Video games are the largest entertainment industry in the world — and the fastest growing. The battle to win is savage, and developers require more than sick games with loyal players.
Hi-Rez wanted a new corporate website to platform their studios and snag the hottest talent. To promote their flagship products, Paladins and Smite, they also needed community sites that could grow as the games evolve. So Paper Tiger entered god mode and teamed up with Hi-Rez Dev on a killer combo move.
For the corporate website, we showcased the global employee value proposition and went with a darker, more mature look and feel to evoke a video game UI. For the game sites, we skewed for a younger audience with a maximalist, bright, and blocky aesthetic to energize the industry standard.
Hi-Rez has a loot box of web assets to power their growth. Their corporate site fills their hiring funnel and their game sites support a million-user base. Major experience points.
Before designing the Smite and Paladins UIs, we defined the look and feel with brand systems, including typography and color palettes. With those guidelines in place, we made the websites an extension of the games’ world-building and designed homepages that look as enticing as their title screens.
The game sites have three goals: drive free signups, generate add-on revenue, and engage the community.
Paper Tiger implemented a media-rich signup form; integrated with Epic Games, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch purchasing flows; and, in addition to a sticky newsletter opt-in, created wiki pages filled with colorful backstory.