Horizon Worlds
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Meta Horizon Worlds key art: cartoon avatars playing around the Horizon Worlds logo
Role Creative Director
Studio Archiact Interactive (Meta contract)
Period 2020–2022

Horizon Worlds

Social mini-games for Meta's social VR platform

I created and led a team on a series of social mini-games designed to connect new players.
  • 6 moThe contract as first planned
  • 2+ yrsHow long it ran in the end
  • 3–6 moLength of each overlapping production cycle

01What I owned

  • Put together the initial high-level proposal that won the contract
  • Collaborated with client and internal teams to pitch and deliver features emphasizing core social and shared user experiences
  • Created and led development of world and mini-game mechanics using Meta's visual scripting tools
  • Designed user onboarding and social interaction flows, focusing on clarity, context-appropriate tone, and intuitive multi-intent navigation
  • Led the team through multiple overlapping 3–6 month production cycles
  • Implemented hiring and training procedures, and trained and mentored designers through rapid product cycles

02The brief

Horizon Worlds is Meta's online social platform and creation tool.

While at Archiact Interactive, we were tasked with seeding game and mini-game content in Meta's social platform. This was so the core platform team could focus on the platform itself as well as continue to develop the content creation tools.

We successfully negotiated the contract after I had initially put together a high level proposal for a number of VR-centric multiplayer games.

For context, the platform itself came out of an invite-only beta and opened to adults in the US and Canada in December 2021.

03The mini-games

The work was specifically mini-games and social experiences built to connect strangers fast, and the goal was designing the right social conditions: low-stakes entry, instant chaos potential, and the kind of emergent energy that keeps people coming back.

Slide titled Fort Builder, Core Game Mechanic: simple sketches show players protecting a Matter Generator, pulling blocks to build a fort, and toppling an opponent's fort
Mini-game document I created to show the team an example of what we were creating. This page lays out the core mechanic of a mini-game design called Fort Builder.
Slide titled Break-em Ball, Core Game Mechanic: two players volley a ball while blocks move forward from the back wall, with power-ups and team-coloured bricks
Another page from the same document: the core mechanic of a mini-game design called Break-em Ball.

We learned a ton about what drives engagement in these spaces as well as in community driven spaces, and I used those insights to design new 'worlds'. Those worlds ended up topping Meta's internal retention charts.

Two views of Camp Getaway: a wooden stage and campfire benches under mountains, and a Camp Getaway welcome arch
Camp Getaway, one of the worlds we created
Two views of Out of Control: a round control room with portholes and levers, and a row of training terminals
Out of Control, one of the worlds we created
Two views of Plundershot: a cannon aimed at floating pirate ships above the clouds, and the inside of a wooden cabin
Plundershot, one of the worlds we created

04Short cycles

During production I led our team through a series of multiple overlapping short production cycles (3-6 months) that would then ultimately be pushed live, put on hold, or cancelled by Meta.

Because the development tools were in a state of always being improved our work was occasionally subject to being deprecated or put on hold until key features were integrated into the platform.

Short production cycles decided by Meta overlap 3–6 months Pushed live Put on hold Cancelled time Short production cycles decided by Meta 3–6 months Pushed live Put on hold Cancelled time
Multiple cycles overlapped.

Why work went on hold

The developmenttools werealways beingimproved occasionally Put on hold Deprecated Until keyfeatures wereintegrated intothe platform. The developmenttools werealways beingimproved occasionally Put on hold Deprecated Until keyfeatures wereintegrated intothe platform.

05Growing the team

Meta was extremely complimentary of our work and what was meant to be a 6 month contract extended out to over 2 years. We were able to expand and hire up more on the team. I implemented and used hiring and training procedures so we could have a healthy balance of experienced and those new to the industry.

I was heavily involved in the hiring efforts, bringing in new talent and junior designers, which gave me great opportunity (and joy) to focus on dedicated mentorship and training. This role involved working with a lot of juniors, guiding and mentoring them on design and technical conventions, supporting and improving their work along the way.

06What I learned

The rapid product cycles forced me to get sharp at evaluating designs quickly, killing ideas that weren't working, and helping teams find the fun faster.

Skills Applied

Social Design Onboarding Design Visual Scripting Rapid Prototyping Team Building Mentorship Client Relations