Ishan Manjrekar

Ishan Manjrekar

Game Designer in Copenhagen, Denmark, He/Him/His

About

📒Reach out for FREE mentorship here

✨Fun Fact: I've been a part of the team behind a top 5 most-downloaded mobile game* of 2023! Plus, 3 top 15 hits of 2021, and 2022.

📌14+ years in Game Design, specializing in free-to-play mobile and web-based platforms.

⭐Involved in games with over 5 billion cumulative installs. 🪙Core team member on Subway Surfers, responsible for game improvements, and live ops.

▶️Extensive experience in managing live operations on games as a service.

📊Data-driven design approach, utilizing metrics to inform design decisions.

🎙️Hobbyist podcaster, exploring player behavior through the Playstyle podcast.

*Android + iOS, according to Sensor Tower.

Side Projects

Ongoing

Newsletter to share some of my game design insights honed through years of hands-on expertise!

Ongoing

I try and help people with their doubts and concerns regarding Mobile Games, Game UX, Game Design, or general industry insights.

Ongoing

*The game designer's podcast where players speak.*

Being a game designer for more than a decade, I've worked on games played by billions, but I'm always learning. So here's Playstyle, a podcast where I talk to players about the games they love, hate, and everything in between.

Each episode, I'll chat with a different player to hear their unique perspective on games.

Work Experience

2022 — Now
Copenhagen, Denmark

Game: Subway Surfers

  • Playing a key role in shaping the future vision and direction of the game.
  • Owning and executing dynamic live operations that keep players engaged on a seasonal basis.
  • Mentoring and coaching team members to foster knowledge sharing and avoid information silos.
  • Part of the core team, which in the last couple of years has achieved:
    • A skyrocketed growth in DAU and baseline revenue.
    • Instrumental in driving significant improvements in retention and engagement, leading to outstanding growth.
    • Recorded the best revenue and DAU days in the 11-year history of the game, a remarkable feat in the industry.
    • Dominated as the most downloaded game for multiple months, as well as throughout the past years.
    • Winner: Best Live Ops, Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2022
2021 — 2022
Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Developing game-changing experiences for Subway Surfers, a global phenomenon with over 4 billion lifetime installs.
  • Conceptualizing and executing on features that greatly enhance the overall game meta.
  • Owning and executing dynamic live operations that keep players engaged on a seasonal basis.
  • Streamlining team collaboration through the implementation of streamlined documentation and meeting systems.
2018 — 2021
Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Innovative vision-holder and product owner, leading new IP development and prototyping initiatives.
  • Expert in-house design overseer for all externally developed games, ensuring game design excellence and alignment with vision.
  • Established streamlined design documentation and feedback processes for seamless collaboration with external partners.
  • Design owner for major updates on My Talking Angela and My Talking Tom 2, games with a combined 1Bn+ lifetime installs.
  • Successfully designed and executed a live-operation setup for Tamagotchi-genre game, shaping company strategy for live games.
  • Crafted and implemented game-changing features for the highly acclaimed My Talking Tom Friends, reaching 100 million installs in its first month of release.
2016 — 2018
Bengaluru, India

Game: Farmville 2

  • Design owner for new short as well as long term cadence features and events.
  • Involved in making key product decisions along with the product managers and the system designers.
  • Key involvement in the co-ordination with the different disciplines to ensure timely delivery of the product without compromising on the quality.
2014 — 2016
Bengaluru, India

Game: Farmville 2 [June 2015 – June 2016]

  • Design owner on multiple game optimizations to improve the key metrics for the entire
    game.
  • Design owner on multiple weekly cadence features which sustain the baseline performance
    of the game.

Game: Draw Something [July 2014 – June 2015]

  • Design owner for the day-to-day cadence in the game.
  • Key involvement in launching ‘Speed Guess Something’ as a revamped and updated version of the game with new game mode.
2011 — 2014
Mumbai, India
  • Leading the mobile game design team.
  • Game Designer on Parking Frenzy 2.0, which went on to become #1 iOS App in the world in 2012.
  • Designed and launched 10+ casual game titles on all the major mobile platforms – Android, iOS, Amazon Kindle, Windows Phone.
  • Overseeing the production process for multiple games including effective co-ordination with internal as well as external development teams.
2010 — 2011
Mumbai, India
  • Conceptualizing new game ideas for various mobile platforms.
  • Designed and produced multiple mobile games for the Nokia Ovi Store based on popular IP.

Contact

LinkedIn
Podcast

Education

2007 — 2010
B.A.(Hons.) Digital Media - Game Design at University of Wales, U.K.
Chennai, India

IMAGE COLLEGE OF ARTS ANIMATION AND TECHNOLOGY, CHENNAI
Affiliated to: University of Wales, U.K.
Grade: 2nd Class Honors, Division Two