“The biggest threat to my survival in Arid, apart from the relentless sun, is my own malfunctioning brain.”
- Christopher Livingstone, PCGamer.
Project details
21 Developers
9 Months
Released on Steam & Playstation 4
Unreal Engine, GameAnalytics, Adobe CC, Google Cloud Platform, Jenkins CI, Perforce, Jira, SteamWorks, Rider
Arid
Key contributions
Directed design of features such as base upgrades, character & equipment, weather & day/night cycle, status effects (buffs & debuffs)
Supported team on features such as environment effects, crafting systems and UI/UX.
So much more! Keep reading for more info.
Main Roles: Design Lead. Technical Designer.
Secondary Roles: Analytics & Marketing
Arid started out as a student project but ended up being an unexpected mini-hit. We originally set a goal of 20,000 downloads after release, which we honestly weren’t sure we’d hit. To our surprise, the game took off and ended up with over 200,000 downloads in the first month after release.
Arid is a gritty, exploration-survival experience that challenges players in surviving the most arid place in the world. By using your skills and adaptation, you must face the loneliness, the extreme temperatures, and mysteries of the Atacama Desert.
Arid was the project where I first felt like a real game developer. Over the course of a year, I had the incredible opportunity to work alongside 20 talented and inspiring teammates, bringing a game from concept to release. It was my first full-cycle development experience, and seeing it all come together into a product worth being genuinely proud of was a defining moment in my path as developer.
Detailed Info
As Design Lead and Technical Designer for Arid, my core responsibilities were centered around shaping and guiding the game's development. I partnered with the Creative Director to establish the overall game vision and ensured it was consistently applied. A key part of my role involved regular communication with the Art and Tech teams to translate design intentions into reality. I also led the design of key gameplay features and supported other designers in their work, aiming for a cohesive and engaging player experience. Beyond core design, I also frequently addressed various development challenges, from gameplay optimization and analytics implementation to CI/CD pipeline troubleshooting, ensuring smooth project progress and a polished final product.
First Playable
Final Trailer