Pong Legends

Artie approached me to serve as Studio Art Director for their new game, pivoting NFT assets post-crash. Their previous art direction struggled to align with the target audience.
My priorities were:

1. Shift the brand from “cute” to an edgier style appealing to adult males (18–35).
   
2. Develop a cohesive world where all NFT characters could coexist.
   
3. Design a new UI style to match the refreshed brand.
   

I began by researching the existing game, identifying issues like static characters and flat lighting. After painting over a screenshot to add focus and dramatic lighting, I collaborated with their tech artists to balance visual impact with performance.

Due to the NFTs’ high resolution, we needed to optimize them for smooth gameplay performance.

Next, we developed the game world by crafting a backstory, designing background characters to bridge style gaps, and creating seven progressive set concepts following the new narrative.

Below are diverse characters designed to inhabit this world.

Players begin their journey playing Pong in a friend’s basement, surrounded by posters of Pong Legends heroes. As they progress, they host battles in their own space to gain street credit, then compete in tougher neighborhoods before reaching professional televised tournaments. Below are four of the seven set designs, illustrating this visual progression.

Next, I revamped the UI, which was previously simple and basic. To align with the hip-hop vibe of the acquired music, I incorporated graphic graffiti elements, designed bold yet simple buttons, and used a cartoony style for effects.

Before

After

To enhance player communication, we began facial animations and introduced emotes to increase player engagement and fun.

Finally, we created striking key art to effectively introduce and promote the game.