The Team

Ché Rose is the greatest Street Fighter player in the world. Full stop. He is also the founder of Cookout Games, a Game Design Instructor at American University, a DC comic, Navy vet, and overall mama’s boy. During the week, Che is a co-owner and head teacher for TagLabs.org, an organization that builds K-12 Computer-Science programs in the inner-cities of DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

The types of games Che dreams of playing don’t exist, so he and his merry band are making it happen on their own. Creating an indie space-opera is cool, but crafting the blackest game ever made is the only thing that can satiate his massive, massive ego. He handles most of the writing, design, & programming.

Favorite Games: Starfox, Hades, Mass Effect, Celeste, Half-Life 2, Braid, Firewatch

Favorite Things: Stand-up comedy, rowing, witnessing black greatness, cheap whiskey, diner food, and talking that hot shit.

Jocelyn is a concept artist and illustrator currently based in Maryland creating works for the fantasy, sci-fi and horror genres in the realms of comics, video games, and film. Jocelyn loves everything spooky, moody, fantastical and dramatic and wants to always be a part of making something epic.

On Estranged, Jocelyn creates all pixel art, concept art, and collaborates on story. 

Favorite Games: Final Fantasy X and X-2, Persona 5, Catherine Full Body, Baldur’s Gate 3

Favorite Things: collecting merch from my favorite games, singing, painting, playing DDR

please support her art @ jocelynshort.com

Chris Nunn is a North Carolina-based audio engineer, music producer, and sound designer. Chris is married with two children, church elder, and US Army veteran. Chris volunteers with the Songs of Love Foundation and serves as a Justice Ambassador with Prison Fellowship southeast region when he is able. Chris thinks he’s a ninja and likes to play practical jokes on his wife and kids, to include immediately looking for a hiding spot when someone comes home.

On Estranged, Chris serves as Lead Audio Engineer.

Favorite Games:  Most Nintendo Switch games appropriate for his elementary aged son. Once his son gets the hang of a game, the mercy meter goes way down. Chris plays Cocoon, Halo Infinite and other Halo franchise campaigns in his spare time.

Favorite Things: Christian hip-hop, mixing immersive audio, smoked chicken or smoked pulled pork nachos, and smoking pork shoulders or chicken on the smoker on a sunny spring day.

Nnamdi is a Nigerian-born UK football and JRPG fan out of American University’s Game Design masters program. How much does he love football? Namdi will pull out his phone in the middle of the movie theater to see what’s up with Liverpool. He’s a VR enthusiast and exercise junkie, working as a software developer in DC. Last but not least, Nnamdi has played every single JRPG known to man. DO NOT test his knowledge on this.

On Estranged, Nnamdi is a jack of all trades developer. He handles our 3D assets, lighting, and post processing effects.

Favorite Games: Final fantasy (insert number. Tales of (Insert Word)

Favorite Things: DC nightlife, brunch, & family

Xaviar just graduated high school in 2024. He is the chosen one. Though a decade younger than everyone else on the team, Xaviar serves as the primary music producer for Cookout Games. Armed with a cracked copy of FL Studio, Xavier has been making his “5 beats a day for three summers“ since the age of 14. In that time he’s mastered the sound of “nerd shit mixed with hip hop,“ and is ready to create the vibe for the new world.

Favorite Games: Rayman Legends, Fortnite, Mortal Kombat 11

Favorite Things: Good pranks, bad jokes, friends, family, and dance parties.