Unfiltered

Let's Make Games Together

About

Meet the Co-Founders

Zach Thompsen

Man with blonde hair and fair skin looking pensive

Zach is an Art & Entertainment Technology student at the University of Texas in Austin. He specializes in character design with a consistently fast-paced workflow, pumping out up to 100 designs in a week. Offering a unique and recognizable style in his art, Zach’s character designs are the foundation of Unfiltered’s artistic style. He is also a key animator and 3D modeler, following characters from their inception to full development.

Rachel Epps

Woman sitting in the sun with curly blonde hair and a blue shirt

Rachel is a Graphic Information Technology student at Arizona State University. Her focus is Animation & Game Development with a secondary focus in Web Design & Development. Rachel is a concept artist for characters and vehicle & weapon assets. She is also a key animator, level designer, and developer. Rachel does the user interface design, brand management, concept organization, and web design for Unfiltered.

Sebastian Calderon

Man with strong eyebrows and styled hair modeling under purple light

Sebastian is an International Relations & Global Studies student at the University of Texas in Austin. He specializes in narrative design and character development. Sebastian excels at uncovering unique, exciting inspiration sources, and developing off-the-wall ideas into actionable concepts that enhance the overall story. As Unfiltered’s Head of Story, Sebastian brings art to life through narrative and defines how stories are communicated to players.

Who We Are & Company History

Unfiltered is an independent and user-collaborative video game software developer co-founded by a group of twenty-something baristas who have a passion for games that excel in storytelling and design. Unfiltered aims to change the face of the indie game industry by demonstrating that brilliant work can be effectively created and distributed with minimal resources. Unfiltered projects take collaboration to a whole new level by involving their online community in the creation process.

Unfiltered was founded in 2021 by a small group of Starbucks baristas who share a passion for using art dynamically to tell interactive and engaging stories. Unable to hold back their intrinsic desires to create, Rachel Epps and Zach Thomsen began forming the concept of a video game about an alien who is framed for committing crimes against the universe. This concept grew into an epic odyssey across the universe, jam-packed with themed worlds, each inhabited by uniquely captivating alien villains. Sebastian Calderon, another barista, soon became a key member of the team, contributing as a storyteller and character developer.

As the baristas continued their work on Escape from Space Prison, they realized the notion that one cannot create video games without immense capital is a myth. Realizing the power that can be harnessed with the internet, the three baristas founded Unfiltered with the intent to design, develop, and implement multi-platform video games for both entertainment and education. Now they are offering anyone with an interest in creating art, telling stories, or developing games the opportunity to become a part of the game design process as a member of the Unfiltered community.

A Refreshing Blend: Indie Studio + Collaboration Network

While other indie game developers work in a fully internal design/development process, our workflow involves the community in a highly collaborative and engaging way. While some collaboration websites for indie games do exist, none of them are operating actual game studios. Our online platform is like a creative enhancement juice that runs through our studio’s veins, fusing the concept of virtual collaboration and indie game studios in a way that has never been seen before. The difference is that we have more direction than just a social platform; the studio ultimately develops the bulk of the designs and initiates project concepts into action.

Our company defies corporate culture without sacrificing credibility or relevance by using organic methods to promote our products, creating quality products out of minimal resources, and involving our community in the game development process. Not only are we a small team, but we are also committed to never selling out so that we will never lose creative control. This means that YOU will always get a say in the games we produce.