Rockstar Games Content System
We were building the one destination for GTA Online players on the internet. A single place where 3.6 million monthly active users could find out what's happening in the game this week, whether they'd been playing for years or just downloaded it. The project almost died before it started.
Building a Modular Content System
The marketing team drops 2–3 major updates a week. That’s ~140 articles and 1,000+ assets a year. The old workflow was a bottleneck; we lacked a system to handle this volume without burning out cross-functional teams.
The high-traffic entry point that needed to serve casual readers and dedicated fans
The challenge
On the user side, we needed to reveal the right amount of information to different audiences without overwhelming them. Internally, the team lacked a scalable system to handle frequent updates that required tight collaboration between marketing, design, production, and engineering.
My role
I led the design of a customized content management system (CMS) and a modular content framework tailored to Rockstar’s visual storytelling needs.
What I did
I audited existing content to identify reusable patterns in layouts, media, and copy.
The CMS data model, mapped from front-end UI patterns to a component hierarchy
From there, I ranslated front-end UI into a clear CMS data model aligned with a reusable grid system, templates, and components.
A single CMS entry drives multiple layout outputs
Finally, I came up with templates with flexibility, so that the CMS could support distinctive campaigns while enforcing consistent structure.
THE EXTERIOR
An architectural statement, crowned with presence.
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Driveway
Driveway
Driveway
Yoga Studio
Driveway
Open Bar
Rooftop Helipad
Hot Tub
GridWrapper
TextBlock
TextBlock
TextBlock
ImageBlock
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Grid
Grid
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6col/5col
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A single CMS entry drives multiple layout outputs
The new custom Conent Management System (CMS) balances strict visual standards with layout flexibility.
The Impact
We cut the time needed to publish weekly news by 50%. This success allowed me to scale this modular approach across the entire Rockstar web ecosystem, moving the team from "one-off pages" to a reusable component library.
Moving the Needle with Data (GTA+ & GTA 6)
Rockstar traditionally leads with "gut feel" and art. I partnered with the data team to introduce a performance-driven layer to our design.
The challenge
We needed to understand how the website influenced players’ purchasing and playing behavior, particularly for web-based offers and GTA+ membership.
My role
I partnered closely with the data team to map user journeys, interpret metrics, and translate findings into design and product decisions.
What I did
I analyzed performance of a recurring web offer that had run multiple times, capturing signals to inform future gift strategies for GTA 6.
A flow map tracing where users entered, hesitated, and dropped off
When working on GTA+ membership, I mapped conversion and drop-off points for GTA+ membership to understand why many users signed up for one month and then churned. This helped us to surface where messaging, value proposition, and layout were misaligned.
Membership performance data tracked across three consecutive periods
Impact
The data informed a redesign of the membership layout and messging. Churn dropped from 43% to 13%.
Scaling Production Quality & Workflow
Rockstar’s website is driven by high-quality visual storytelling, made possible through close collaboration with production and art teams. As projects and teams grew, ad-hoc “desk chats” were no longer enough to maintain quality and speed.
The challenge
We needed a repeatable pipeline that aligned expectations, reduced miscommunication, and preserved visual standards across breakpoints and devices.
My role
I designed guidelines, tools, and specs that streamlined collaboration between design, production, and engineering.
What I did
I designed a hero template across breakpoints, paired with a Photoshop file that allowed the production team to drop in assets using familiar tools.
A hero template built for handoff
For the engineering side, I developed a design spec template and file structure that spoke clearly to engineers, PMs, and stakeholders.
A structured component library organized by phase
A standardized design spec template that replaced ad-hoc handoffs
Acknowledgments Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to these projects and shared their knowledge along the way. Many of these efforts touched multiple systems and teams, and wouldn’t have been possible without that collaboration. Special thanks to Bobby Marcus and Kyle Lamble for pushing the limits of CSS, KJ for generously walking me through the data, and Jack Koloskus for teaching me how to think more clearly about data models.