Zoo Tycoon Friends

Zoo Tycoon Friends was developed by Behaviour under contract with Microsoft for Windows 8 and Microsoft mobile devices. By the time the game was completed and ready for launch, Microsoft had shifted its focus away from the platform, and the game was never officially published.

As the Art Director, my main goal was to establish a cohesive and appealing visual identity. I focused on refining the game’s overall look, beginning with a key visual element: the terrain textures. Finalizing the terrain allowed me to define a key colour palette—particularly a distinctive shade of bright green—that became central to the game’s aesthetic. I also dedicated significant time to refining the UI and ensuring a consistent colour scheme.

Once the visual foundation was set, I focused on streamlining the art production pipeline and shaping the game’s final presentation. A critical step was creating example assets to demonstrate what polished, in-engine art would look like. While concept art is invaluable early on, having fully realized assets in the engine gave the team a clearer understanding of achievable quality.

To support the team, I built the initial set of assets and laid the groundwork for asset creation going forward. I remember the project as both fun and rewarding. During this time, I was juggling multiple projects: working on Zoo Tycoon Friends in the mornings, helping to port Shadow of Mordor to Xbox, and starting on Dead by Daylight. It was a hectic but memorable period.