental in adapting Unreal for the latest platforms – for example, he revealed that Epic rewrote core systems to leverage the PS5’s ultra-fast SSD. He joined Epic over a decade ago and rose through the ranks by demonstrating strength in C++ and low-level systems. Nick’s leadership was pivotal during UE5’s launch, ensuring features like Nanite and Lumen could run on next-gen consoles. As both a hands-on engineer and a team leader, he represents the excellence and forward-thinking that keep Unreal Engine at the forefront of technology.

Tom Looman

Nationality: Dutch

Tom Looman is an independent Unreal Engine developer renowned for his open-source projects and tutorials.

An Unreal Engine contributor since the UE4 beta days, Tom has created numerous learning resources – from a comprehensive C++ tutorial series to full game example projects. Notably, he developed and shared an Action Roguelike sample game in C++ as open source, which has guided many developers. He has also collaborated with Epic on showcase projects and received an Epic MegaGrant for his contributions. Tom’s blog and courses have made advanced Unreal techniques accessible to thousands, cementing his reputation as a go-to expert in the community.

Kate Rayner

We wanted to be at the forefront of Unreal Engine 5 to push visual fidelity and gameplay to the next level.

Nationality: Canadian

Kate Rayner is the Studio Technical Director (and former VP) at The Coalition, and a rising star in Unreal Engine development leadership.

She was a major force in The Coalition’s efforts to master Unreal Engine 5 early – Kate helped showcase UE5 on next-gen hardware with The Coalition’s acclaimed “Cave” and “Matrix Awakens” demo scenes. Her team’s expertise with new UE5 features like Nanite and Lumen was so advanced that Microsoft recently tapped her to advise all first-party studios on Unreal Engine 5 optimization. Kate has spoken about achieving film-quality assets in real-time and bringing console GI lighting with Lumen. She advocates for getting more women into game engineering and often shares career advice for aspiring developers. Now heading a new internal Unreal-focused division at Microsoft, Kate is ensuring that multiple AAA studios reach the cutting edge level of Unreal proficiency that she and The Coalition have attained.

Zak Parrish

Zak Parrish - Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

Nationality: American

Zak Parrish is a Developer Relations Technical Artist at Epic Games and one of Unreal Engine’s most recognized instructors.

He co-authored Mastering Unreal Technology books and became the face of Epic’s official training videos during Unreal Engine 4’s release. Zak’s clear, friendly teaching in tutorials like “An Introduction to Blueprints” helped legions of developers transition into UE4. With a background in 3D art, he also contributed to sample content and internal projects at Epic. Now, Zak continues to support studios and developers in adopting Unreal, often appearing in livestreams and events to demo new features. His long-standing presence and ability to break down complex topics have made him a beloved figure in the Unreal community.

Michael Allar

Nationality: American

Michael Allar is a prominent Unreal Engine community developer and open-source contributor.

He is the creator of the widely-referenced Unreal Engine 4 Style Guide, a coding standard that many teams have adopted to write cleaner Blueprint and C++ code. Michael also built the Generic Shooter sample project and has written numerous tutorials on his blog Allar’s “Awesome” Blog to help others set up multiplayer, build dedicated servers, and more. In the community, he’s known for live-streaming Unreal Engine game jams and playtesting indie projects, offering feedback and entertainment. Michael’s passion for improving Unreal development practices – from style conventions to productivity tools – has made a lasting impact on how developers work with the engine.

Ben Cloward

Nationality: American

Ben Cloward is a technical artist known for his expertise in shader development and material creation in Unreal Engine.

A veteran of studios like BioWare, Ben has spent years sharing his knowledge with the community. He runs a popular YouTube channel with in-depth material editor tutorials, teaching artists how to achieve advanced visual effects in Unreal. From realistic skin and eye shaders to complex VFX materials, Ben’s tutorials cover it all, and they’re often cross-engine (Unreal and Unity) to reach a broad audience. He also provides free texture and material assets on his personal website. Now working at Adobe on the Substance 3D team, Ben continues to bridge the gap between art and technology, empowering developers to make their Unreal Engine projects look stunning.

Ryan Laley

Ryan Laley - Top 17 Unreal Engine Developers Available

Nationality: British

Ryan Laley is a self-taught Unreal Engine developer turned YouTube educator who has become a staple resource for Blueprint scripting.

Ryan produces tutorial series on everything from building RPG systems to multiplayer mechanics in Unreal. His approachable style and consistent output earned him over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Not only does he teach, but Ryan also develops his own indie projects (often showcasing their progress to illustrate real-world usage of Unreal). He engages with the community through live streams and Q&A, helping newcomers overcome roadblocks. By focusing on practical game examples and frequently updating his content for the latest engine versions, Ryan has helped thousands of aspiring devs level up their Unreal Engine skills.

Rama (EverNewJoy)

Nationality: Unknown

“Rama” (real name P.J. Esteves) is a legendary community developer in Unreal Engine known for his prolific Blueprint and C++ contributions.

He created the popular “Victory Plugin,” which added hundreds of helpful Blueprint nodes and functions to UE4, greatly extending what creators could do without C++ coding. Rama freely shared these tools and continuously updated the plugin through many engine versions, making him a hero to indie developers. He was also extremely active on Unreal forums, writing countless tutorials and assisting users with complex problems. Rama’s enthusiasm for Unreal is infectious – his forum signature “I ❤ Unreal Engine!” became famous. Even as UE5 emerged, he continued to release new tutorials and plugins (like “Joy Patrol” in 2022). Few individuals have given as much to the Unreal community as Rama, whose generosity helped thousands bring their game ideas to life.

Laurens “Luos” Corijn

Nationality: Belgian

Laurens “Luos” Corijn is a technical artist and Unreal Engine content creator known for his mastery of particle effects and materials.

Hailing from Belgium, Luos gained recognition by developing high-quality VFX packs for Unreal (sold on the Marketplace and shared freely) and by actively helping others learn the art of visual effects. He has contributed sample content to Epic and was an Unreal Engine Authorized Instructor, teaching VFX techniques to studios. Luos often shares tutorials on cascade/Niagara particle systems and showcases creative uses of the material editor on his YouTube and ArtStation. He’s also an adjunct to the Substance 3D team, connecting Unreal’s material workflow with Adobe’s texturing tools. With over 15 years in game art, Luos embodies the spirit of community-driven development – always experimenting and then passing that knowledge on to the Unreal community.

Wrap Up

These legends represent exceptional talent, making them extremely challenging to headhunt. However, there are thousands of other highly skilled IT professionals available to hire with our help. Contact us, and we will be happy to discuss your hiring needs.

Note: We’ve dedicated significant time and effort to creating and verifying this curated list of top talent. If you intend to share or make use of it in any way, we kindly ask that you include a backlink to the original source – EchoGlobal.

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