Yan Chernikov

Hazel Engine is an interactive 3D application development platform, also known as a game engine. Founded in late 2018 by Yan Chernikov, it is now officially developed by Studio Cherno, a company established by Yan in 2021. The team at Studio Cherno, along with community volunteers, work on the development of Hazel. The company has participated in Ludum Dare game jams, creating games using Hazel within 72 hours, which are available to play for free on itch.io.

Yan's passion for game engines and education led to the creation of Hazel. With a background in software engineering at EA, working on primary mobile engines and Frostbite, Yan decided to pursue his own technology and teach others how to make game engines. Hazel has since evolved from a video series teaching how to build a game engine to a fully-fledged 2D and 3D Game Engine. The future of Hazel includes its continued development, being released for free to use, and the development and release of commercial games. For those interested in supporting the project, access to the source code and development repositories is available for a monthly subscription fee. With a dedication to fostering creativity and innovation, Hazel is set to make its mark in the world of game development.