I'm Chí Ngô — + years in mobile games, from the first prototype to the live-ops that keep them running. years in Unity, in C#, and a habit of being blunt about what your project actually needs.
About
I've spent my whole career in mobile games — first as a game designer and engineer, then running a studio as Studio Head and Country Manager at goGame, a SEGA company, where I was employee #1 in Vietnam and built the team from nothing.
That mix is what clients actually hire me for. I can write the netcode and argue about the retention loop in the same meeting. I've seen which shortcuts cost you six months later, so I'll tell you honestly when a feature isn't worth building — one client put it best: "overqualified for my project… but blatantly honest about his perspectives."
Today I work independently with clients worldwide, mostly long-term. My largest Upwork engagement ran two years and over 5,000 hours.
Career
Before going independent I spent years inside the industry — long enough to have designed, built, hired and answered for the whole thing.
Independent · Freelance
Unity development, multiplayer backends, game design and fractional technical leadership. Top Rated Plus on Upwork, where I've been taking on projects since 2015 — one engagement ran two years and over 5,000 hours.
Game Developer & Design Consultant
goGame, a subsidiary of SEGA
Joined as the first employee in Vietnam and grew with the company into studio leadership — technical project leadership and technology management for the whole Vietnam operation.
Smilee Corp
Co-founded the company and ran delivery — the years where I learned what it costs to build a product with nothing but a small team and a deadline.
Project Manager, co-Founder
Mobile Entertainment Corp
Where it started: designing mobile games full-time, then owning the product side of them.
"I have known Chi for over 7 years now. He was my first employee at goGame when we first set up in Vietnam and has stuck with us all these years. He has proven himself time and again and has grown with us in his skills and role within our organisation, eventually becoming our studio Head and Country Manager for Vietnam. He is not only a talented programmer but also a great people person, organiser and manager. He is well versed with game design, development process and is methodical in his execution.
"I have had the opportunity of working alongside Chi from the company's early days. It is rare to come across someone as passionate, driven, and dedicated to producing his best as Chi. He'd be a great asset to any company.
Stack
Not a list of things I've touched once — these are the tools I've shipped production games with, and how long I've been doing it.
Services
Prototype to store release — gameplay, UI, backend, and the polish pass that decides your reviews.
Real-time netcode and game servers with Photon, SmartFox, Netty or Spring Boot. Built to hold up at scale.
Inherited a tangled codebase or a stalled build? I untangle it, fix the performance, and get it shippable.
Mechanics, progression, balance, monetisation and live events — designed to be built, not just pitched.
Editor tools and pipelines that turn slow manual work — level creation, content builds — into a button.
Fractional tech lead: architecture calls, code review, hiring and production planning from someone who ran a studio.
Client reviews
Verbatim from Upwork — every contract closed at 5.0.
"I cannot say enough good things about Chi. He possesses an expertise in a plethora of technical areas — from software engineering, to game development/design, to project tooling — always able to quickly pick up new tools and plugins.
Long story short, do not pass on hiring Chi for your project. He delivers unbelievable quality and peace of mind; when Chi is on something you know it will be done right and quick."★★★★★ Unity developer · 2-year contract, 5,042 hrsSolution Oriented
"Chi is overqualified for my project from technicalities, but I am more amazed at how transparent and honest he is. He has practical suggestions and is blatantly honest about his perspectives. Those qualities are too hard to find these days — definitely a HUGE PLUS for micro or macro organizations, especially for startups like me."
★★★★★ Full-stack game developer · 2024Clear CommunicatorSolution OrientedCollaborative
"Chi Ngo is one of the most top-notch game developers I have ever worked with. He has a lot of expertise in the area of scripting and automation in Unity. He delivers on-time in high quality and also goes above and beyond by being proactive in all his work. Highly recommended!"
★★★★★ Level-creation automation · 2017ReliableCommitted to QualityAccountable for Outcomes
"I wholeheartedly recommend Chi for any game development projects. He is an invaluable asset to any organization, consistently providing practical suggestions that benefit the project in the long run. I plan to continue hiring Chi for major features in the future."
★★★★★ Main script rewrite · 2024Solution Oriented
"Very good developer, who was patient with my changes of requirements. He did understand my project in seconds! And added very useful features."
★★★★★ Existing Unity project · 2024Clear CommunicatorCollaborative
"Chi was a professional on mobile application. He advised me everything I want to know and suggested a better way to make the app complete. Will hire again. Highly recommended."
★★★★★ Mobile re-skin · 2015ProfessionalSolution Oriented
Contact
Upwork is the fastest way to start a contract — or email me and we'll talk through the project first. I reply within four hours.