For Honor: Multiplayer Menu Rework

I was in charge of redesigning For Honor’s Multiplayer section. The goal was to improve the overall accessibility and future-proof of one of the game’s key sections. It includes a full reorganization of the landing page menu items, new game mode categories and fully redesigned game mode selection screens, amongst many other improvements.

User Experience Audit

Following insights and recommendations provided by the studio’s User Research Lab, I analyzed the current multiplayer section, aiming to identify substantial improvements that could be made to these menus. The goal was for players to find and launch their desired game modes quickly and easily.

Two major problems needed to be addressed: the world map format and its random nature, and the game mode families (or how the modes are categorized). From there, we could move on to other issues such as labelling, content and functionalities.

Firstly, let’s have a look at the map. The game mode families are tied to a node on a geographical map that moves according to which of the three factions controls certain territories. Therefore, the metagame mechanic of the faction war makes it so that players never know where they will find the “Duels” category every time they launch the game. This menu being a geographical map limited how many categories were available as each needed to be connected to a Faction Capital, and also impeded some playlist automation our Online Team was hoping to implement in the future.

Secondly, let’s talk about game mode categories. These categories seemed arbitrary to most players: Breach being in its own category and not grouped with the other 4v4 PVP game modes, for example. The lack of labels and sole reliance on icons also made it harder to understand what the game modes are, especially for newer players.

A problem I noticed was how some content was repeated and spread across the Activity Selection, Parameters and Matchmaking screens. I looked into cleaning this up and moving all game mode parameter functionalities to a single screen.

User Experience: New Flows and Low Fidelity Prototype

The first step was to address any flow and content issues. Looking outwards to other live games and internally to the User Research Lab for insights and best practices, we overhauled the game mode categories and reorganized the landing page menu items.

I mapped outflows in Miro and built interactive prototypes in Figma. The User Research Lab tested our prototypes with players and provided us with feedback and insights. From there, we made the final flow and low fidelity prototype for our revamped Multiplayer section.

All PVP modes, including Custom Match, are in the multiplayer section. The game modes are sorted according to whether you are queuing solo or in a team. PVE Modes are now in their own section. This adds an extra step to the PVE flow but in this case, it’s a better UX decision, as the new screen provides players with more information about the Story and Arcade modes.

User Interface Design: High Fidelity Mock-Ups and Figma Prototype

For the actual design of the interface, I aimed to unify the look and feel of all the screens that are part of our matchmaking flow. From the Landing Page, to the Activity Selection, including Custom Match and Matchmaking. All screens are now cohesive. Many assets, like icons and banner images, were re-used as-is while some were refreshed, as they had not been revisited since the game’s original launch. It is at this step that I collaborated with our Narrative Team for the names and descriptions of our new categories. They also looked into any text that needed refreshing, such as addressing the inconsistent naming of game modes.

The result is an intuitive flow that fits well within For Honor’s current art direction and interaction patterns.

Final In-Game Capture

Here is what it looks like in game, as of Y9S1 Title Update 1. Captured on Xbox Series X.

Credits