Optimizing the 60-Player Journey: Streamlining Cross-Platform Interaction for Global Launch
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Stampede - Racing Royale is a large-scale, 60-player experience from Sumo Leamington. It merges the high-speed racing chaos of Mario Kart with the physics-driven elimination rounds of Fall Guys.
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Sixty players clash in adrenaline-fueled races and race through three intense rounds until only one champion remains. Seasonal progression and extensive customization drive the game's constant evolution.
Problem
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Early playtests through the Xbox Insider Program revealed a critical retention crisis: high churn driven by a 38% lobby wait time ratio, challenging mobile controls, and an onboarding gap that left players unprepared for high-level competition.
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Goal: Boost Day 1–Day 7 retention for the October 2024 Steam launch.
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Constraint: Deliver improvements within a high-intensity 12-week development sprint.
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Outcome: Achieved a significant increase in Day 7 retention and earned an 87% 'Very Positive' Steam rating
My Role
Senior UX Designer
Tool Kit
Figma, FigJam, Unity, Testing Tools
Platforms
Console, Desktop, Mobile
Timeline
Jan 2024 - June 2025
PC provided a generally more enjoyable experience, suggesting that a positive experience is possible in Stampede with the development of improved controls
The Research Phase: Identifying the Friction
We led a multiseat Round 2 study to compare the PC and mobile experiences. We utilized a mix of qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys across two distinct personas: Casual Mobile Gamers and Innovative PC/Console Gamers.
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Sessions were 2.5 hours long, with approx. 30mins on each platform (i.e., PC and mobile)
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When playing on mobile, players started on the Classic control scheme (for ~15mins) and switched to Refined (for another 15mins)
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All players started the session by completing the tutorial on PC
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Short surveys were given to players after the tutorial and after playing on each platfor
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Sessions were wrapped up with group interviews
Key Discoveries
The Advantage Gap: PC players dominated cross-play due to superior input precision. Mobile users found the UI "clunky," citing overly sensitive controls and UI elements that obscured the track.
Less information in FTUE : The FTUE (First Time User Experience) taught basic steering but ignored high-stakes mechanics like start boosts, defensive firing, and reversing.
The "Fatalism" Effect: Power-ups were unclear (e.g., "Davy Crockett"). If a player fell behind, they felt they had zero "catch-up" mechanics, leading to early match abandonment
Key Discoveries and Design Process
Design Process
Defining Solutions
Vertical Slice FTUE: We redesigned the onboarding process to function as a "Vertical Slice," giving players with an immediate experience of the core gameplay loop and high-fidelity visuals.
Mechanical Milestones: We integrated mandatory validation for Start Boosts, Drift-to-Boost, and Backward Firing to ensure players demonstrate competence in these mechanics.
Optimized Pacing: Replaced lap-based gating with an instant-success progression system, allowing players to advance after their first successful execution while maintaining high engagement.
Combat Readiness: increased the density of AI bots in the final tutorial phase to simulate the spatial crowding and chaos that players would encounter in live multiplayer matches.
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Fixed Anchor Points: Implemented Fixed Joystick Positions (ADS pads) to eliminate "Thumb Drift," ensuring players maintain tracking during high-intensity maneuvers.
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Sensitivity Tuning: Calibrated Dead Zones and input curves to allow for granular steering, successfully mitigating the "pinball effect" of over-correction.
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Gesture Mitigation: Defined UI Safe Zones to move critical power-up buttons away from screen edges, preventing accidental navigation triggers.
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Input Methods: Refined interaction design to bridge the gap between mobile and PC, delivering a "snappy" feel that allows for competitive cross-platform play.
Certain details missing due to deletion of project
Game did see a short burst of uptick for time being while it was live and players enjoyed the game.