Grant's Garden
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Genre
Casual, Casino
WebGL
Lead Designer
Full-Cycle Development
8 months
Live
Platform
Role
Duration
Status
Project Type
Pop Balloons minigame which was one of Quang's idea.
Grant's Garden main screen.
Grant's Garden pitch deck before it was decided to use Garden Blast IP.
Once the project was greenlit, we moved straight into pre-production. As the lead designer, I authored the initial high-level Game Design Document (GDD), outlining the core loop, progression systems, and potential features. This document became the foundation for everything that followed.
From there, I expanded the design to cover symbols, boosters, the game’s math model, and mini-games. Shoutout to Anh Pham Quang, who helped conceptualize the initial minigame ideas that enriched our design even further.
Crafting the Core Experience
Let’s get one thing straight: Grant’s Garden is not your typical slot machine. It’s part of the POGO Slots collection — a lineup of non-gambling, casual social slot games developed under EA’s POGO brand. While most slots aim to shower players with virtual coins for lining up lucky combos, Grant’s Garden focuses on something deeper: player progression, missions, and achievement badges. The game rewards players for completing objectives, not chasing jackpots.
Balancing and Polish
After we locked in the core mechanics and finalized symbol configurations, we focused heavily on balancing. Designing a fair yet engaging slot system is no easy task, and I was lucky to work alongside Paolo Abila, whose deep experience in slot game balancing was invaluable.
Meanwhile, I continued developing the game’s achievement system and mission structure — the backbone of its social progression. I also designed a reusable event system template so that POGO’s internal team could roll out time-limited events post-launch with ease.
Reflecting on the Journey
Looking back, Grant’s Garden wasn’t just another slot game. It was a creative risk that paid off, both for our studio and for me personally. I was involved in every step — from ideation to pitching, through production and polish. I even got the rare opportunity to work alongside some of the most respected professionals in the industry and briefly became a contractor under EA.
To me, this project is more than just a milestone — it’s a proud testament to what collaborative creativity and thoughtful design can achieve.
This project was special to me because I was involved right from the very beginning. When POGO approached our team with the goal of expanding their slot game lineup, we were tasked with not only improving an existing machine but also conceptualizing something fresh and exciting.
Working closely with our business development team, art director, and one other designer, we brainstormed several ideas. One concept I pitched stood out — a slot machine that ditched traditional paylines in favor of a match-3 inspired mechanic. Players would get payouts by matching a minimal number of symbols, creating a more dynamic and accessible experience.
We pitched our game concepts to POGO, and to my delight (and slight disbelief), my idea was selected for development. Not only did we seal the deal, but the project was valued at $1 million USD. Special thanks to our creative director at the time, Mladen Levnaic, whose ability to sell our ideas to POGO made the difference.
From Pitch to Greenlight