Warcodes: Armed with AI

Warcodes already had a loyal horde of fans scanning barcodes to summon wild, one-of-a-kind monsters and pit them against friends. The mobile app’s latest expansion was leveling up the game with new worlds and features, but their user interface wasn’t keeping pace with the beasts it contained. We stepped in to build both, crafting world maps that expanded the adventure and reimagining the interface to match the game’s growing universe. If generative AI could spawn fresh creatures at the snap of a scan, we wondered: why not recruit it to help shape the battlefield itself?

We began by sketching ideas to shape the creative vision, then wrote prompts like poets armed with ChatGPT to spark the right visual cues. Only then did we turn to tools like Adobe Generative Fill, Adobe Firefly, and Scenario to generate raw textures, glyphs, and motifs inspired by Warcodes’ existing DNA and new direction. We sliced, remixed, and refined these elements with hands-on art direction until a new UI skin emerged: bold, layered, and as battle-ready as the monsters it frames. Firefly let us explore more directions than time should have allowed, while still giving the team control to tame the chaos into a polished, playable interface. The result? A design evolution that proves AI, when guided by strategy and purpose, is a sidekick, not a shortcut.