Collaborating with Ivory Tower based in Lyon, France, I worked on The Crew which was built in a proprietary engine called Babel. As part of a tight-knit, mixed-discipline team, we were tasked with introducing a number of supporting gameplay features to populate the large open world. I was the sole systems designer for each of these, which included Skills, Landmarks, Awards and Platform features, alongside a lesser involvement in progression, vehicle handling, and radio station content. Skills were varied bite-sized challenges scattered throughout the world, aiming to provide frequent loot-based rewards, allowing the player to upgrade their vehicle. Landmarks were similar to the above, but rather than being skill based, their aim was to provide narrative context and historical detail about locations that the player would encounter.

Awards were achievement-like goals used to encourage social play, exploration, and mastery. They provided completionists with a varied set of tasks, mostly linked to cosmetics, but also spilled over into Progression and Uplay rewards. Finally, working alongside an engine programmer, I was also responsible for the implementation of various Platform features including: input mappings for DualShock 4 and Remote Play, interacting with the world map using the Touchpad, using the Loudspeaker for phone calls, flashing the Lightbar during police pursuits, Trophies and Achievements, Activity Feed and Hero Stats, and defining the opening district boundaries for use with PlayGo.

During which time I was promoted to Acting Lead Designer, having developed a variety of embedded systems, conducted several designer interviews, and introducing new team members to the project.