"AREA DENIAL" text in bold red letters on black background

area denial offers player focused game design, experience design, and audio design for game development studios.

HIT US UP

Group of young people in yellow shirts excitedly watching a gaming screen

■ area denial is a game development consultancy based out of los angeles. specializing in game design, player experience design, and game audio. we help your creative team find their own voice and confidence in the most challenging time in our industry.


01

■ game design

how to find the gem in your prototype. how to find your voice in the noise. how to add juice to your game feel. how to keep your players coming back for more.

Two kids playing video games on desktop computers at home.
Two people analyzing security footage on a monitor with a keyboard and notes.

02

■ player experience design

better onboarding. better control defaults. better accessibility. better metagame stickyness. higher conversion in your mtx. let’s talk. we offer an adaptive path certified user experience design toolset, with proven hits under our belt like league of legends, call of duty, apex legends, and more.

Designers working on mobile app wireframes and prototypes on a desk.
Three people looking at computer monitors in a gaming setup with a mural on the wall.

03

Music producer working at a computer with audio editing software, while a woman wearing headphones sings into a microphone in a recording studio.

■ game audio

audio and lighting make up 80% of a game’s vibe. we don’t do lighting. we’re an emory university certified sound design lab, and have numerous games and commercial scores under our belts. we’ve also designed, developed, and sold our own line of vst plugins for OVER 20 years.

Audio editing studio with monitors displaying sound wave graphics and DJ software interface

wHAT are we about?

■ OUR STORY

area denial was founded by Aaron rutledge, a serial entrepreneur and veteran game designer WHO strives TO HELP teams get their vision to market. He’s worked on seven startups and has seen four of them to exit.

We’ve PULLED together an awesome team of hired guns across the full spectrum of game development roles, all ready to get their hands dirty.

WE WORK WITH SINGLE DEVS, INDIE TEAMS, AND AAA STUDIOS TO BRING THE INSPIRATION AND pull THE FUN OUT OF THE CHAOS.

aaron rutledge, FOUNDER

Two people playing video games on a TV in a brick-lined living room with a telescope, plants, and drinks on the table.

LET’S ChAT

email IS OK, but WE prefer discord. let’s CHAT and see how we can work together to make something amazing.