Steel Wool Studios is an independent game development studio of 60+ passionate creators.
We specialize in crafting games for entertainment while also leveraging our expertise to develop enterprise solutions like Virtual Training and Virtual Therapy.
Our mission is rooted in the belief that games are a universal language with the power to entertain, connect, and make a positive impact across industries.
Our team includes veterans from renowned companies such as Pixar, Midway, HTC, Intel, and Telltale Games.
By blending decades of industry experience with fresh talent, we aim to shape the future of gaming.
Together, we share a vision to innovate, inspire, and use our craft to bring joy to others.
Steel Wool Studios, AKA Steel Wool Games is an independent studio of 70-ish superstars working remotely all over the United States. We create games. Sounds simple but it is a little more complex. We create games for entertainment as well as create games for enterprise projects. What does that mean? We use our game-making skills to both make games for fun but also to help in different areas such as Virtual Training and Virtual Therapy. Games are a universal language that has so many applications across the world and across different mediums. It is a common thread that binds us together and allows us to use our passion to help make others happy.
Fortified by veterans of Pixar, Midway, HTC, Intel, and Telltale Games who bring decades of experience in collaboration with an insanely talented crew of artists and engineers looking to help define the next decade of gaming. We’re so lucky to be able to work together and share a vision of what we want Steel Wool Studios
Andrew Dayton is a Senior Technical Director with 12 years of experience at Pixar Animation Studios. During his time at Pixar, he contributed to acclaimed films including The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Brave, Inside Out, Monsters University, as well as numerous short films. He played a key role in developing Pixar’s asset management system and is a co-patent holder for an innovative 3D modeling technique. In addition to his work in animation, Andrew has taught and lectured at institutions and events around the world, including NYU, LEGO in Denmark, the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, the School of Visual Arts, California College of the Arts, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, and the Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark, among others.
Jason Topolski is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Steel Wool Studios. With a career spanning over two decades in animation and interactive storytelling, Jason brings a unique blend of narrative design, voice direction, and creative leadership to the studio.
Before co-founding Steel Wool, Jason spent 14 years at Pixar Animation Studios (2000–2014), where he contributed to the development of numerous acclaimed projects. Following Pixar, he served as a narrative designer at Telltale Games, working on Minecraft: Story Mode and Tales from the Borderlands.
In his role as Creative Director, Jason is deeply involved in all phases of the creative process. He develops game and story concepts, writes production dialogue and voiceover scripts, directs voice sessions, and creates rough storyboards to explore narrative ideas. He also participates in cross-departmental reviews—providing direction on art, design, animation, and audio—and regularly evaluates game builds to refine the player experience.
Jason’s background in theater and voice performance has led to his work as a scratch voice actor and director, as well as membership in SAG-AFTRA. His voice credits include Bossanova in Tales from the Borderlands and Ghostburger in Pixar’s Small Fry, among others.
Stewart Johnston is the Head of Engineering at Steel Wool Studios, where he leads the studio’s engineering efforts across gameplay systems, tools development, and technical infrastructure. In addition to managing the engineering team, Stewart actively contributes code, solves complex technical challenges, and supports the creation of tools that streamline development across disciplines.
Before joining Steel Wool, Stewart worked at Intel, where he developed software to validate graphics chipsets. While he valued the technical depth of working at a low level, his passion for game development ultimately brought him to the interactive entertainment industry—a field that originally inspired him to pursue software engineering.
Known for his problem-solving skills and deep technical curiosity, Stewart is especially drawn to tackling difficult debugging challenges and optimizing game performance. His background includes extensive hands-on development with side projects, where he explores new technologies and game mechanics to stay on the cutting edge of interactive design.
Chase Hernandez is an Executive Producer at Steel Wool Studios, bringing over a decade of experience in game development. After building his career across the Chicago game industry, Chase found his professional home at Steel Wool, where he oversees projects beyond the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise.
While his expertise lies in production, Chase has worn many hats throughout his career—including roles in UX research and development—giving him a deep understanding of the full game development pipeline. His approach emphasizes efficiency, team enablement, and problem-solving at scale.
As Executive Producer, his duties include: ensuring that each project is staffed with the right talent, guiding and mentoring the studio’s production team, and he works to streamline development by quickly delivering the tools and support needed for success.
Brian Freyermuth is the Design Director and Voice Over Director at Steel Wool Studios, bringing decades of experience in narrative and game design. He began his career writing quests for the original Fallout and has since contributed to titles such as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, and Minecraft: Story Mode.
As Design Director, Brian leads the creative and gameplay vision across Steel Wool’s titles. He works closely with design teams to shape core mechanics, guide project direction, and foster an environment that encourages innovation and collaboration.
In his role as Voice Over Director, Brian collaborates with Creative Directors to shape scripts, cast talent, and direct recording sessions. He provides detailed guidance to voice actors—focusing on character motivation, emotional tone, and pacing—to ensure performances align with the narrative intent. His ability to blend design sensibility with storytelling craft has made him a key figure in the studio’s development process.
Evan Lampi is a Creative Director at Steel Wool Studios, where he has been an integral part of the team since its founding over a decade ago. Originally joining the studio as an animator fresh out of art school, Evan’s role has evolved alongside the company, expanding into game design and creative direction.
As Creative Director, Evan is responsible for shaping and championing the creative vision of each project. He collaborates closely with multidisciplinary teams to bring compelling, visually rich, and engaging experiences to life. His background in animation and design, combined with years of hands-on development experience, gives him a well-rounded perspective on both the artistic and technical aspects of game creation.
