Feature Redesign
Atlantis Relaunch
Using live data and player feedback to find where players dropped out of a major expansion, then redesigning its entry, early progression, and reward visibility.
Role
Game Designer · Feature Redesign
Status
Shipped
Tools
Unity Analytics, Confluence, Jira
Transferable design problemDiagnosing drop-off in an existing product, then redesigning its entry, early progression and how it communicates value.
Case study
From weak adoption to a clearer way in.
Atlantis was an underperforming live area. I worked on the redesign from problem definition through launch and review, using quantitative and qualitative evidence to decide what had to change.
Context
Atlantis was a major permanent area within Seafight, but its initial release was not attracting or retaining enough players.
Problem
Weak adoption and negative feedback showed that the entry experience, progression curve, rewards and motivation were not giving enough players a reason to continue.
Evidence and insight
I combined Unity Analytics with player feedback to locate barriers in onboarding, early progression, reward visibility and return motivation.
What I designed
I worked on the redesign from problem definition through to implementation support, launch and review, focusing on the early experience rather than the endgame.
Constraints and trade-offs
The relaunch had to improve the opening without invalidating existing progress, inventories, economy expectations or the area's endgame value.
Design Breakdown
Atlantis Relaunch: Before/After Progression Curve
A simplified breakdown of the redesign target: make the feature easier to enter, quicker to justify, and clearer about why players should come back.
Entry clarity
Atlantis read like a separate endgame lane with a vague first step.
The relaunch defined a clearer entry point and a first action players could commit to immediately.
First meaningful goal
Too much early distance between entry and the first moment that felt rewarding.
The early path was tuned so players hit a meaningful goal sooner and understood why the feature mattered.
Reward visibility
Players could not easily judge whether the effort curve was worth the spend and time.
Rewards and progression value were surfaced earlier so the loop justified itself faster.
Return motivation
Weak reason to come back after the first exploratory session.
Progression pacing and payoff visibility created a stronger reason to return on subsequent sessions.
Simplified progression curve
Outcome
The original release had weak adoption and poor reception. After the relaunch, daily active players inside the expansion rose by 50%. Absolute player numbers are confidential, so only the relative change is shown.
Design decisions
- Reworked onboarding so the expansion offered a clear first action instead of asking players to buy into a distant end-state.
- Adjusted quest flow and progression pacing so early commitment felt achievable rather than back-loaded.
- Surfaced rewards and progression value sooner so players could judge the feature on visible returns rather than assumptions.
- Kept changes compatible with existing progression, inventories and economy expectations.
Outcome
Daily active players inside the expansion rose by 50% after the relaunch, which shipped with a clearer first action, faster early payoff and more visible progression value.
Limitations
Absolute player numbers are confidential, so I can share the relative change but not the baseline behind it. A post-launch rise also cannot isolate the redesign's effect on its own, so I describe what I designed and what happened next, not a proven causal link.