Summary
With 18 years of experience in computer graphics, including 10 years focused on real-time rendering and graphics pipelines, my work sits at the boundary between artistic vision and rendering technology.
At CD PROJEKT RED, I played a central role in shaping the visual language of Cyberpunk 2077; the look and atmosphere of Night City as players experience it today reflect work I was deeply involved in. I contributed to defining the graphics direction and image quality of REDengine 4 that made the game a visual benchmark it remains to this day.
Within that work, I played a key role in bringing Path Tracing to the game, working directly alongside NVIDIA engineers to achieve a world first: implementing Path Tracing in a triple-A video game.
Most recently, I took on a defining role in the development of Cyberpunk 2077 for Nintendo Switch 2. I drove the graphics and performance strategy for the title: profiling rendering features, designing four new graphics modes, optimizing shaders and settings, and guiding engineering teams across rendering topics. My focus was not only to meet performance targets, but to protect the game's visual identity, atmosphere, and artistic intent within the constraints of the platform.
I also supported the Mac release of the game alongside Apple and Virtuos teams, a version that went on to win Apple's Mac Game of the Year.
Outside of production, I have presented at SIGGRAPH twice and co-authored a chapter in GPU Zen 3, in collaboration with CDPR and NVIDIA.
I care deeply about the craft, about the image on screen, the technology behind it, and the people who make it possible. I bring both rigour and curiosity to every project, and I am always looking for the next problem worth
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-de-francesco-62721829
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n.u.d.d.u
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Giovanni.Defrancesco2
Skills
Software proficiency
