// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Mike Zaimont? A mount to climb, right?
Mike Zaimont | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Zaimont at Game Developers Conference 2011 | |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2004 - Present |
Michael "Mike" Zaimont, also known as Mike Z, is an American video game designer, programmer and director known for his work on fighting and action games such as Skullgirls and Indivisible.
Career
[edit]Zaimont started his career in video game development in 2004 at Pandemic Studios as an intern on Star Wars: Battlefront before being promoted to a programmer on Battlefront II.[1][2] He would continue to work at Pandemic until their dissolvement in 2009.[3]
In his spare time, Zaimont would start work on an engine for a fighting game project. In 2008, Zaimont would meet artist Alex Ahad who had been working on various characters for a "hypothetical" fighting game project. Together the two would form a studio called Reverge Labs, later renamed to Lab Zero Games, and work on the project that would eventually release as Skullgirls in 2011. Ahad would be the game's main artist, while Zaimont would be the game's lead gameplay designer and programmer.[4][5] Zaimont would cite some of his inspirations as Killer Instinct (1994), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and the work of George Kamitani at Vanillaware.[3]
In June 2020 while commentating during an official tournament, Zaimont would make a joke involving the phrase "I can't breathe," the last words of police brutality victim George Floyd less than two weeks after his murder.[6] Zaimont would release an apologize on Twitter the same day, however staff at Lab Zero Games were still upset with his behavior.[6] That same month on June 29th, he would be accused of sexual harassment by two separate cosplayers.[6][7] Much of the Lab Zero Games' staff would leave soon after, and claim that Zaimont frequently abused his power as head of the studio.[6] After negotiations with the company's board of directors fell through, Zaimont moved to dismantle the board.[7] By the end of August, any remaining employees at Lab Zero Games would be laid off by Zaimont.[6][7] In September, much of the former employees would form a worker-owned studio under the name Future Games.[8] The lawsuits regarding Zaimont's sexual harassment accusations would be settled in April 2026.[6]
Zaimont continued to work in the game's industry at Maximum Games as the director for the 2024 title Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age,[6] and would work on Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game.[9] Controversy would ignite regarding his continued employment.[7][9]
Ludography
[edit]| Year | Game | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Star Wars: Battlefront | Production tester and intern | [1] |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Battlefront II | Programmer | [1] |
| 2008 | Mercenaries 2: World in Flames | Additional programming | [1] |
| 2009 | The Lord of the Rings: Conquest | Combat designer | [1] |
| 2011 | Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition | Special thanks | [1] |
| 2013 | Skullgirls | Design director, lead gameplay designer, lead programmer, voice actor for Tommy and Lorenzo | [1] |
| 2013 | Killer Instinct | Additional programming | [1] |
| 2015 | Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus R | GGPOZ engine creator | [1] |
| 2018 | Them's Fighting Herds | Engine lead | [1] |
| 2019 | Indivisible | Design director, programming, additional sound design | [1] |
| 2024 | Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age | Director | [1] |
| 2026 | Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game | Combat engine director | [9] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 MobyGames credits list on Mike Zaimont.
- ↑ Zaimont [@MikeZSezs] (August 30, 2018). "Hiya #MeetTheDev, I'm Mike Z.
I've been a game programmer/designer for...15 years now?! Holy crap.
I worked on Star Wars Battlefront I & II (the old ones), Killer Instinct (the new one), Skullgirls, and now Indivisible.
I have opinions about fighting game design, too.
And puns!" (Tweet) – via Twitter. - 1 2 Skullgirls interview with Mike Z and Alex Ahad - Nerd Age, 2011, retrieved 23 September 2026
- ↑ "FAQ « Skullgirls". Lab Zero Games. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ Scanlon, Drew (March 3, 2011). "Quick Look EX: Skullgirls". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013. Retrieved Sep 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fenlon, Wes (June 12, 2023), 3 years after he faced sexual harassment allegations, new fighting game Diesel Legacy is giving disgraced Skullgirls developer Mike Zaimont a chance to prove he’s now “fundamentally different”, PC Gamer, retrieved 23 September 2026
- 1 2 3 4 Parker, Lewis (July 15, 2026). "Developer Accused Of Past Sexual Harassment Confirmed To Be Working On New Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game". Kotaku. Retrieved Sep 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Ex-Lab Zero Employees Form New Worker-Owned Co-Op". Prima Games. Sep 21, 2020. Retrieved Sep 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Francis, Bryant (July 14, 2026). "Paramount confirms Mike Zaimont is employed by Avatar Legends dev". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-09-22.