Ruffles RIDGE Tournament of Champions - 2K21

Concept - 2020

In mid-2020, in an unexpected surprise, outgoing client Ruffles asked us to design the court for their annual RIDGE event in NBA 2K21. 2K21 saw the debut of The Neighborhood, a completely overhauled in-game social space that traded the outdoor courts of previous generations’ The Park for a state-of-the-art indoor facility, and I was eager to concept around the new possibilities.

As Ruffles would be revisiting the Tournament of Champions format from 2K20, I kept the red vs. blue motif from previous RIDGE challenge, but more in the form of an EQ meter, or opposed chevrons. This tied in with the new indoor court setting nicely, as a successful 4-pt shot could send an animated shockwave across the court through the pulsating LED lights for just that little extra bit of swag.

My direct input the process was limited to the initial concept, court design and logo lockup, though I was pleased to see the design and concept largely implemented as first described after the project left our hands.