Abde Ali Lokhandwala

Distinguished Game Developer and Backend Engineer with a solid track record of 8+ years in constructing sophisticated APIs, microservices, and libraries, and a specialized focus on game design and development. As a Senior Software Engineer at Booking.com, a premier global travel accommodation provider, I am leading the way for tech stack modernisation, shaping the architectural vision and technical strategy, and building recommendation & ranking systems that support 10 million users per day. Furthermore, I am mentoring engineers and fostering a thriving technical environment. My experience extends to developing compelling games and interactive experiences, having designed intricate game worlds using procedural generation and artificial intelligence. My expertise in JavaScript and Python game libraries, combined with my knowledge of AI and ML models, equips me to leverage the power of generative AI in creating immersive gaming environments. This unique blend of skills ensures I am at the forefront of innovative game development, thereby enhancing the gaming experience for players across the globe. My foray into game development commenced at Lazy8Games as a Software Engineer, where I designed and prototyped scalable, reliable game interfaces using Unity Engine and Photon Networking. I have a history of creating award-winning, visually compelling and technically challenging games such as: "Dystopian Skies" - recognised as the #1 Mobile Game at an inter-collegiate game-dev competition. It is a multiplayer 3D game set in a post-apocalyptic scenario, using a variation of the ROAM algorithm for earth simulation. In the game, players combat space drones to reclaim infested land on earth. "Arcane Aero" - A side-scrolling action arcade game for Android, developed as part of an entrepreneurial project Blooming Pixel, and live on the Google Play Store. In my subsequent role as a Software Engineer, I designed and developed intricate engineering applications using multiple programming languages and frameworks, including Java, C++, OpenSceneGraph, OpenGL, Qt, and C# across Windows, Linux, and Android platforms. Here, I particularly worked on GIS Applications, where I developed modules in the digital graphics domain, leveraging my understanding of performance graphics, a crucial component in game development. I also designed a GPS-based tracking application on Android with map caching, besides maintaining a software SDK stack on Linux. My technical prowess extends to Service reliability, System design, Kubernetes, Java, Kafka, Protobuf, BigData platforms (Apache Hadoop/Hive/Oozie/Spark), C#, Python, Perl, MVC Frameworks, JavaScript Frameworks, and Android app development, backed by an engineering degree from IIT Bombay (Mumbai), a leading engineering university in Asia. As a thought leader, I enjoy exploring and speaking about the intersection of AI, game development, and backend engineering, and frequently share these insights through technical speaking engagements. My other passions include chess and alpine skiing. Continually pushing the envelope in the gaming industry, I relish the challenge of crafting unique gaming experiences through the power of generative AI.