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SMITE 2 - Website Design

In short

SMITE is one of the dominant players in the MOBA scene. Over 40 million people have enjoyed Hi-Rez Studios' title since its release in 2014. Its third-person viewpoint and focus on the divine sets it apart in a competitive field. A decade on, and an announcement revealing a sequel sent fans into a frenzy. Of course, every new game requires a new website to inform and excite potential players. Our track record of producing clear and engaging designs speaks for itself. So, when the Hi-Rez team were looking for a web design partner for SMITE 2, they came to us.

Deliverables

Website design

Gods galore

Our work on the SMITE 2 website focused on three areas:

1. A page with information on the game's various Founder’s Editions.
2. A page highlighting the sequel's different game modes.
3. A page showcasing SMITE 2's playable characters—the Gods.

With a large chunk of web traffic coming from mobile, handheld optimisation was a must. We ensured these pages were easy to read while losing none of the detail.

Founder's Editions

Let's start by looking at the Founder’s Edition page. SMITE 2 has three different editions available for fans to pre-order. They are Founder's Edition, Deluxe Founder's Edition and Ultimate Founder's Edition.

Visitors need to know what they're getting and how each version stacks up to make a buying decision. Some content appears across all editions. While other content is exclusive to the higher-priced editions.

Gold standard

To succeed, we needed to present this information in a way that was easy to digest. We chose to create three columns, side-by-side, comparing each version. Our aim was to allow viewers to see, at a glance, the content contained in each.

We coloured each column, too—bronze for Founder's Edition, silver for Deluxe and gold for Ultimate. Colouring the columns reinforces the idea in viewers that the Ultimate version is the one to go for. Everyone knows that gold medals are the real prize!

We integrated character art at the top of each column, with Zeus at the head of the Ultimate version. At the base, we included each edition's price and links to each digital store. Again, clarity and ease of user experience were key considerations.

Finally, each column featured a button labelled ‘EXPAND DETAILS’. When clicked, these buttons opened an overlay showing content from the respective versions. This approach works for people who prefer to take in information visually rather than by reading text.

Game modes

Over the years, SMITE has evolved to include several different game modes. Each features its own unique maps, rules and play styles, along with a dedicated following. These modes are essential to the game's community and just as crucial in SMITE2.The Titan Forge team asked us to present the game mode information in a way that was attractive and easy to digest.

The game mode parent page gives readers an overview of each available mode. We created a system that allows players to search game modes using various filters. Providing the ability to sift data was key to building a strong user experience.

Each game mode has its own separate page. As with the god pages, we used icons at the top to show details at a glance. Our interactive maps allowed players to explore the game's different environments. Text gave further details on the map's various objectives. Images and videos created an attractive design that encouraged readers to explore.

Character page

In SMITE, the playable characters—the Gods—are the stars of the show. There are 130 of them in the original game, and everyone in the community has their favourite—and not-so-favourite. All eyes were on Titan Forge to see which Gods would be making their way to SMITE 2.

Showcasing the game’s characters to the audience was a crucial element of this brief. Players want to know essential info about each God: their class, unique abilities and lore.

We created an engaging design that began with the god's name and artwork at the top of the page. Icons below this section gave readers an at-a-glance view of key character information. The section further down provides a detailed breakdown of the god's various abilities.

Skin in the game

Further down the page, we included character lore in both text and video. The section below shows all available character skins—vital info for SMITE players. Finally, the related gods section lets players quickly check out similar characters.

As with the original, SMITE 2 will continue to evolve and grow with more gods added over time. To make things easy for the Titan Forge team, we provided them with a template design for these pages.

Figma

Our design process was the same for all three parts of this project. We produced wireframe versions for the game mode and character pages in Figma, the online collaborative design tool, and wireframed the Founder’s Edition page using Photoshop.

At the end of the project, we handed over the files from Figma to the Titan Forge team. By having access to the files, the team had the flexibility to use them to meet their future needs.