Country Friends

From design concept to greenlight

Country Friends is a vibrant, family-friendly farming simulation game developed by Gameloft. Set in a picturesque rural landscape, the game allows players to build and manage their own farm, growing crops, raising animals, and trading goods with friends and other players around the world.

The product experience

• Farm Management: Players can cultivate various crops, raise livestock, and create a thriving farm economy by selling their produce and crafted goods.

• Social Gameplay: The game encourages community interaction by allowing players to collaborate with friends, participate in co-op activities, and trade resources.

• Customization: Extensive customization options enable players to personalize their farms with a variety of buildings, decorations, and layouts, making each farm unique.

• Events and Challenges: Regular in-game events and challenges provide players with new opportunities to earn rewards and enhance their farms.

The farming concept brought together resource management, progression, and social interaction in a mobile experience.

My Role

As Design Director, I developed the design and mockups that established the farming-game concept and secured its greenlight. My contribution began before production, making the proposed product concrete enough to approve.

• Concept direction: developed the design that established the farming-game proposal.

• Mockups: made the proposed experience tangible for stakeholders.

• Greenlight: used design and mockups to secure approval for the project.

• Team delivery: contributed design direction within the wider multidisciplinary effort.

This case shows design influencing an investment decision: establishing the product concept and helping the project move forward.

Results

The concrete outcome of my concept work was the project greenlight. Country Friends subsequently became a shipped Gameloft title, with my contribution recorded as Design Director.

• Established a farming-game concept through design.

• Created mockups to communicate the proposed experience.

• Helped secure the decision to move the project forward.

• Contributed as Design Director to a product delivered by the wider team.

The strategic contribution was shaping what the team would build and using design to make that direction actionable.