Funzio
Crime City
A role-playing game for web and mobile
Overview
I collaborated closely with Funzio’s founders to build Crime City from the ground up, shaping early mobile social gaming through mission-driven progression, stylized visuals, and rich social interactions on iOS and Facebook. As the sole designer, I led the full product development lifecycle—from concept to launch—applying strategic insight, systems design expertise, and visual design skills to iterate and innovate. I designed core gameplay mechanics, including the shop and builder features, avatar customization, player profiles, and collections, enhancing engagement with advanced personalization tools. This foundational work contributed directly to the franchise’s $210 million acquisition in 2012.
Style Guide
I defined Crime City’s distinctive visual identity and cohesive “look and feel” by establishing standards for visual and motion design, creating templates, and building comprehensive asset libraries that streamlined reskinning and production. Custom iconography sets and vector illustrations were developed for early mobile and web platforms, shaping a vibrant, unified visual language. The game’s style has been recognized as a unique blend of SimCity and Grand Theft Auto.
Core Mechanics & Modular UI
I designed modular player experience templates—covering shop systems, character customization, and more—that skillfully balanced engaging gameplay with the technical limitations of early 2.5D games on first-generation iPhones and Facebook. By establishing scalable UI/UX frameworks, I ensured consistent interaction patterns, enhanced player engagement, and developed reusable components that accelerated production workflows. These adaptable frameworks were essential for efficiently reskinning Crime City and tailoring its core mechanics to similar social mobile titles, enabling the swift release of new games with consistent quality and familiar player experiences across multiple platforms.
Map & Locations Icons
Map & Loations Icons