Building blockbuster games from Penryn: The Cornishman working on Atomfall
28 March 2025
Ross Everson is now working on some of the biggest titles in gaming — but his journey into the industry has been slightly unusual. After completing his degree in Game Animation at Falmouth, Ross returned to study a master’s in Entrepreneurship through the University’s Launchpad programme, where he co-founded companies before seeking out further industry experience in a AAA studio.
We caught up with Ross as the hotly anticipated new title Atomfall is released by the studio he now works for, Rebellion.
Tell us about your time on the Game Animation course at Falmouth
I first came to Falmouth in 2016 for a top-up year to complete my degree, and returned in 2018 to study for a master’s in Entrepreneurship through Falmouth’s Launchpad programme. The highlight of my time here was getting to found companies alongside other creative people; it gave us the chance to innovate in a safe, supportive environment where we could really focus on developing ideas.
I chose Falmouth because I’m Cornish. I grew up near Marazion, just south of the town — and I’ve always loved living in Cornwall. I didn’t want to leave, and I haven’t! I’m still here today.
How did you find getting a job when you graduated?
Working for someone else after graduating was never my plan — I always wanted to create my own games. I founded two companies, but eventually realised that I needed more experience. That’s when I decided to try and break into the games industry. I graduated from my BA in 2018 and landed my first industry job in February 2021. It took time, and there were a lot of rejections along the way, which were tough to deal with — but I learned something from every one of them. I kept refining my animation reel until it was good enough to get noticed, and made sure I was applying to every studio I could find.
Even though my goal was always to build my own games, I’ve found that I really enjoy working in the AAA industry. My first role was at Firesprite, a studio based in Liverpool, and I got the job thanks to a referral from my friend Oscar, who I met during my master’s at Falmouth. After nearly two years at Firesprite, I moved to Frontier Developments, where I spent about a year working on Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin. At the start of 2024, I joined Rebellion — and that’s where I’m working now. In March 2025, I was promoted to Senior Animator, and I’m currently working on Atomfall.
I’ve been working remotely from Falmouth for my entire career.
What work are you most proud of?
I’d say I’m most proud of my work on Sea of Thieves and Warhammer. Both games required completely different animation styles, but both were a pleasure to work on.
In 2022, Sea of Thieves: Legend of the Veil was released, featuring the new Ancient characters I worked on.
I helped define the way the characters moved and acted — and as a junior, this was a fantastic opportunity. It’s definitely something I’m still proud of.
For Warhammer, I’m most proud of my work on the characters of Yndrasta and Gobsprakk for the first DLC. These characters were visually incredible.
Warhammer is an incredible franchise to work on as an animator — the variety of characters is vast and endlessly creative. If you ever get the chance to work on a Warhammer title, I’d absolutely recommend it.
What I enjoy most about my role is the collaboration. Working closely with other disciplines like Design, Programming, Sound and VFX is genuinely inspiring. When everyone brings their expertise to the table, you end up creating something far greater than what any one person could achieve on their own.
What are you playing at the moment?
I’m a die-hard Crash Bandicoot fan — I still play Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled every week. I absolutely love that game, and its animation quality continues to inspire me.
Lately, I’ve been really into Balatro — it’s hands-down my game of the year for 2024. It’s incredibly addictive and has a fantastic sense of game feel.
On the complete opposite end of the gaming spectrum, I’ve also been playing Grim Fandango for the first time. It’s an absolute joy — the writing and performances are brilliant, and I really love the themes it explores.
Rebellion’s recent release Atomfall is generating a lot of buzz — were you involved in the project?
Yes, I worked on Atomfall! I’m incredibly excited for people to play it — I absolutely love the game and already have over 30 hours in it.
I was brought onto the project to help inject some new creepy life into the Ferals. I created a new idle pose, as well as the idle animation itself, along with a new walk and run using keyframe animation. I then adapted existing animations to fit the new character style. I also helped bring the first big jump scare to life with a brilliant hanging robot rig – a really fun moment that makes for a very cool player experience.
Finally, I worked on the quicker neck-break animation – my first professional piece of first-person animation! I also contributed to various pose changes and fixed several animation bugs. Atomfall has been one of my favourite projects to work on; the team was amazing, and I’m super proud of what we created.
Ross's work on the project can be found below.
What advice would you give to graduates looking to get their foot in the door?
When I was promoted to mid-level back in 2022, I really wanted to support students preparing to enter the job market.
My advice in a nutshell:
- Seek feedback from industry professionals
- Learn the engine side of being an animator
- Collaborate and network as much as possible — getting yourself known is essential
Read more advice from Ross in this Bluesky thread. You can also see his Portfolio Live session from last year in the video below.
External links
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/moonscattle.bsky.social
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-thomas-everson-5a0657103
ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/rosseverson
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