Whore of the Orient
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Whore of the Orient title over a dim Shanghai courtyard
Role Senior Game Designer
Studio Kennedy Miller Mitchell (Team Bondi)
Period Sept 2012 – Jan 2013

Whore of the Orient

Open-world game set in 1920s Shanghai (cancelled)

My goal was primarily to design and build out the combat systems in the game.

01What I owned

This was an open-world game set in Shanghai in the 1920s that was unfortunately cancelled during our pre-production and prototyping phase. It never shipped, so this page covers only the design and prototype work I did on it.

  • Designed and implemented core third-person combat mechanics and systems
  • A combat system based on Defendu, the close-quarters martial art developed in 1920s Shanghai
  • Helped put together a prototype with early combat and shooting mechanics and a chase scene through crowded alleyways
  • Mentored a team of five designers on design practice and technical implementation

02The idea

1920s Shanghai was the birthplace of modern 'Close Quarters Combat' with the development of a martial art called Defendu by William Fairbairn for the Shanghai Municipal Police.

The idea was to design a combat system based around this brand new and untested martial art at the time, and see it grow as your combat ability and skills also grow and unlock.

Two men squaring off in a hand-to-hand fight on a cobbled Shanghai street
A hand-to-hand fight on a Shanghai street, from our prototype.

03The prototype

The prototype we put together consisted of early combat and shooting mechanics, as well as a chase scene through crowded, busy alleyways.

A crowd of pedestrians filling a narrow street lined with shopfronts
A crowded Shanghai street, from our prototype.

04What came next

One thing we didn't have time for, but I wanted to prototype next, was the concept of a seamless cover system where you could use crowds of pedestrians in a similar way to using walls to take cover or hide behind. The project was cancelled before we got to it.

Skills Applied

Combat Design Historical Research Prototyping Systems Design Mentoring Open World