Xu He
ustwo games
Xu He is a game designer and indie developer with nine years of experience in game design. She joined ustwo games in 2023 as a senior designer and has been working on Monument Valley 3 since then. The game, released last December, was a major success. Previously, Xu worked at mobile game studios such as Netspeak Games (Sunshine Days) and Gamegou (Top Football Manager). In addition to her studio work, she develops indie games for both mobile and PC. Her released titles include Cat Bounce – Physics Puzzles, Memory Detective, and Disconnected.
Xu He is speaking at the following session/s
Designing Together: The Power of Collaborative Game Design on Monument Valley 3
The third installment in the beloved, award-winning series, Monument Valley 3 was released in December 2024 to widespread acclaim from both the media and players. The Guardian praised its innovation, noting that 'with its more natural forms and shapes, it breaks some of the rules of Monument Valley, mixing and matching styles and ideas more freely’.
I joined the Monument Valley 3 team as a senior designer during its early pre-production stage. In this talk, I will share how fostering creativity across all disciplines (e.g., programmers, artists, producers, and QAs) contributed to Monument Valley 3’s design and what role designers play when ideas can come from everywhere.
By encouraging input from the entire team, we gained fresh perspectives that enriched the game and led to more diverse and innovative design. But this doesn’t mean designers are less important. They play a crucial role in shaping ideas into cohesive and engaging experiences.
Session Takeaway
- Create a pressure-free playground for the team to play - using a loose framework and handy tools
- While everyone contributes creatively, you’ll learn how designers play a crucial role in shaping ideas into cohesive and engaging experiences
- If you want your artists to fix the remaining issues in your design, you need to help them fully understand your design first
Session speakers
