About

Emmanuel Valdez is currently an Art Director at Autumn Games, overseeing the art production of the game, Skullgirls. Before that, he was an Art Director at Visual Concepts Entertainment/ 2K and shipped LEGO 2K Drive in May 2023, as well as the Gravity Ball mini-game in NBA 2K2025. He was also an Art Director at Daybreak Game Company; Studio Art Director and Animation Director at Machine Zone San Diego; and Studio Art Director, Art Manager, Animation Director, Game Director, and Co-Founder of Appy Entertainment, a social mobile game publisher and entertainment company. Prior to Appy, Emmanuel co-founded independent game developer High Moon Studios and served as Game Director on The Bourne Conspiracy and co-creator of the vampire-western FPS Darkwatch.   

Emmanuel was also the creator of Ready 2 Rumble Boxing and its sequel, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, for Midway Home Entertainment.   His other video game credits include B.I.O. Freaks, ESPN 2 Extreme Games, NFL Gameday, and ESPN Baseball Tonight.  He also worked at Sammy Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Park Place Productions.

Emmanuel is also an adjunct professor at Laguna College of Art + Design in the Art of Game Design MFA program, teaching Management Psychology, Player-Centric Design, and Thesis Project Design. He also teaches 3D Animation and Autodesk Maya at Mira Costa College. He is a member of the Community College’s Industry Advisory Board for the San Diego and Imperial Valley regions. This year, he joined the Board of Directors of Arts Education Connection San Diego (AECSD), which promotes and funds arts education throughout San Diego County.

Emmanuel has been featured in numerous industry books and publications, including Game Development Essentials: Mobile Game Development (2012), The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects (2001), and Game Design: Secret of the Sages (1999).

Contact Info: emvaldez@gmail.com