Corrinne Yu
{{short description|American game programmer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Corrinne Yu
| other_names =
| image = CorrinneYuReikyu.jpg
| caption = Corrinne Yu at Hotel W Dallas in 2009
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Hong Kong
| known =
| occupation = Game programmer
| title = Graphics Programmer
| nationality = American
| spouse = Kenneth Scott
| website =
| employer = General Motors
}}
Corrinne Yu is an American game programmer. She has worked on games including King's Quest, Quake II, and Halo 4. Her engine work included Unreal Engine 3, Microsoft's Direct3D Advisory Board, and CUDA and GPU simulation at Nvidia. She has also designed accelerator experiments for nuclear physics research.
Biography
=Early life=
Yu attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona to study electrical engineering before beginning her career as a professional programmer.
=Game development=
Yu's early career was as a programmer for the King's Quest series for the Apple II, although she had her own 3D engine projects that she sold to various companies. She programmed for QuickDraw 3D, an early rasterisation API. She worked on the game Zombie, and created the video game engine used in Spec Ops: Rangers Lead The Way. In November 1997, she was employed by video game developer Ion Storm. She worked on the 2001 video game Anachronox and served as Director of Technology at the studio. While at Ion she was responsible for the Quake 2 code base used in their games and any games based on that engine. In November 1998, she left Ion Storm and later became the Lead Technology Programmer at 3D Realms. Yu worked as an engine programmer at Gearbox Software, creator of Brothers in Arms and Borderlands. Yu worked to heavily modify the Epic Unreal Engine 3 with an emphasis on lighting, shadows and physics. Yu was a founding member of Microsoft's Direct 3D Advisory Board. She participated in CUDA and GPU simulation at NVidia.
In 2008, Microsoft Studios hired Yu as the Principal Engine Architect for an internal studio, 343 Industries. 343 Industries was established in 2007 to oversee the Halo franchise following Bungie's separation from Microsoft. Yu programmed lighting, facial animation, and developed new technology for the 2012 video game Halo 4. While coding on Halo team, Yu researched new lighting techniques, and invented new dynamic radiosity algorithms. Microsoft applied a software patent for Yu's Halo lighting work.
In November 2013, Yu joined video game developer Naughty Dog, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, to work as a graphic programmer on PlayStation 4 projects, like Uncharted.{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Mike |date=Nov 24, 2013 |title=Halo veteran Corrinne Yu makes switch to Naughty Dog |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-halo-i-veteran-corrinne-yu-makes-switch-to-naughty-dog |access-date=Apr 1, 2025 |website=GameDeveloper}}In November 2014, she left Naughty Dog and joined Amazon.com to work on their Amazon Prime Air program. In March 2018, she left Amazon and joined General Motors as a VP of Engineering.
=Other works and awards=
In 2009, Corrinne Yu won Best in Engineering internationally at GDC (Game Developers Conference) WiG nominated and judged by a panel of her industry peers for the last 2 years in a row, for her work in programming. In 2010, Yu was identified by Kotaku as one of the 10 most influential women in games in the last decade. She is the only director of technology, and the only engine programmer, on this list.
Development style and influences
Yu is driven by her interest in how complex pieces can be made to fit together, and compared every day to playing a game of Minecraft, only more flexible and with greater real world applicability.
Work
- Halo 4 (2012) Graphics Engineering
- Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (2008) Programming
- Anachronox (2001) Programming
- Spec Ops: Rangers Lead the Way (1998) Programming
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite web|url=http://www.allgame.com/person.php?id=2497|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410124115/http://www.allgame.com/person.php?id=2497|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 10, 2013|title=Corrinne Yu biography|work=Allgame|publisher=Rovi Corporation|accessdate=March 10, 2013}}
{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5042782/why-all-this-gearbox-halo-4-talk-heres-why-maybe|title=Why All This Gearbox Halo 4 Talk? Here's Why… (Maybe)|work=Kotaku|publisher=Gawker Media|first=Brian|last=Ashcraft|date=August 27, 2008|accessdate=March 10, 2013}}
{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5043287/microsoft-confirms-corrinne-yu-hire-internal-halo-team-expansion|title=Microsoft Confirms Corrinne Yu Hire, Internal Halo Team Expansion|work=Kotaku|publisher=Gawker Media|first=Brian|last=Ashcraft|date=August 28, 2008|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}
{{cite web|url=http://m.ign.com/articles/1998/11/21/ion-storm-exodus-continues |work=IGN|title= Ion Storm Exodus Continues|date=November 20, 1998|author=IGN Staff|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}
{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-25-halo-programmer-corrinne-yu-joins-uncharted-dev-naughty-dog|title=Halo programmer Corrinne Yu joins Uncharted dev Naughty Dog|work=Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer Network|first=Wesley|last=Yin-Poole|date=November 25, 2013|accessdate=November 25, 2013}}
{{cite web | url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/28/8507543/Corrinne-yu-amazon-halo-naughty-dog | title=Halo 4's former principal engineer is now helping with Amazon's drone fleet | work=Polygon | publisher=Vox Media | first=Brian | last=Crecente | date=April 28, 2015 | accessdate=May 2, 2016}}
}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{moby developer|id=68790}}
- {{Twitter}}
{{Ion Storm}}
{{343 Industries}}
{{Naughty Dog}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Corrine}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American people of Hong Kong descent
Category:American video game programmers
Category:American women computer scientists
Category:Women video game programmers
Category:California State Polytechnic University, Pomona alumni