FARM PUNKS

Endless Runner / 1 Million+ Downloads

Farm Punks was Sleeping Giant's debut project and the studio's first foray into the mobile free-to-play market. Developed in collaboration with Built by Snowman (Alto’s Adventure, Skate City) over 1.5 years. Farm Punks was released on the Apple App Store and Google Play store, earning App of the Day and Spotlight featuring respectively.

As a game and level designer, I focused on optimizing gameplay mechanics and player progression while aligning them with monetization goals. I also served as the primary liaison between Sleeping Giant and Built by Snowman, ensuring smooth communication, consistent updates, and adherence to project standards.

Responsibilities

Collaborated with the technical team to develop modular level design tools, enabling content to be easily reskinned with various biome asset swaps.
Designed monetization strategy and free-to-play mechanics.
Recorded, analyzed, and distilled player feedback during soft launch to increase retention key performance indicators.
Conducted A/B testing on icons, storefront copy, and screenshots to optimize click-through rates and improve overall user engagement.
Designed modular levels that emphasized the unique abilities and characteristics of each player character. These levels were structured to be interconnected in various sequences, enhancing replayability and offering diverse gameplay layouts.

Learnings

Integrated mechanics from various genres to enhance specific aspects of the game. However, this approach led to a lack of cohesive identity, ultimately impacting the overall experience.
Importance of iterating on the tutorial during soft launch to improve onboarding, reduce player confusion, and boost Day 1 and Day 7 retention.
Recognized the importance of early testing for control schemes. Initial swipe-based controls for character movement caused player confusion and frustration due to repetitive actions, highlighting the need for more intuitive input methods.