Matt T. Wood is a game developer, who worked at Valve Corporation between January 2003 and May 2019.[3] He has worked on numerous projects including Counter-Strike: Source and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Biography
Matt Wood began his professional game development career in 1997, becoming 3D Realms’ first level designer on Prey. He later worked on early version of Duke Nukem Forever as a designer, lead animator, and lead modeler, and also contributed briefly to the development of Max Payne.[2][4][5][6]
In 2003, Matt moved to Seattle to join Valve Software, where he worked on Half-Life 2 and on early version of Team Fortress 2 that was later canceled.[2][5][7] He also assisted in porting Half-Life and Counter-Strike to Source Engine.[6][7] For Half-Life 2 and its episodic sequels, Wood's primary role was level design, with a focus on creating interactive "choreographed" sequences.[5][7] He not only helped develop the tools used for these cinematic moments but also designed and implemented numerous gameplay sequences involving both major and minor characters.
In 2008-2009, Matt Wood, along with Ido Magal, began experimenting with a new version of Counter-Strike, codenamed CS2.[7][8] The project drew inspiration from innovative shooters at that time, such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Little is known about the prototype’s gameplay or mechanics, as development was short-lived and discontinued as the team shifted focus to other projects.
Following that project, Matt Wood moved on to work on Left 4 Dead series. During its development, he created several multiplayer modes and helped manage the game's shipping and certification testing processes.[5][6] He later worked on Alien Swarm before contributing to Portal 2, where he collaborated with a small team of artists and designers to redesign, test, build, and ship the complete Co-op game mode in approximately six months.[5][6][7]
In 2011, Matt Wood joined the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive development team, remaining actively involved for six years after the game's launch.[5][6][7] He was involved in the design and development of CS:GO's Operations and contributed to several game modes, including Co-op Strike, Danger Zone, and Heist, the latter of which was never implemented in the game.[9][10] He also played a role in improving CS:GO's esports broadcasting by developing the advanced Spectator Tools and GOTV.[5][11] Additionally, Wood was responsible for communications with contributors, partners, and the professional community, including players and casters.[5] His work encompassed a wide range of responsibilities, from core gameplay design to technical innovation.
Matt Wood played a pivotal role in expanding CS:GO's modding capabilities by helping to integrate Steam Workshop support, particularly by streamlining the creation of custom game modes.[12] He enhanced the Hammer Editor with VScript functionality and created comprehensive tutorial materials to help community creators.[12] As part of these efforts, he developed and included a complete VScript-based Control Point mode, featuring two example maps in the CS:GO SDK.[13][14]
After 16 years at Valve Corporation, Matt Wood left in 2019 to found Double Dagger Studio, where he released his indie debut, Little Kitty, Big City.[5]
List of Maps
Official maps
| Map Name | Game(s) | Responsibilities | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dust II Control | 
|
Programmer | 2013 |
| Rooftop Control |
|
Programmer | 2013 |
References
- ↑ Matt T. Wood on Bluesky — I started a new Baldur's Gate character. Also it's my birthday today.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Matt T. Wood - Biography. IMDb
- ↑ Wood, Matt. "Matt T. Wood's Profile". LinkedIn.
- ↑ In The Trenches - Modelling: Duke Nukem Forever Interview. Archived from the original on 2000-10-18.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Matt T. Wood's website.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Matt T. Wood on Twitter — My game credits, according to Valve. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Matt T. Wood Interview (Half Life 2, Portal 2, CS:GO, Valve, Little Kitty Big City etc.). YouTube.
- ↑ CSGO to be Replaced by "Counter-Strike 2"? Archived on valvearchive.com.
- ↑ Matt T. Wood on Twitter — Ok, I have some time, so I'll do an AMA for a bit. Archived from the original on 2022-04-16.
- ↑ Reddit — Matt Wood came up with the idea behind Danger Zone in 2015.
- ↑ Valve Developer Community — CS:GO Spectator Tools. Revision as of 23 October 2013 by Mattwood.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Valve Developer Community — Counter-Strike: Global Offensive/Game Modes/Custom. Revision as of 7 February 2013 by Mattwood.
- ↑ Reddit — WIP: Capture the Flag gamemode
- ↑ Reddit — I made a new game mode.