GDC 2025 Session Viewer

thatgamecompany is known for creating minimalist, emotionally impactful experiences, as seen in their games Journey and Flower. In their latest project, Sky: Children of the Light, they expanded their vision by developing an MMO with deeper mechanics, available on platforms ranging from mobile phone to PC. This presented unique challenges in user interface design, as they aimed to make Sky accessible to a casual audience while maintaining their signature minimalism.

In this talk, Dylan Faust (UI Lead at thatgamecompany) discusses key UI design patterns they developed to deepen players' emotional immersion, while making the game intuitive for a diverse audience. He also explains the practical approaches they use to extend these patterns across various input devices and platforms, despite the small size of their UI team.

Takeaway

Attendees will gain insights into how UI designers at thatgamecompany enhance players' emotional immersion in their games, exploring key design patterns and the pros and cons of each. Additionally, they will discover practical approaches to designing interfaces that function effectively across various platforms and input devices, including consoles and mobile phones.

Intended Audience

This talk is primarily targeted towards UI designers, game designers, and anyone interested in the role UI plays in an emotional narrative game. No prerequisites are required, it assumes no prior knowledge about UI design or development.