We want to build the greatest games and interactive entertainment in the world. That’s the mission Pocket Gems’ founders began with in an apartment above a pizza shop back in 2009 and we continue it today.
Pocket Gems has grown to over 200 people in San Francisco. With backing from Sequoia Capital and Tencent, we’re constantly breaking new ground with graphically rich mobile games, fun new genres of mobile entertainment, and innovative technologies like our mobile-first Mantis Engine.
Our products have been downloaded over 325 million times by players around the world. Most recently, we’ve launched Episode, a mobile storytelling network and platform, and War Dragons, a visually stunning 3D real-time strategy game.
Interested in working at Pocket Gems? Check out our Careers page.
Building a diverse workforce and championing an inclusive culture is the right thing to do, and is critical in driving our company forward.
The individuals who make up Pocket Gems come from a variety of backgrounds, bringing a wide range of personal and professional experiences. Gemmers come from across the globe and contribute to a company culture that is rich and diverse in thought and talent. This diversity and desire to understand each other allows us to better connect with, inspire, and delight our audience, and benefits our company as a whole.
We don’t all look, work, or think alike and that is something we cherish. We are working hard to find new Gemmers who are interested in sharing their unique talents and contributions.
While we are one team at Pocket Gems, it’s truly the individuals who make the company what it is.
Our goal is for every person at Pocket Gems to feel respected, valued, and that they belong. Belonging means that as a Gemmer you feel that your authentic self is welcomed and celebrated so you can thrive. It means feeling that you can be yourself and feel comfortable participating and contributing.
With that in mind, we want to continue to strive towards a working environment where you see yourself reflected, feel that you have a voice at the table and that actively promotes a sense of belonging for all Gemmers, those we build games for and everyone we interact with.
We are driven to create memories that last a lifetime for our people and players. We make unforgettable games that succeed at mass market scale through story, gameplay, world building, technology, and even our own internal processes and events. We’ve created unforgettable experiences before, and we will keep doing it again and again.
“To me, this value is the heart of PG and what we ultimately aspire to. Throughout our 12 year history, our games have become unforgettable to millions of players globally, and our Gemmers have lived many unforgettable moments. Going forward, we want this value to define us as we create products that our players love and build the best team in the world.”
We care deeply for our team, our players, and our products. We want to make memorable mobile games for lifelong players with a team that values one another. To do this, we must be ethical, build meaningful relationships with our players, cultivate our craft, and work in ways that are sustainable and fun. We’ve been building mobile games for over 10 years, and we intend to continue to do it for decades more.
“Caring for our work, our players and our teams is core to everything. I see this every day at PG – from hiring decisions to real time reactions to world events. Having leadership TRULY care about each and every Gemmer is incredibly impactful to how we support each other. It’s not just lip-service; it’s truly part of the fabric of the company.”
Our curiosity drives us to ask questions, listen to alternate view points, desire candid feedback, and pursue a holistic understanding of whatever lies before us. We work to avoid assumptions or hasty conclusions, instead asking questions and seeking a shared understanding of challenges. When we fail, curiosity allows us to be open and empathetic, wanting to learn from it. When we have doubts, curiosity helps us navigate them as a team.
“I love that we’re a team of curious people. It means we work to be inquisitive, not accusatory, when we don’t understand someone’s perspective. Personally, it drives me to learn more about both my teammates and our players, to make sure I’m working for THEIR needs, not mine.”
Creativity comes from the collaboration between a diverse team of people whose unique experiences and perspectives lead to stronger ideas. We know there isn’t “One Right Way” to make something great, and look for different approaches to ideation, decision making, analysis, and design to solve our shared problems. We regularly ask how we can create safer and more inclusive spaces to support this collaboration. This includes practicing active listening, identifying and overcoming biases, and making space to understand our coworkers’ individual backgrounds and experiences.
“In a turbulent and ever-changing world, we strive for people from *all* backgrounds and experiences to have a sense of belonging at work. At PG, we know that building diverse teams who act inclusively is a practice – not an end state – that requires us to continuously listen, learn and adapt.”
We are directly responsible for our work and its impact on our products and company. We’re most excited when we can roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty, and use our expertise to directly improve everything we do, from internal processes to player experiences. We learn best by apprenticing under craft leaders, working alongside them, and coaching others. We’re most effective when we have the autonomy and respect to deliver on our goals in a way that best serves our company, team, product, and players; and we speak up and help eliminate bureaucracy or roadblocks that get in the way.
“Making anything new is iterative and dynamic, and we strive to empower the teams closest to the problems to make decisions and get things done. Pocket Gems is also a very hands-on place, and we value people at *all* levels directly contributing to our products.”
We are driven to learn and improve rapidly, always working to make our company and our products better. We believe success comes from sharing work often with our team, testing frequently with our players, reviewing results, and rapidly iterating. We seek clarity over polish, feedback over personal instinct, and developing a project’s vision as we work together.
“Most people don’t like failing publicly or sharing things that aren’t yet perfect. At PG we know roadblocks are part of the process; we force ourselves to put rough ideas out as soon as possible, and we’re realistic about feedback we receive. I believe this is one reason we’ve been able to create new products that are both innovative and successful.”
Cornell Computer Science, Stanford MBA; Machine learning research (fast object detection techniques using AdaBoost derivatives; licensed to Like.com, sold to Google), VP Engineering at Smartleaf (large RoR SAAS application).
Super Mario Bros, duh
Peter Pepper in BurgerTime
Born and raised in NYC. BA in Computer Science from Cornell and grad school dropout. Prior to Pocket Gems, hacked for startups in computer vision, compilers, embedded-realtime, bioinformatics and financial software.
Marble Madness
Magus from Chrono Trigger
Stanford MSCS; open-source enthusiast (Virtual Network System, gae-sessions, ENVI). Won best demo award at SIGCOMM two years in row with the OpenFlow team.
Run, and then run some more
Fomor
EECS grad from Berkeley focused in Robotics. Prior to Pocket Gems, worked on robotics software and robotics research.
Super Mario World
Batman
Stanford MBA, BS EE, BA Economics. Prior to Pocket Gems, managed Playdom’s largest game studio and led the City of Wonder team.
Street Fighter II
Wander
Berekeley Grad in EE and CS. Previously worked in web development field for two years. Loves pizza.
Final Fantasy VI
Gordon Freeman
University of Michigan bachelor’s in CS. Minored in art history with a focus on archaeology and architecture. Before entering the startup world with Pocket Gems, developed at EA’s Visceral Games.
Virtua Cop
Male version of Faith from Mirror’s Edge
B.Tech. Computer Science & Engineering graduate from IIT Delhi. Previously worked at a web startup in New York as one of the first hires and helped build the product and the team.
Arkanoid and Tetris
Attila the Hun from Age of Empires
Turing Scholars CS grad from UT Austin. Piano player, gymnastics doer, and physics simulation maker.
Super Mario 64, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Cave Story
Bruno of the Elite Four
B.S. in EECS from UC Berkeley. Previously worked as a back-end engineer and developed independent iOS games.
Mega Man X
Solid Snake
Stanford MBA; prior to Pocket Gems, worked with a few start-ups across software, telecom and clean tech and did a stint in consulting; Yale Undergrad
Contra (up up down down left right left right A B A B select start)
Sonic
Grew up on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, got an English degree from UC Berkeley, then immediately ended up working here. Apparently I’m very lucky.
Icewind Dale
Garrett from the Thief series
Born in CA. Raised in KY. Eastern Kentucky University (Major – Computer Science / Minors – Mathematics, Statistics / Certificate – Japanese). Three years experience in QA / Automation before coming to Pocket Gems.
Final Fantasy 6
Clyde Arrowny (Shadow – FF6)
Graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Normal people like cars, I like F-22s.
Chrono Trigger
Robo
Jack-of-all-trades & lover-of-new-things. BA in Human Development, 2 years as a stage manager, producer of international business conference FailCon. Always getting audiences to tell a story for themselves.
Super Mario RPG
Cooking Mama!
Stanford MBA; BA in Business Economics from UCLA. Started my career at PwC and was a high roller in private aviation before landing at Pocket Gems.
Tetris, Castle Wolfenstein, or Arkanoid
Q*bert
Btech and Mtech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi. Did my internships at Microsoft and Worldquant. Soccer aficionado and poker lover. I love reading and quizzing.
Road Rash
Kratos
I was named after the Dylan from 90210. I attended AICA-SF for a BA in computer science. I punctured my ear drum once. (Not a pleasant experience.) Also, as a hobby, I played the drums for a few years.
Harvest Moon, Bust-a-move, and Parappa the Rapper
Chell
Bay Area born and bred; attended California College of the Arts for Illustration and thought I was going to be a freelance illustrator but fell into game and haven’t left since then! I’ll fight anyone for an avocado.
Sly Cooper, Spyro Trilogy
Commander Shepard
Master in Graphic Design from Academy of Art. Has been working on UX/UI and designing board games for years. Strongly believes that making a good game can save the world.
Double Dragon 2, Contra, Super Sonic 2
Simon Belmont
I’ve been making games for over 15 years. I started out when VR was going to be the next big thing (the first time), arrived at the tail end of arcade, and rolled through the generations of consoles. I worked for almost 10 years crafting environments and helping guide development for the Tomb Raider series. I had the opportunity to learn a lot in the console world and now I’m looking forward to learning more in the Brave New World of mobile.
Tron in the arcade
Maybe those guys who throw hammers down at Mario. Those guys are jerks but they seem to have a pretty cushy job. Sit on a cloud, throw hammers all over the place….sounds pretty good.
BA in Global Studies, MA in Sociology. Migrated from LA to SF. Ran fundraising databases and analytics in a former life.
Halo 2
Dragonborn!
Graduated with BS in CompE from UIUC; secretly learnt a lot more CS from Stanford & MIT open courses. Worked on loads of software and/or hardware projects on the side. Love cooking, eating, and driving.
Battle City, Super Mario Bros, Pokemon
Alex Mercer
Bachelors degree in Sociology and Economics. Previously worked in HR at a law firm and most recently was a Talent Sourcer(er) at Disney.
Super Mario All-Stars
Diddy Kong
BFA in illustration from RISD, MFA in Computer Arts from Academy of Art University. Previously worked at EA and Konami. My hobbies include improv, Lindy-Hop and traveling.
Maniac Mansion
GLaDOS from Portal 2
Armed with a BA in English Lit and Creative Writing from UMich, an MFA in Screenwriting from SFSU’s Cinema department, and several years of experience searching for films and scripts in the movie business, James is fully equipped to help find and develop the latest and greatest stories at Pocket Gems! In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing, joking, baking, biking, gaming, traveling and moviegoing.
Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Sonic 2, Earthbound, Super Smash Bros, Ocarina of Time
Miles “Tails” Prower
Bay Area native with a BA in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. Loves Lego, sci-fi, and all kinds of games!
RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
Karan S’jet
Played in several Magic Pro Tours while studying math and economics at The Ohio State University. Made Magic cards for six and a half years at Wizards of the Coast. Lead designed Skylanders Battlecast.
Earthbound
Sans
IT SysAdmin who has been playing with machines since DOB. I’m a transplant from Columbus Ohio and grateful for the bay are climate. I enjoy computers, pugs, podcasts and sports!
Rampage, Barkley Shut Up and Jam!
Sora
I grew up in Oklahoma, went to film school in Canada, and have traveled around the world working on great projects. I first discovered animation at a community college in Kansas, fell in love, and never looked back.
Super Metroid
Batman
My childhood ambition was to be either a ventriloquist or magician, so animation seemed like a reasonable alternative. Without really planning it I wound up living in Honolulu, San Francisco, Tokyo and New York. I play bass in funk bands and probably eat eat too much cheese. The most recognizable things I worked on were The Sims and Blue’s Clues (yes, I know Steve, who is still very much alive).
Pong
Goopy Gils Carbo
I helped write and produce some beloved shows for Nickelodeon like “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly”. I also co-authored a book on organization and led a start-up called “Goodie Goodie,” a chore and reward app for families.
Marble Madness
Megaman
Stanford BS/MS in CS. Prior to Pocket Gems, spent many years at PayPal (from before it was eBay), founded a social media startup, and built advertising products at Quantcast.
Wolfenstein 3D
Simba
Bachelor’s in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. As a Bay Area native, I’m a fan of all of our sports teams. I spend my free time gaming, playing music, and rock climbing.
Super Smash Bros
Captain Falcon
Born in the Bay Area, studied Computer Science and Psychology at UC Berkeley, and liked studying games enough to teach a class about it and considered it my “unofficial” major. Also an avid swing dancer who teaches, competes in, and choreographs Lindy Hop.
Paper Mario: TTYD
¿Quién es ‘Sombra’?
Master from Case Western Reserve University, undergrad in CUHK. Love cooking, eating and working out to get in shape.
Tetris
Ada Wong
Chronic polymath with a background in theatre, drones, and VR. A firm believer that anything can be fixed with duct tape, elbow grease, and a deep breath.
Super Mario Bros. OG
Carmen Sandiego
Leveled up in KPMG and another gaming company to increase stats before reaching this stage at PG =D Loves dog; have cats. Loves outdoor activities; want shade.
Left 4 Dead… Anyone?
Spyro!
Too many years spent developing console games starting with a launch title for the original Xbox( game was cancelled! ). Got into the field because of a love of graphics and rendering. Moved to social / casual games back in 2012- Chefville, Zynga Poker and lately Big Fish casino. Looking forward to a writing a new episode in my career ! :p
Unreal Tournament
GLaDOS from Portal – “the cake is a lie”
Born and raised in San Francisco. Studied Environmental Engineering and Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley. Picked up some sweet data science skills while working on the analytics team at a renewable energy company before coming to Pocket Gems. Life-long Star Trek fan, burrito enthusiast, and more recently, mediocre ping-pong player.
Smurf Racer
Captain Jean-Luc Picard (totally counts)
Graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a MS in Intercultural Communication. Before Pocket Gems, I was in consulting, with a focus on brand and business strategy. Having lived in North Cyprus, Japan, with the most recent years spent in US, I am always inspired by all things arts and culture.
The King of Fighters ’97
Pac-Man
MS in Computer Engineering from USC, BS in Computer Science and Technology from ECNU (China).
Pac-Man
Kapp’n
I started my career developing mobile games and I loved it since then. I love that I work in the industry that I’m very passionate about. I come from Santiago, Chile, worked a few years in Vancouver, Canada, moved to San Francisco in 2015.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Captain Toad!
California native and game designer with a narrow, laser-sharp focus on narrative design, content design, systems design, level design, game design, and design design. The only employee being paid entirely in gemstones and rare minerals.
Myth II: Soublighter
Bayonetta
DC->Seattle->Bay Online game startup -> helped found a non-profit -> sold out to the man -> interned for a Senator -> grad school -> sold out to the man AGAIN -> returned to making games. I once went to sleep on a train and woke up on a boat
X-COM: UFO Defense
Chell
I currently work in QA, but I love making creative content in my spare time! I’m also trying my hand at voice acting.
Final Fantasy IV
Joker
Canadian, but the Bay is home. Spent the last decade (and change) working at SEGA. BA in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.
NBA Jam
Gilius Thunderhead
High tech and new game fan. Lived in New York for two years and earned my master’s degree at New York University. A dedicated full-stack developer after graduation.
Tank Wars
Link
Born in St Thomas (USVI), raised (mostly) in San Francisco and moved back to SF in 2015 after a 12 year stint in NYC. Studied Psychology & Sociology with a minor in Gender Studies, followed by an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Has been to carnivals on 5 Caribbean islands so far! 
Super Mario – played every single day for the entirety of the 6th grade 😀
Chun Li
Animator, Graphic Designer, Software Engineer, Game Designer. Born on the east coast he came to California for school and never went back. Loves all things game related from the art concepts to the end-game mechanics. Avid cosplayer and tea enthusiast.
Tales of Destiny
Stahn Aileron
Born and raised in southern China. Speak Cantonese. M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. A fan of the Lord of the Rings. Also addicted to all kinds of roller coasters and pokemon!
Don’t Starve Together
Pikachu ⚡️
I graduated from UCLA with a BA in Economics and a Minor in Music Industry. I work in QA and compose music for indie games on the side! I aspire to one day create deep, lore-driven Metroidvanias inspired by games likes Hollow Knight.
Pokémon Silver or Banjo-Kazooie
Falco Lombardi
Originally from Venezuela, I moved to Finland at 22 and spent 9 years in Europe before moving to the US. I graduated in Computer Science and have worked for the last 12 years in different roles in the video game and entertainment industry. I’ve always had a passion for narrative and love making and playing games. I also spend a lot of my free time exploring new places with my bike or my e-board.
Ultima Online, Zelda: A Link to the Past
Kirby
Started in economics and now I’m here. Elga has written for major publications and has comics coming out in the near future. His passion for storytelling is what landed him in his current position. Honored to bring impactful stories to users around the globe.
My favorite old-school videogame is Ridge Racer.
PaRappa The Rapper
Born and raised in Poland. Master’s Degree in HR Management plus 5 years of HR experience. Nature lover, tea addict, and mom to the cutest maltipoo on this planet.
Tetris, Super Mario Bros
Super Mario
Born in South Korea, raised in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas with BS Advertising. I’ve worked in creative/marketing agencies as a project manager. I love contents with stories, interested in finding symbols and metaphors in movies and books. I’m also a Ghibli Studio nerd.
Tetris, Duck Hunt
Pikachu!
BA Economics from UC San Diego. Previously, I worked in economic consulting with a securities and finance focus.
Pang
Toad
Doing my best to be a “human” multi-tool (but, you know, a functional one – not the kind that immediately breaks). In general, I do my best to stay in the shadows. And I’ve always wanted a speeder bike, so I’d really appreciate it if someone got around to inviting them already.
GLaDOS
Software engineer with over a decade of experience designing and developing games for computers, phones, and more. Enjoys running through Redwood forests, playing board games, and reading non fiction books when AFK.
Sim City 2000
Solid Snake
I was an art student and found my way into the industry via QA! I love games, rodents, orange wine, and movie theater popcorn!
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Metal King Slime, rare and beautiful
I am from Taiwan and studied 2D animation in SF. I love to laugh and I laugh really loud.
Bomberman
Rabbids
Graduated from NYU and transplanted to the Bay Area in 2015. Huge fan of University Programs, hiring amazing talent, and collaborating with cool people to build cool things. Lover of everything bagels, bird watching, and marine mammals.
102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue for GameBoy
Jigglypuff
Life-long eater, walker, musician, and gamer. Former college wrestler at Lehigh University and studied economics, animation, and history. Previously managed marketing, products, and operations at startups, a Fortune 500, and a non-profit.
Solid Snake
Raised in New Jersey – have been told I say the word horrible like “Haribo”. Studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell – total geek for all things HR! Have loved learning about the industries I’ve worked in – so far music, shipping & logistics and AI.
Pokemon Silver
Chansey
Grew up in Wisconsin where I studied computer science and played frisbee at UW-Platteville. Worked on enterprise, financial software in Palo Alto and Denver where I grew passions for making games, bread, and coffee.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Steve from Minecraft
Graduated from NYU, and a full-stack developer after graduation.
Super Mario
Yoshi
Bay Area native with a BA in Information Science from Cornell. Previously worked on the McDonald’s mobile app. Hobbies include SCUBA diving (the more sharks, the better) and losing to my siblings at various video games.
Does KOTOR count as old school?
Liara T’Soni
Pronounced as JA-nuh-lin. BS in Computer Science: Computer Science Game Design and MS in Games and Playable Media at UC Santa Cruz. Full-time doggo lover and part-time boba addict.
Tetris
Kirby
After growing up with a passion for all things video games I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in Game Art & Design. I have spent the last few years working in the Bay Area at various tech companies in QA and 3D roles.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Geralt of Rivia
I graduated from UCSC with a BA in Business Management Economics. I enjoy hiking with my dog, playing the piano and watching anime.
Maple Story
Amaterasu
MS in Stats from Duke University, BS in Stats from Wuhan University. I worked as a Research Associate in a healthcare provider for COVID-19 testing before joining Pocket Gems. Love puzzle and strategy games; no good for action games though. Mystery/thriller movies are my favorite.
Plants vs. Zombies?
Toadette!
QA Engineer with almost 5 years of experience testing in the Game Development field. My professional experience includes analyzing the business requirements, creating test strategies, and executing tests to identify bugs in new gameplay and technical features. Also, working experience includes creating functional and non-functional tests in the Python language.
Tetris
Spellsinger Lineage 2
Academy of Art graphic design graduate, Bay Area native, multi-genre geek with over 15 years experience in the gaming industry. I’ve done everything from photograph celebrities at AAA launch events, write reviews, host fandom events, and have designed everything from magazine covers to a food truck.
Final Fantasy VI
King of All Cosmos (Katamari Damacy)
I graduated from UCSD and started my career at a retail startup doing all things marketing before making the jump into gaming. Passionate about hot sauce challenges, my new (and slightly unexpected) dog, and learning new hobbies.
Super Smash Brothers (N64)
Falco
I grew up in many different places (South Korea, New Zealand, U.S.), been working as an animator, storyboard artist as well as a teacher. I love storytelling in any way, shape, or form as well as good food in any way, shape, or form!
Mabinogi, DJ Max, Ace Attorney
Napstablook from Undertale
Born and raised in SoCal. Came to NorCal for a degree in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. If I’m not playing or making games, I’m trying to stay active playing basketball or volleyball.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Zagreus
California native. Been into visual design since I can remember. Started mobile game development in 2013, launched some cool titles, and made a bunch of friends along the way.
Ninja Gaiden
npc
Graduated highest honors from the school of hard knocks. Currently pursuing a graduate law degree at USC. Always searching for something new to learn.
Super Smash Bros. (Melee is elite)
Marth from Fire Emblem
Stanford MSCS. Before Pocket Gems, composed music and founded a browser game startup. Always interested in pizza.
I’ve spent my entire career in mobile interactive fiction, starting as a writer with a literature degree and somehow ending up as a Product Manager who does math. I probably have too many collections of things (records, playing cards, video games, books I’ll definitely read), and drink a lot of coffee.
Super Mario Bros. 4
Dry Bones
I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in theatre and journalism before working on the narrative side of mobile interactive fiction games. I have way too many crafting hobbies (crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch) that I fit in between my video game sessions.
