• BA Game Design graduate at York St. John University (Grade - 2:1)
  • Experienced at making games with Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender
  • Programming experience in C#, and predominantly visual scripting with Bolt
  • Published one of my own games, which is available to purchase on Steam
  • View my projects below

William Ackroyd | Games Developer

Squares and Stuff

  • Squares and stuff is very important as it is currently the only game that I have technically published and listed up for sale on Steam.
  • This is a 2D pixel-retro sandbox game inspired by classic "falling sand" games. Players can unleash their creativity in an open canvas filled with sandbox elements and a controllable 2D platformer character.
  • I enjoyed making this game as part of a team. I worked together with my friends Adam and Joe in order to make this game come to life. I mainly worked on the UI (User Interface) design and placement.
  • If I were to improve upon the game I would add more selectable objects and animals to expand the game even more.

Engine: Unreal Engine 4.27

Code: Visual Scripting

Sparky's Chaos Carnival

  • This is my most recent game to date and was the last project I submitted for university.
  • This is a 3D party game where two players race to complete a series of challenge rooms in order to reach the goal first. Rooms offer various challenges such as completing a parkour course, using a net to catch some fish, or using a gun to shoot some targets. 
  • I enjoyed making this game because it was my time to show off everything that I had learned from my three years at university.
  • If I were to improve upon this game, I would add a randomiser feature to mix up the room order and improve replayability.

Engine: UnrealEngine 5.2

Code: Visual Scripting

Poodle Jump Unlimited

  • This is currently my one and only game that I have created in Unity.
  • The game is inspired by the famous mobile game "Doodle Jump" and features my Cockapoo, Leo, as the hero. It explores multiple game modes of auto jumping platforming challenges.
  • I enjoyed making this game for how fun and wacky it is. It’s addictive gameplay, and the fact that my dog is the star makes it all the more special.
  • If I were to improve the game, I would add in my own music tracks and general quality of life features such as a pause menu.

Engine: Unity

Code: C#

Apocalypse Earth

  • This is an Endless Runner-style game where players control spaceships to dodge meteors and explore new planets. They aim for survival and the discovery of new worlds.
  • I created Apocalypse Earth with the help of my friend Adam, where we split up parts of the game to work on individually.
  • I enjoyed being able to collaboratively work on the game, as this allowed me to develop my teamwork skills.
  • If I were to improve on this game, I would add in some planned features such as a weapons shop and a social planet-naming function, which would encourage community engagement. 

Engine: Unreal Engine 4.27

Code: Visual Scripting

Fear the Unknown

  • This game is really important to me as it is the first game I ever created. It marks my entrance into game design.
  • I created this as part of a university project. It is a 3D third-person horror game.
  • The game tasked players with navigating an abandoned warehouse amid a power outage and monstrous threats. This ended up being more of a test demo.
  • I ran through a number of problems when making this game, since I was relatively new to game design.
  • If I were to remake this game, it would take me considerably less time than it took originally, given I have now developed myself much more as a game designer.

Engine: Unreal Engine 4.27

Software Code: Visual Scripting/Bolt