Websites, campaign systems and AI-assisted implementation for a narrative cRPG studio.
Longdue Games was launching Hopetown, a narrative-first cRPG supported by crowdfunding, press attention, community-building and investor-facing communication. The studio needed a digital presence that could establish credibility, direct users to funding and wishlist actions, support recruitment, and keep the audience engaged while the game was still in development.
I worked across both the Longdue Games studio site and the Hopetown game site, creating approved layouts in Figma before building and publishing the pages in Wix. The current sites remain substantially based on the work I delivered, with later content and hero-image updates added after my involvement.
The Problem
The project needed to connect several audiences at once: players, backers, press, investors, potential hires and community members. Each audience needed a clear next step, whether that was backing the campaign, wishlisting on Steam, joining Discord, signing up for updates, reading about the studio or exploring open roles.
The challenge was to create a coherent launch ecosystem quickly, using strong existing game artwork while working within the limitations of Wix and without dedicated developer support.
Constraints
The work was delivered under shifting stakeholder direction, tight deadlines and unclear technical boundaries. Wix provided speed, but it was difficult to customise beyond its intended template behaviour, especially for responsive layout details, blog limitations and recruitment integration.
The most complex constraint was the Workable jobs section. The required design could not be achieved through a simple embed, so I had to troubleshoot HTML, CSS and JavaScript behaviour, using ChatGPT as a technical support tool and validating changes through iterative testing before publishing.
My Role
I was responsible for the digital design and production layer across both websites. This included Figma layouts, Wix implementation, website content population, newsletter capture, Wix automations, campaign updates, Kickstarter and Indiegogo visual assets, Steam-related promotional assets, social media collateral, email visuals, video edits and recruitment integration.
The core game artwork and painterly visual assets were created by Astri Lohne, my role was to adapt those assets into functional web, campaign, social and crowdfunding materials that supported the launch journey.
I helped turn a visually rich game concept into a working launch ecosystem across websites, crowdfunding platforms, recruitment, social content and email capture, using AI-assisted debugging to bridge the gap between design intent and technical delivery.
The Process
I started by translating stakeholder direction and campaign copy into website layouts for approval. Once signed off, I built the pages in Wix, adapted artwork for web use, created responsive layouts and published updates live.
For the Hopetown site, the main journey moved users from game interest into action: preorder or back the campaign, wishlist on Steam, watch the teaser, join Discord or sign up for updates. For the Longdue site, the goal was broader studio credibility, including media references, investor/press contact, company positioning and recruitment.
When the Workable integration could not meet the required layout through the default embed, I used ChatGPT to help debug and adapt the code. This became an iterative workflow: identify the issue, prompt for possible solutions, test the code, refine the styling and validate the result against the Figma layout.
Key Work
Hopetown website
A game-focused Wix site designed to support campaign traffic, Steam wishlists, crowdfunding actions, community growth and email signups.
Longdue Games website
A studio-facing website that supported company credibility, press/investor enquiries, the Hopetown launch, blog updates and recruitment.
Workable recruitment integration
A customised jobs section built across both sites, adapted beyond the default embed to better match the approved design direction and user flow.
Crowdfunding and campaign assets
Visual support for Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Steam campaigns, including platform graphics, update assets, promotional layouts and social variants.
Video and social media assets
Edited trailer and video assets for desktop and mobile use, along with paid and organic social campaign formats created from existing game artwork.
AI-assisted implementation
ChatGPT became a practical workflow tool for debugging code, understanding JavaScript behaviour and solving implementation problems that sat between design and development.
Impact
The work supported the public launch and crowdfunding ecosystem for Hopetown across web, social, email, Steam, Kickstarter and Indiegogo touchpoints. The Kickstarter campaign was later reported as closing at 450% funded, with late pledges continuing after the initial campaign.
While this was a wider team and campaign outcome, my contribution helped provide the digital infrastructure and campaign collateral needed to direct users toward backing, wishlisting, signing up and engaging with the project.
Reflection
This was a demanding assignment outside my strongest working conditions. It pushed me into deeper technical problem-solving and made AI a practical part of my workflow, especially when adapting Wix and embedded code under time pressure.
It also clarified the importance of realistic scope, tool fit, clear task ownership and early stakeholder alignment. If approaching a similar project again, I would push for a clearer delivery workflow, documented requirements, a technical feasibility check before design sign-off, and a stronger task-management system to reduce ambiguity during implementation.
