[Google Play Japan] Diamond Ship - Tokyo Game Show 2025

A web-based arcade shooter created for Google Play Japan to extend Tokyo Game Show 2025 online with themed worlds, boss battles, leaderboards, and reward-driven play.

Diamond Ship campaign overview across desktop screens Diamond Ship mobile gameplay and leaderboard interface

For Tokyo Game Show 2025, Google Play Japan brought Diamond Ship online as a fast arcade experience that echoed the energy of the live booth and kept players engaged beyond the show floor.


Campaign Overview

Diamond Ship turned the Tokyo Game Show activation into a browser-based shooter with seven game worlds inspired by featured IP, hidden boss battles, public and secret leaderboards, and prizes that rewarded repeat play.

Built as a digital extension of the Google Play Japan booth, the experience translated the pace and spectacle of the event into an accessible web campaign that invited players to keep exploring, competing, and returning.


Results

  • 74,700 unique visitors
  • 242,000 total plays
  • 7 minutes and 16 seconds average engagement time
  • 257,000 click-throughs to the Google Play Store

Experience Highlights

  • Seven bespoke maps designed around different game universes
  • Retro-futurist visuals and motion pixel art that matched the event identity
  • Hidden stages and boss encounters that added surprise and replay value
  • Competitive progression through public and secret leaderboards
  • Prize mechanics that connected gameplay with Google Play rewards and merch

My Role

I led the frontend website build for this project end-to-end, owning the implementation of the public-facing experience across desktop and mobile. That included building the site UI, integrating the game-facing flows, refining responsive behavior, and making sure the experience felt polished and performant across devices.

I also handled much of the animation work that gave the campaign its energy, helping translate the retro-futurist visual direction into motion across the interface. From page interactions to animated presentation details, my contribution focused on making the experience feel lively, cohesive, and aligned with the excitement of Tokyo Game Show.


Process

Visual Direction

The art direction balanced nostalgia with a more futuristic arcade feel, transforming static IP assets into a cohesive game universe that felt aligned with the physical TGS installation.

Animation and World Building

Additional animation across maps, stages, bosses, and interface moments helped the online experience feel lively and immersive, even for players joining remotely.

Technical Foundation

The game was built from scratch with Phaser 4 and Matter.js, supported by a custom Tiled map editor workflow used to refine level layouts, attack patterns, and difficulty tuning.

Playtesting and Balancing

Enemy behavior, boss attack angles, and gameplay pacing were iterated throughout development to keep the challenge sharp without losing approachability.


Built With

  • Angular
  • TypeScript
  • HTML5 + CSS3
  • Node.js
  • Phaser 4
  • Matter.js physics
  • Custom Tiled map editor integration
  • Browser-based game architecture
  • Motion pixel art and interface animation

Campaign Video