SCOTT R. POWERS

Before the thousands of fans arrived, my goal was to create an environment that felt like stepping into the world of Final Fantasy XIV. Every section was designed to celebrate the game’s rich storytelling while supporting the energy and excitement of one of the franchise’s largest community events.

I designed a wide range of environments throughout the venue, from the main presentation stage to expansive immersive experiences that encouraged attendees to explore, interact, and share their adventures. Every area was planned to feel cohesive while giving each activity its own unique identity.

The event featured a large-scale stage for keynote presentations, live entertainment, developer panels, and esports competitions, supported by custom scenic elements, dynamic lighting design, and environmental graphics that transformed the convention halls into a living extension of Eorzea.

One of my primary responsibilities was creating the event’s massive environmental graphics. Using in-game assets and screenshots as source material, I meticulously composited and enhanced artwork in Adobe Photoshop to create seamless, large-format graphics for scenic backdrops, activations, and environmental branding. I also incorporated AI-powered upscaling tools into my workflow to increase image resolution while preserving detail, ensuring every graphic met the quality requirements for large-scale production and print.

I designed interactive gaming experiences, themed activations, character encounters, cosplay stations, and highly detailed photo opportunities that became gathering places for the community. These environments were created to encourage exploration, social interaction, and memorable fan moments while maintaining efficient attendee flow throughout the event.

Working closely with producers, technical directors, scenic fabricators, lighting programmers, and installation crews, I guided the creative vision from initial concept through final execution. My responsibilities included developing the environmental renders, layouts,  designing scenic architecture, producing environmental graphics, integrating lighting and media elements, and ensuring every experience aligned with the Final Fantasy XIV brand.

Seeing thousands of fans immerse themselves in the environments whether competing in interactive games, showcasing elaborate cosplay, or capturing photos with iconic themed installations was the ultimate measure of success. The project demonstrated how thoughtful environmental design, large-scale graphics, and immersive storytelling can transform a convention into an unforgettable experience where every attendee felt like part of the adventure.

For The Milk Cup 2025 LAN Championship at TwitchCon San Diego, I designed the primary competition environment, creating a stage experience that celebrated the world’s largest women’s Fortnite tournament. My work included the design and spatial layout of the competition stage, shoutcaster desk, VIP viewing area, Milk Bar, and the iconic Milk Energy Pylons, ensuring each element contributed to a cohesive and engaging event experience.

Working closely with the event team, I developed the physical environment to support both live competition and broadcast production while creating memorable spaces for competitors, spectators, and TwitchCon attendees. The layout was designed to maximize audience engagement, improve sightlines, and reinforce the Gonna Need Milk brand throughout the venue.

The event brought together 100 of the nation’s top women esports athletes to compete for a record-setting $300,000 prize pool, making it the largest women’s esports prize pool in North America. Hosted at TwitchCon San Diego, The Milk Cup continued its mission of elevating women in competitive gaming while delivering a high-energy live experience for attendees and millions of online viewers.

All environmental graphics and branding elements were created by the Gonna Need Milk creative team. My role focused on the environmental design, spatial planning, and integration of those graphics into the overall event experience, ensuring the physical environment complemented the brand vision and supported both the live audience and broadcast presentation.

The Pokémon World Championships 2024 brought together the world’s top competitors for three unforgettable days of competition in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, from August 16–18, 2024. As the global finale of the 2024 Championship Series season, the event celebrated the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC), Pokémon GO, and Pokémon UNITE with a fully immersive fan experience.

I played a key role in shaping the visual identity and physical environment of this global event. My contributions included designing the main championship stage, as well as developing numerous fan-facing experiences throughout the venue, including photo opportunities, character activations, entry graphics, and the prize wall experience spanning all four floors of the event space.

During my site visit to Oʻahu, I explored the island’s landscapes, culture, architecture, and visual details to inspire the creative direction. I incorporated those discoveries into the environmental graphics and spatial layouts, creating an experience that felt authentic to Hawaiʻi while still capturing the energy, excitement, and iconic personality of Pokémon.

I designed the graphics, developed the environmental layouts, and provided creative direction throughout the production and construction process to ensure the concepts were successfully translated into the final build. From the championship stage to interactive fan moments and branded installations, every element was designed to create memorable experiences for players, families, and fans from around the world.

The final result received an overwhelmingly positive response, with local attendees expressing how effectively the design captured the spirit, beauty, and many recognizable aspects of their island home while delivering a world-class Pokémon experience.

For the Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu, I designed the Pokémon Center Worlds Store to create an immersive retail experience that celebrated the Pokémon brand while serving thousands of fans throughout the event.

The overall design was inspired by my exploration of the island of Oʻahu during a site visit, where I studied the island’s landscapes, architecture, culture, and natural surroundings. I incorporated those observations into the design language, blending tropical elements, local influences, and the energy of Hawaiʻi with the recognizable identity of the Pokémon brand.

I designed the complete store layout, developed all environmental graphics and visual elements, and created a cohesive experience that guided guests through the space. Every detail was thoughtfully developed to balance brand storytelling, merchandise presentation, and the unique character of the island.

Beyond the creative development, I directed the construction and installation of the build, collaborating with production teams to ensure the final environment matched the original design vision while meeting the logistical demands of a large-scale international event.

The response from local attendees was especially rewarding, as many were impressed by how authentically the design captured the many unique aspects of Oʻahu. Seeing the environment resonate with the community validated the importance of researching and incorporating local context into experiential design.

The completed Pokémon Center Worlds Store featured exclusive World Championships merchandise and delivered an engaging retail experience that reflected both the excitement of the event and the spirit of Hawaiʻi.

For TwitchCon 2023 in Las Vegas, I designed the immersive esports environment for Battlestate Games’ Escape From Tarkov: Arena, creating a physical extension of the game world that brought its intense tactical atmosphere into a live competitive setting. As one of the largest gaming activations at TwitchCon 2023, the experience served as a major showcase for Escape From Tarkov: Arena, combining esports competition, broadcast production, community engagement, and immersive environmental design.

My approach was centered around translating the digital world of Escape From Tarkov into a fully realized physical environment. I designed the space using authentic in-game elements, taking inspiration directly from the environments, materials, textures, and visual language found throughout the game. The goal was to make attendees feel as though they had stepped inside the Tarkov battlescape surrounded by the industrial, tactical, and battle-worn aesthetic that defines the franchise.

Every area of the experience was designed with storytelling in mind. The tattoo activation was inspired by real-world experience I had as a tattoo artist in my twenties, incorporating the atmosphere of an authentic tattoo shop into the Tarkov world. I focused on creating a space that felt lived-in, gritty, and believable rather than simply a branded activation.

For the DJ booth, I drew inspiration from large-scale immersive installations and visual experiences I had encountered at Burning Man. I incorporated those influences into the design to create a striking centerpiece that blended industrial construction, lighting, and a sense of underground energy while still feeling connected to the Escape From Tarkov universe.

A unique challenge was balancing the public-facing esports experience with private operational needs. The lower cargo container element was designed as a dedicated meeting space for Battlestate Games’ Russian development team, providing them with a private area for discussions and team operations while maintaining the overall visual language of the environment. This allowed the container structure to serve both as an immersive scenic element and a functional workspace.

I also developed the environmental graphics and large-format visual treatments throughout the space. Using in-game assets, I composited and enhanced imagery through Photoshop and Illustrator suitable for large-scale production. This process allowed the digital details of Escape From Tarkov to be preserved while creating a seamless transition from screen to physical environment.

The final design delivered a fully immersive esports experience that combined competitive gaming, fan interaction, and environmental storytelling. By blending game assets, real-world influences, and experiential design techniques, I created a space that captured the authenticity of Escape From Tarkov while giving fans a memorable physical connection to the world they knew from the game.

This project represented the type of experiential design I specialize in—taking a digital universe, understanding its visual DNA, and transforming it into a real-world environment where audiences can step inside the story.

For the first time in Pokémon World Championships history, the event was held in Japan, creating a unique opportunity to celebrate not only the global Pokémon community but also the culture and spirit of its birthplace.

As the lead designer, I was responsible for creating the overall visual experience for Pokémon Worlds 2023 in Yokohama, Japan from the main stage design and large scale environmental graphics to the numerous photo opportunities and interactive fan activations throughout the venue. This was a huge honor for me.

The challenge was to create an experience that felt authentically Pokémon while also honoring Japanese culture in a meaningful way. Through extensive research into Japan’s history, architecture, art, traditions, and visual language, I developed a design direction that blended the energy of competitive Pokémon with the elegance and detail found throughout Japanese culture.

I designed the environments, graphics, and activations to feel like an extension of the Pokémon universe creating spaces where fans could celebrate, compete, and capture memorable moments. Every element was carefully considered, from large format graphics and scenic details to the immersive fan experiences spread throughout the venue.

To bring the vision to life, I led and collaborated with international teams from both Japan and the Czech Republic, guiding the creative direction and ensuring every aspect of the build aligned with the original design intent. Coordinating across multiple countries required clear communication, strong creative leadership, and a shared passion for delivering a world-class experience.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the project was seeing the response from the Japanese team. They were incredibly impressed by how deeply the designs reflected their culture and appreciated the level of research and thought that went into capturing the essence of Japan while still maintaining the iconic Pokémon identity.

The client response from the Japanese side was overwhelmingly positive, validating the importance of thoughtful cultural design and showing how immersive experiences can create a bridge between global audiences and local traditions.

Pokémon World Championships 2023 in Yokohama was more than an esports competition it was a celebration of Pokémon’s roots, Japanese culture, and the worldwide community that continues to bring the franchise to life.