Hidden Shadows was a free-to-play hidden object game published on Facebook, which we transitioned from another studio while it was still in pre-production. Conceptually it was a supernatural crime thriller aimed at mature audiences, in which players take on the role of a homicide cop who can see the spirits of the dead. I was part of the game design team from January 2013 to February 2014 – from the start of the transition through to launch, and on until the game was defunded.
This was my first professional experience working on a game prior to its release, and it brought a raft of interesting new challenges. We had a larger budget than most other teams in the studio, and a great deal more oversight from creative and business leads across the whole company – and a great deal more internal negotiation over design work, as a result. I was responsible for secondary gameplay systems and some of the narrative content of the game.
My personal highlights include:
- Shipping on time! I am told this was one of the largest game launches in India to date, and I was happy to be a part of it
- Ensuring secondary characters (such as murder victims) all have names and identities
- Training junior designers on how to pitch ideas, write design docs and smoothly co-ordinate with the rest of the team
- Working with product managers to devise a monetisation strategy that does not alienate non-payers