I was Art Director for WWE Champions at Kung Fu Factory, leading a team of 20+ artists on the visual direction of a live-service mobile game built around WWE — a brand with a passionate global audience and very strong opinions about how its talent gets represented. The game launched to #1 Free Game status in 24 countries and climbed to #11 Top Grossing on the App Store.
Live-service games don't get a finish line. WWE Champions needed a constant stream of new artwork, promotional content, and event updates without ever slipping on visual consistency. Every character and environment had to read as authentically WWE while fitting the game's stylized art direction. Likenesses had to be both faithful and flattering to clear approval.
My day-to-day covered a wide range: defining visual quality standards, directing character art, environments, UI, and animation, running daily collaboration with Scopely and internal leadership, and managing a mix of internal, outsourced, and freelance artists.
A lot of the actual work was less about art and more about the pipeline around it — tightening review cycles, being specific about what "on-brand" meant so artists weren't guessing, and making sure feedback moved fast enough to keep up with a live-ops schedule.
Results
- Led a 20+ person multidisciplinary art team through a live-service launch
- #1 Free Game in 24 countries, #11 Top Grossing on the App Store
- Built a production pipeline that held up under a continuously evolving content schedule
