Game Changer Files: Christopher Jay Vance ’20MS, Senior Engineer at Microsoft Undead Labs
March 12, 2026
Christopher Jay Vance ’17MS, Senior Engineer at Undead Labs and FIEA alumnus of Cohort 13.
On a quest for a creative atmosphere to explore programming, Christopher Jay Vance ’17MS (Cohort 13) found FIEA was the right fit. Now, with a few years of experience under his belt and a will to inspire the next generation, Vance has returned as an alum guest speaker at FIEA’s 20th Anniversary, and judged the undergraduate division games at the 2026 FIEA Collegiate Game Jam.
1. Status: Where are you currently working and what projects are you currently working on (if you can share)?
CJV: I am currently working at Undead Labs, an Xbox Game Studios studio, as a Senior Engineer. I specialize in World Technology, which includes large-scale, performance-critical systems affecting our game world. People familiar with Unreal Engine probably know about the World Partition streaming system, and a large part of my job is making the asset pipelines, game systems, and other technologies around that for our game’s needs. I’m specifically working on State of Decay 3. I can’t say much on that since it isn’t released yet, other than we’ve got some really exciting stuff here that I’m eager for fans to see.
2. Noob: Tell us what you did before your time at FIEA. What inspired you to attend FIEA?
CJV: I grew up in very rural West Virginia, attended the tiny liberal arts college of Fairmont State University to get degrees in English Literature and Spanish Language. I worked for a while after that as a graphic designer, but it wasn’t as challenging or creatively fulfilling as I’d hoped. I decided to go back to school but, honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. I applied to a diverse number of schools and programs, including FIEA, a few law schools, a PhD program for Linguistic Studies, and more. I hadn’t fully decided on FIEA until, as part of the application process, I had an interview with one of the professors (Hi, Ron!), and it spun out into an exciting and varied chat for almost an hour. The program struck me as passionate, focused, and something that could really push me.
I hadn’t fully decided on FIEA until, as part of the application process, I had an interview with one of the professors (Hi, Ron!), and it spun out into an exciting and varied chat for almost an hour.
3. PvE: How did FIEA prepare you for the industry?
CJV: I came into FIEA with absolutely no game development or programming experience, and left confident in my abilities as a technical designer. While the technical skills I learned have definitely helped me, the most important part of the program is learning what you’re capable of, and how to break through limitations and uncertainties. The exposure to so many other brilliant designers and developers, the structured projects, and the expertise of the faculty mean you’re always facing some new and exciting problem, and always equipped to solve it.
4. PvP: Please share any advice you have for current FIEAns as they enter the game development industry.
CJV: The one trait I see in all of the most successful and talented people in this industry is a willingness to learn and grow, often in unexpected ways. Our industry is on the cutting edge of technology, and no one has the answers to many of the questions we discover when creating games. The best engineers, artists, and designers are always willing to say “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out”, to ask the so-called stupid questions, and to fail. That often means learning skills from outside of your titled discipline. Having a specialization isn’t bad, but we’re a heavily collaborative industry, and an engineer that learns a bit about the tools artists use, or a producer understanding the needs of the design pipeline makes everyone more effective.
5. AFK: Do you have any recent, interesting personal successes, new hobbies, family updates or activities you would like to share?
CJV: My wife and I foster kittens from local shelters and organizations! In addition to our two permanent residents, Draco and Loki, we have a rotating door of fosters. Often, we get kittens who were rescued from the wild or from unsuitable homes and need extra care, socialization, medicine, or other special treatment. But despite all the work, it’s so rewarding to see them grow and get adopted!