The Outer Worlds 2
Obsidian Entertainment

Role: Area Designer

Team Size: ~100

Duration: 4.5 Years

Tools Used: UE5, Illustrator, Jira, Confluence

Platform: PC, Xbox X|S, PS5

Overview

The Outer Worlds 2 is a first-person & third-person action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a standalone sequel to The Outer Worlds (2019), set in the Arcadia planetary system that has been invaded by a megacorporation. Players assume control of the protagonist, an Earth Directorate Agent, who is tasked with uncovering the source of emerging rifts that threaten to destroy the colony amidst a factional war.

The gameplay involves alternating between various combat, stealth and dialogue systems when encountering hostile non-playable characters in the overworld. The game also retains its predecessor's dialogue tree system which influences the branching story paths depending on how the player interacts with their party and other supporting characters throughout the narrative.

Throughout development, I operated as an Area Designer, meaning I was responsible for collaborating with the narrative, art, systems, audio, vfx, and animation departments in order to develop Points of Interest and quests from concept to ship. I was trusted to execute on three of the crit path arc locations, Horizon Point Station (Tutorial), Grater Tranquility Station (Act Climax), Reconstituted Horizon Point (End-Game). In between crit path location work, I provided technical support for Player Ship, reworked The Bridge POI in Paradise Island, and owned a large trench-filled swath of Golden Ridge’s Eastern Overlands.

While most of my work was in the capacity of a level designer, I simultaneously consistently pitched, developed, and implemented new mechanics, tools, and gameplay objects to enhance the player experience and empower my fellow developers.