CLIENT

PLATFORMS

SERVICES

Stoic

PC, Xbox

UX, UI & Implementation

Building the Experience

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In Towerborne, players take on the role of Aces—resurrected heroes defending the last bastion of humanity. Stoic Studio brought UX is Fine in during a pivotal stage of development to help level up their UI/UX experience. Our role evolved across multiple phases, supporting both technical implementation and creative direction to help bring the game’s ambitious interface systems to life.

Our later involvement included UI exploration, but the early focus was on resolving foundational UX and pipeline issues.

Visual Exploration
User Flow
UI Design
Implementation Pipeline

Deliverables

The Workflow

From prototyping to implementation, our team adapted to the project's evolving needs—helping reinforce Stoic’s internal tools, build confidence in their pipeline, and bring clarity to complex UI systems. Our hybrid design-and-engineering approach allowed us to push deeper into engine integration and support the gameplay loop more directly.

In the first phase we worked with an existing UI kit while streamlining Stoic’s design pipeline using Figma. We integrated with their proprietary Figma-to-Coherent Gameface pipeline and built custom Figma plugins to detect and resolve formatting issues, reducing implementation errors and improving team confidence. We supported gameplay engineering by writing glue code to bridge low-level gameplay data into the UI—helping alleviate the burden on Stoic’s constrained engineering resources.

In parallel, we collaborated with Stoic’s design team to ensure that all UI elements passed strict accessibility standards, helping the project meet broader inclusivity goals. We also developed a shared JSX component library that supported consistency, scalability, and smoother implementation across PC and console builds.

Wireframes progressed from gray box layouts to high fidelity, fully interactive flows:

InteracTive Prototypes

To support alignment and rapid iteration, we created detailed interactive prototypes in Figma that covered the majority of Towerborne’s UI systems. Built with controller navigation in mind, these prototypes were comprehensive and responsive enough to convincingly simulate in-game interactions.

We layered in animated transitions and motion cues to replicate the feel of the final UI—giving Stoic a tangible sense of how screens would flow and respond. This high level of fidelity helped surface usability issues early, strengthened collaboration across teams, and ensured that layout, pacing, and hierarchy decisions were driven by hands-on experience, not speculation.

Each of these features had its own dedicated Figma workspace, enabling focused, high-fidelity design across a modular UI structure.

Our team contributed to a wide range of player-facing features—from foundational gameplay loops to systems designed for long-term engagement and personalization. Each of these systems was developed with clarity, accessibility, and platform parity in mind. We worked on:

Core Systems: Loadout, Item Progression, Forge, Job Board, Bank
Live Service & Progression: Danger License Trial, Battle Pass, End of Mission, Side Panel System
Personalization & Expression: Cosmetics, Emotes and Stickers (Equipping)

These files not only streamlined development but served as collaborative blueprints across design, engineering, and production.

Our designs moved efficiently from wireframes to final implementation thanks to direct collaboration with Stoic’s tech team.

From Wires to in-Game

Directly working with the Stoic development team insured the wireframes were implemented smoothly. We supported both Coherent and JSX integration workflows and ensured parity across PC and console interfaces, with controller-first design baked into every step.

In the second phase of the work, UXiF Led UI exploration and redesigned multiple systems from the ground up. We assisted in transitioning from a proprietary UI pipeline to a JSX-based system (without React). We collaborated closely with Stoic’s UI/UX team to reimagine and implement scalable systems that supported evolving game features.

Character, LOADOUT, + FORGE

Shared Component Library

To support visual consistency and accelerate implementation across features, we created a comprehensive UX/UI component library in Figma. This living system of shared components was used across all feature files, serving as a scalable foundation that supported Stoic’s internal and external teams throughout production and post-launch development.