Hook, Line, and Axe
Mission
Triple AAA Games' mission was to create a polished gameplay experience for many gamers to enjoy on a public platform. As a minimum viable product (MVP), there would be a defined number of levels, enemy types, abilities, etc. to create a well-rounded and positive player/customer experience.
Vision
To demonstrate the product vision, below are some reference images that closely matched what we wanted our game to look like.
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Level Environment, Design, and Tone
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Gameplay Mechanics and Genre
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Creative Elements and Story
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How It Started
- Original team of three determined goals, theme, and genre of the game
- Recognized our strengths and weaknesses and expanded team to seven members to fill any gaps
- Held Agile sprints to get tasks done according to team needs for maximum flexibility and to maintain progress through accountability
- Established that meetings would be once per week in-person, hybrid, or remote throughout for consistency
Product Roadmap
Pre-Production --> Production --> Post-Production
Pre-Production:
Thoughtfully planned out WHAT the product/game would be, WHO we were making the game for, and HOW we intended to craft a unique product that would be satisfactory and memorable. The product/game's functionality and user experience was very important to us (the team) which is why I helped define features, metrics, and user stories, all of which are contributing factors.
Production:
Diligently worked towards establishing that the product/game provided the best possible user experience. Trade off decisions were made, competition was studied, and research was done to fully understand the nature of the project and the significance of the work that went into it. I ensured that the team's initiative aligned with customer needs, strategic objectives, and business goals.
Post-Production:
Concurrently managed quality assurance based on playtesting (personal, team, and volunteer conducted) and executing an engaging marketing campaign. Doing both simultaneously was a challenge, which is why I created a separate product roadmap for marketing with its own unique milestones, goals, and measurements for success. These separate projects were managed simultaneously by alternating whenever my progress depended on a teammate or external factors (such as waiting on the programmer to implement the solution based on my documentation), which maximized overall efficiency to over 150%.
Following this phase the team released the game, and I conducted quality assurance on the feedback we received from customers and other stakeholders. This meant that I had to diagnose the WHY behind how our players/customers/consumers felt and to make decisions accordingly using empathy, data. research, and observation. Additionally, I prioritized what bugs, patches, or enhancements I believed would have the largest impact on our product/game and community.
Pre-Production:
Thoughtfully planned out WHAT the product/game would be, WHO we were making the game for, and HOW we intended to craft a unique product that would be satisfactory and memorable. The product/game's functionality and user experience was very important to us (the team) which is why I helped define features, metrics, and user stories, all of which are contributing factors.
Production:
Diligently worked towards establishing that the product/game provided the best possible user experience. Trade off decisions were made, competition was studied, and research was done to fully understand the nature of the project and the significance of the work that went into it. I ensured that the team's initiative aligned with customer needs, strategic objectives, and business goals.
Post-Production:
Concurrently managed quality assurance based on playtesting (personal, team, and volunteer conducted) and executing an engaging marketing campaign. Doing both simultaneously was a challenge, which is why I created a separate product roadmap for marketing with its own unique milestones, goals, and measurements for success. These separate projects were managed simultaneously by alternating whenever my progress depended on a teammate or external factors (such as waiting on the programmer to implement the solution based on my documentation), which maximized overall efficiency to over 150%.
Following this phase the team released the game, and I conducted quality assurance on the feedback we received from customers and other stakeholders. This meant that I had to diagnose the WHY behind how our players/customers/consumers felt and to make decisions accordingly using empathy, data. research, and observation. Additionally, I prioritized what bugs, patches, or enhancements I believed would have the largest impact on our product/game and community.
Trade Off Decisions
- Had to sacrifice boss fights for scope (limited to one boss) which freed up time for polish and other tasks
- Three levels that made an entire Act of the campaign got cut down to two levels to create a polished experience and leave the player wanting more through a dramatic cliff hanger
- Chose to prioritize adding new content to the player throughout the game (outside of player mechanics) so everything felt fresh and unpredictable
- Drop Pods
- UFOs
- Fire (That Spreads!)
- Announcement Trailer did not have a live action cast of characters to convey the story, so that the story could be told from the protagonist in an intentionally ominous way
- Created a "teaser trailer" effect that resonated well with viewers
- Had the audience wanting to learn more which was great for marketing
Drop Pods were not part of the original plan but were added as a feature to make encounters more engaging.
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Implementing fire was always an idea that the team had, but we decided to spend extra time to accomplish the ambitious goal of making it spread, creating a dynamic environment.
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Deliverables
As a Product Manager, communication and setting clear expectations is essential. It can be easy for any team, company, or organization to get distracted during development and stray away from their original product vision and identity. Part of my job was to make sure that nothing got lost in translation from the original vision of the game and that the team was on the same page from start to finish. By communicating effectively, I was able to help guide the team to producing certain aspects of the game (discussed in the vision section near the top of the page) as tangible, bite-sized, deliverables which can be seen below.
Level Environment, Design, and Tone
Gameplay Mechanics and Genre
Creative Elements and Story
How It Went / Results
- Successful product launch on Steam, a public platform, with 132 million monthly users and 69 million daily active users
- Generated 100,000+ impressions within a month of the game's release
- Received 100% positive player feedback on Steam
- Acquired interest of numerous stakeholders looking to become business partners or use the game for entertainment media content