MAI GROSS DAVID025
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03·Value flow·2026

Loyalty is a feeling, not a tier.

Tiers, rewards and rituals — designed to make players feel seen, not segmented.

Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
Design · Eng · Product
Scope
Cross-studio system
Year
2026
Goal

A loyalty program that feels like part of the game.

Launch a first version of a loyalty program that assigns players to tiers, supports tier progression and demotion via season/expiry rules, and enables a basic loyalty store experience.

Two surfaces — a widget that lives inside the game, and a web-based Loyalty Store where players can spend what they earn.

In-game widget — current tier, progression scale, season countdown and tier benefits.
Widget

Everything a player needs, one tap away.

  • Current tier
  • Next tier
  • Tier scale and range (SC)
  • Season timeline and expiry
  • Redeem points (P) balance
  • Tier benefits
  • CTA to the LP store (web)
Earn — progression scale to next tier, season countdown and active missions.
Spend — Redeem Points balance, real-world and in-game items.
LP Store

A web store where loyalty becomes value.

  • — Redeem points balance, always visible
  • — Digital goods tab (4–6 examples per studio)
  • — Tangible goods tab (coming soon)
  • — "My status" view — same info as the widget, store-native UI
  • — Guest players must identify before redeeming
Store login — Apple / Facebook / Connect your game. Identification required before redemption.
Scope

Phase 1 assumptions.

01
Single game per player

Phase 1 assumes single-game participation. Cross-game accumulation is future-ready.

02
All players auto-onboarded

Including guests. Guests have limitations — login required at store entry, no tangible redemption without identification.

03
Everyone starts at zero

0 Progression Points (SC) and 0 Redeem Points (P). Starting tier may vary by LTV (studio decision).

04
Built to expand

More tiers, more games, more benefits — the system is designed to grow without rework.

Points model

Two independent balances. One purchase.

Every in-game purchase grants both SC and P. They're earned together — but they live fully independent lives.

SC · PROGRESSION

For tier progression only.

  • — Earned on every in-game purchase
  • — Multipliers per dollar spent, configurable cross-studios
  • — No correlation to P
  • — Expires with the tier season timeline
P · REDEEM

For spending in the Loyalty Store.

  • — Earned on every in-game purchase
  • — Tier-based multipliers, set across all games
  • — Not affected by tier demotion
  • — Expires 12 months after the last in-game purchase
Tier structure

6 tiers. Configurable. Cross-game names.

SC range per tier

Defined as absolute cumulative ranges in the economic model.

Season timeline

Personal — starts when a player enters a tier. Higher tiers can run longer.

SC & P multipliers

Configured per tier. P multipliers set across all games.

Hidden tiers

Higher tiers can be hidden per studio, to match LTV and avoid frustration.

Backend = cumulative

Tier eligibility is evaluated against total accumulated SC.

UI = relative scale

Each tier displays its own 0 → next-tier scale. No absolute numbers in the player's face.

Early stage — rough black-and-white screen explaining how progression works, from purchase to tier.
Progression & demotion

Seasons, thresholds, carryover.

01
Season starts when a player enters a tier

Same rule for new tiers and demotions. On tier change, the expiry timer resets.

02
Carryover crosses tiers

Excess SC earned beyond the next tier carries over — and can trigger multiple jumps in a single purchase.

03
End of season: threshold or demotion

Pass the threshold → reset SC to 0, stay in tier. Miss it → demote one tier and reset to 0. Tier 1 never demotes.

04
Last tier loops

Complete the last tier within its season and you start it again — carryover applies. Miss it and you demote one step down.

05
Demotion doesn't touch P

Redeem balance survives every tier change. SC is the only thing that resets.

Tier benefits

Real value at every tier.

Multipliers, daily bonuses, monthly gifts, VIP support, personal offers — configured per tier and per studio. Players see exactly what they get now, and what's waiting one tier up.

All tiers and benefits — Bronze and Silver compared side by side.
Each benefit row carries an info icon for the full rule.
Design process

From rough sketch to polished surface.

The flow started as low-fi black-and-white screens that locked in the logic — tiers, seasons, carryover — before any visual style. Once the model held up, I layered the identity: star icons, gem tiers, motion and color.

EARLIER
Early stage — grayscale tier widget locking in layout and hierarchy before identity.
LATER
Progressed — Earn/Spend toggle, progression scale, missions and redeem balance.
Two surfaces

In-game widget. Web store.

Status at a glance

Current tier, season countdown, redeem balance — always visible.

Earn, then spend

One toggle moves between progression missions and the store.

Smooth handoff to web

CTA into the LP store carries identity, balance and tier across.

Identity & notifications

Login once. Never miss a season.

IDENTITY
  • — FB / iOS / Google logins unlock loyalty automatically
  • — Store entry requires authentication
  • — Email only required for tangible purchases
  • — Cross-game structure is future-ready
NOTIFICATIONS
  • — Days remaining in the season
  • — Threshold progress reminders
  • — SC about to expire
  • — P about to expire
Definition of done

Phase 1, validated.

6-tier structure with configurable ranges and season duration
Automatic onboarding, including LTV-based tier assignment
SC accumulation with overflow / carryover logic
Season reset on tier change
End-of-season threshold logic (stay vs. demote)
Demotion resets SC to 0 — Tier 1 protected
Every purchase grants both P and SC, independently
P rolling expiration — 12 months from last purchase
Manual P grant capability available
Store login with cross-game identification
Tangible + virtual tabs and P redemption flow
PO and studio focal consoles live
CONTINUE THE SYSTEM →

Royal Kit

A toolkit for VIP hosts to craft personal moments at scale.