Challenge
Adapt Netflix’s Red Light Green Light into a real time crash game format while balancing global player expectations, regulatory constraints, and brand integrity.
Outcome
A globally released community crash game
First title in our portfolio to introduce sound
First to introduce history pills
First to introduce a side by side dual betting layout
The Design Problem
Traditional crash games such as Aviator use a simple left to right multiplier graph.
Red Light Green Light is spatial, character driven, and cinematic.
The challenge was not just visual. It was structural.
How do you:
• Preserve the clarity of a crash multiplier
• Keep the doll visible at all times
• Maintain tension
• Avoid gore due to regulation
• Serve very different global player behaviours
Global Research Insights
We conducted research across Africa, the UK, and the US.
Key Findings were
Players perceive crash games as skill based
Both African and Western players believe they can “read” the game using history.
In Africa, players often refer to the history as “the graph” and use it to decide when to enter.
This meant the history display was not decorative.
It was psychologically central.
Africa preferred traditional crash formats
Players were familiar with Aviator style games.
They valued clarity and graph familiarity.
Western markets wanted more entertainment
UK and US players responded strongly to theme, sound, animation and spectacle.
The final product had to respect both mental models.
Header: History as a Strategic Tool
The header introduced history pills, a new system in our portfolio.
Instead of copying existing crash colour schemes, I audited colour systems across:
Fortnite
Call of Duty
Destiny
World of Warcraft
Aviator
Other crash titles
The most consistent cross game pattern was:
Grey or White – low
Purple – medium
Yellow or Gold – high
Many crash games use light blue, purple and pink.
Those hues are visually close and not accessible for many users.
I presented a research backed colour system and moved the product toward:
Grey → Purple → Gold
This improved scannability, accessibility, and long term system consistency.
The history pills became a core behaviour driver, not just decoration.
Main Game Area: Reframing the Crash Mechanic
Instead of a plane flying left to right, I designed a more top down stadium view behind the runners.
Two players run away from the camera, increasing tension and immersion.
Why this mattered:
• Keeps the doll visible at all times
• Reinforces the Red Light Green Light mechanic visually
• Maintains crash multiplier clarity in the centre
• Preserves community visibility
This was not just aesthetic.
It protected rule clarity while allowing tension.
Community Gameplay Design
This is a community crash game.
All players watch the same round.
Round flow:
Countdown
Doll turns
Avatars run
Multiplier increases
Player must cash out before Red Light
If the player fails to cash out, their character transitions into a coffin.
We avoided blood entirely due to regulatory requirements.
There was early concern that coffins could be misinterpreted visually.
Testing showed no confusion.
When players win:
• Piggy bank appears
• Cash drops in
• Positive reinforcement sound plays
There is no negative loss sound.
This was intentional.
I wanted to reinforce wins without drawing extra emotional attention to losses.
Footer: Side by Side Betting Architecture
Traditional crash games stack bet panels vertically.
I redesigned the betting system to sit side by side.
This allowed players to:
• Bet on 456
• Bet on 067
• Place two bets simultaneously
• Switch between real money and free bets
Before betting, avatars sit at 30 percent opacity.
After placing a bet, they become fully opaque.
This subtle state shift reinforces confirmation without adding UI noise.
The coin icon allows switching between free and real money bets.
A contextual tooltip teaches this at onboarding.
If redesigning today, I would refine this further.
Since launch, I have developed a more intuitive toggle pattern now rolling out across other titles.
Free Bet Integration and Funnel Design
This title had to integrate with our ecosystem.
Players receive free bets from:
Velocity Free daily reward game.
This funnels players from free engagement into monetised play.
The interface needed to:
• Clearly differentiate free and cash bets
• Allow seamless switching
• Avoid friction during live countdown
Balancing promotional mechanics with real money UX was a key design constraint.
Sound: Introducing Audio to Crash Games
This was the first game in our portfolio to include sound.
Initial assumptions internally were that crash players preferred silent gameplay.
However:
• US research showed strong appetite for audio
• Netflix required sound for brand alignment
I designed:
• Full sound flow architecture
• Win sound reinforcement
• Doll turn cue audio
• Countdown tension build
• Toggle logic for sound and SFX
Due to UI constraints, sound controls were placed in the burger menu.
This project marked a turning point.
It proved that sensory layering improves perceived value and immersion.
End to End Systems Thinking
I created complete Figma flows for:
• Win states
• Loss states
• Disconnect handling
• Low balance errors
• Bet validation errors
• History interactions
• Sound states
• How to play
• Onboarding tooltips
I also designed the initial artwork and visual system.
An animation specialist joined later to polish character motion and environmental texture.
Reflection
This project demonstrates:
• Cross market product adaptation
• Stakeholder alignment through research
• Regulatory aware design
• Behavioural psychology integration
• Sound architecture design
• System level thinking across header, gameplay, and footer
• Balancing familiarity with innovation
It required navigating strong opinions while grounding decisions in research and user behaviour.
The result was a crash game that respected traditional player mental models while elevating entertainment value for broader markets.
