# Suguru Kitabatake

> Senior Game Designer | Pokémon GO

Location: San Francisco, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/suguru

Pioneering Game Designer with 5 years of experience in creating appealing game concepts and designs by coordinating with teammates to boost creativity.
Accomplished in envisioning and delivering prototypes and completed game content according to specifications.
Reliable in continually delivering eye-catching quality projects in high-pressure field.

## Work Experience
### Senior Game Designer @ Niantic, Inc.
Jan 2023 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area

### Lead Game Designer @ GREE, Inc.
Jan 2019 – Jan 2022 | Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan
- Led the Game Design team from pre-production to post-launch, for F2P game “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Memories” which recouped in the first month and ranked 2nd on the Top Grossing Game Apps ranking.
- Cooperated with Art, UI/UX, Engineering, and Legal teams to create new features, obtaining two patents as a byproduct.
- Researched monetization models, defined customer segmentation, and implemented virtual goods. 
- Created an infrastructure on Unity to import features from ISEKAI Memories into succeeding game titles, reducing the production time of titles such as “ECHOES of MANA” by two months.

### Game Director / Assistant Producer @ GREE, Inc.
Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 | Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan
- Directed the development of F2P game “AFTERLOST”, a drama RPG spin-off of the previous action title “Shoumetsu-Toshi” in conjunction with the anime adaption.	
- Developed an automated LiveOps system reducing running costs by 50%. Awarded MVP of the quarter. 
- Planned and appeared in live streams to promote the release of the game. Conducted an in-person Closed Beta Test in 4 cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Fukuoka) before the release and earned a satisfaction score of 92%.
- Mentored newly hired and junior game designers. Participated in hiring hackathons as a mentor 7 times, winning 3 times.

### Game Designer - Narrative Development @ GREE, Inc.
Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan
- Created LiveOps game narratives, level designs, and character biographies for the F2P game "Shometsu-Toshi".
- Wrote scenarios for original content and brand collaborations.

### Product Manager - Contactless Order & Payment @ dinii
Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | Tokyo, Japan
- Product management for Contactless Order & Payment, main expertise on CRM functions
- Updated operational methods, tracked information, and compiled data to improve Contactless Order & Payment App efficiency.
- Developed and initiated CRM functions, increasing tipping feature sales by 200%.


## Education
### Bachelor's degree in Environment and Information Studies
Keio University


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/suguru-kitabatake-b89975206

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Source: https://flows.cv/suguru
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/suguru/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-05