Free to Play Games: Conceptualising the Fanatics Game Suite

To establish its new “Games” platform as a cornerstone of daily fan engagement, Fanatics needed to develop a rich portfolio of free-to-play games. The initial strategy, partly informed by an external agency, provided a list of high-level concepts (from daily trivia to prediction pools).

However, these were just ideas on a page. The challenge was taking this portfolio of game concepts and transforming them from brief-level ideas into fully visualised product frameworks that the product and engineering teams could rally behind and build.

This type of work sits at the heart of my idea development process, where raw concepts are turned into investor and engineering-ready product frameworks.

My role was to be the lead conceptual designer for the entire free-to-play suite. I was responsible for taking the raw game briefs, defining the core user experience for each unique mechanic, and creating a cohesive visual language that could be adapted across all the games. My deliverable was a portfolio of tangible, high-fidelity design concepts.

The project combined my background in fan engagement design and experience optimisation to create meaningful daily habits that connected fans beyond transactions.

I designed a series of distinct game concepts, each tailored to a different type of fan and engagement pattern. The key was visualizing how each game would function from start to finish.

For fans who love to prove their sports knowledge, I designed concepts for daily and weekly prediction games.

Fanatics 5: A daily game where users answer 5 questions about upcoming games. The concept included innovative mechanics like a “Jackpot Slider” for the final question, where users could choose their risk and reward level.

Perfect 9: A “no-skill” game based on a tic-tac-toe/bingo board of game outcomes, designed for broader appeal and rewarding both luck and strategy.

For the Fanatics 5 final question, I could have designed a simple binary prediction. Instead, I introduced a slider mechanic that lets users choose their confidence level and corresponding reward multiplier.

The psychology here is crucial: giving users agency over their risk creates a deeper sense of ownership in the outcome. It transforms a passive prediction into an active strategic decision, which increases engagement and makes victories feel more earned.

Inspired by the high-energy format of live game shows like HQ Trivia, I designed a concept for a fast-paced, time-sensitive trivia experience.

The user flow included a 10-second timer per question, creating a sense of urgency and excitement. The designs covered the entire experience, from the home screen widget and pre-game notifications to the live gameplay and the final prize confirmation screen.

To keep the platform fresh and culturally relevant, I also developed concepts based on popular game formats.

Beat the Streak: A classic daily pick’em game where the challenge is building the longest streak of correct predictions.

Player Guessing Games: Concepts inspired by viral hits like Wordle and Poeltl, adapted for an NBA or NFL fan.

This engagement was about turning an ambitious list of ideas into a concrete and actionable vision. The comprehensive portfolio of design concepts I delivered served as a critical strategic asset for Fanatics.

It Created a Visual Library of Game Mechanics: The product team now had a clear, visual example of how each different game type would function.

It Defined a Scalable Design Language: The concepts established a consistent UI and UX foundation that could be used to build out the full suite of games.

It Provided a Tangible Vision for Roadmapping: The mockups made the game concepts “real,” allowing for more accurate planning, effort estimation, and prioritisation.

It Accelerated the Go-to-Market Strategy: By providing a clear and comprehensive design framework, I enabled the product and engineering teams to move much faster from idea to execution.

Check out the Fanatics app on the App Store

Professional note: This case study showcases the conceptual design work and strategic thinking delivered for this project. The final, in-production designs were executed by the client’s internal team.