Welcome back to The High Life.

Our team has been kicking into high gear to continue designing and building Highstreet City. It's no small feat to create this part of Highstreet World—from the architectural layout to questlines for players, as well as recreational elements so everyone in the metaverse can socialize and enjoy each other's company, there's a lot of ground to cover (literally).

Highstreet City will be where most of Highstreet World's denizens congregate, where Ducks mingle with humans in a utopian setting, and where most of your adventures in the metaverse will begin. That's precisely why we are putting our heart and soul into crafting the best possible experience for you. In this edition of The High Life, we'll get an update about Highstreet City straight from one member of our team who's putting all the pieces together. Then, we'll dive into the city's history and lore.

Meet the Team: Artur Costa, Lead Content Designer

The first thing you'll notice about Artur Costa is his epic beard. Impeccable facial hair aside, Artur is one of the people central to Highstreet City's creation. He works with designers, writers, and a slew of other team members to ensure the city not only reflects the immensely colorful heritage of the Ducks, but also is a place that will delight every player and explorer.

Let's find out more about what Artur does.

To kick things off, tell us about yourself.

My name is Arthur Costa. I'm currently the lead content designer for Highstreet. My responsibilities include everything related to content, such as the lore. I am the person responsible for making sure the story makes sense. This is not only for Highstreet World's MMO, but also our partnerships.

For example, we built a temple for TALON inside the Highstreet World metaverse. This whole process was owned by me. I had meetings with the brand to understand their visual style and what they wanted to pursue with this partnership, then I helped shape the creative direction for the project.

I also have game design experience. I've shipped two titles as a game designer, so I know the process.

What's your secret to striking the balance between creating an interesting story behind Highstreet World and introducing branded partnerships?

I try to talk with the people involved in the bigger picture of things, as much as I can.

Let's say we are opening a restaurant in the metaverse. We can sell dishes or specific souvenirs that the player can get as NFTs, for example. I need to make sure that the brand is happy and know what the goals are, so I ask many questions. I am the extensively repetitive person that is like: What about this? The restaurant could become important for the lore of Highstreet World. It could contain stories.

What takes up most of your day right now?

I'm working on Highstreet City, which is our biggest project. It's going to be very important for both the metaverse and MMO aspects in Highstreet World, which are different layers of the experience.

I make sure that everyone—every designer, artist, musician, everyone in production—gives input and has a voice. I want everyone's take, and anyone can pitch something that is not exactly what we originally asked for.

What's your favorite part of Highstreet World?

Okay, this is so hard. It's almost like picking your favorite child, but I quite love Oldtown, which is a more historic space in Highstreet City. It will not be part of the first release of the game, but it's a nice space where the Ducks built a settlement and expanded as a society. When humans and Ducks created Highstreet City, the Ducks wanted to hold onto their history, so they created Oldtown. It was inspired by a village in Sweden that has been preserved as if it were in the 16th century. We are trying to do something like this.

Oldtown is very attached to Highstreet's World's lore, so it's my favorite place.

What's a fun thing you've done outside of Highstreet?

I worked in the film industry for nine plus years. I was the lead writer and co-director of a feature film called Chef Jack: The Adventure Cook. It was distributed by Sony Pictures in 2023.

Lore Fragment: Highstreet City

Highstreet City represents an ideal.

It's a place that was built by an alliance of Ducks and humans, 105 years after the two races had first contact.

Initially a secret project of the alliance, Highstreet City's planning and construction took decades to complete, and it was kept under wraps so the broader Duck civilization had no idea of its existence. The reason behind this secrecy isn't clear; Highstreet City was raised to be a melting pot for Ducks and humans, but there may be many secrets within for visitors and residents to uncover.

Centuries passed. Like any location with a storied history, Highstreet City is a palimpsest, each generation adding new styles of art, culture, technology, and architecture to what's already been created, with ancient remnants peeking through — or even still in use. That part of Duck history is preserved in Oldtown, a district that was once called Acetown, the first settlement built by the 12 Duck adventurers who discovered Solera, led by the intrepid Captain Ace.

Now, Oldtown is a destination where the Ducks of Highstreet City go to reconnect with their heritage, and where the old ways still linger.

Thanks for reading!

We're excited about the future of Highstreet City — and Highstreet World. There are many moving parts in turning our plans into (virtual) reality, but it's an endeavor that we enjoy every day, and we're glad that you're on this journey with us.

For the next edition of our newsletter, we'll have a guest return. Back by popular demand, our CEO Travis Wu will be featured in the next “Meet the Team” segment. If you want to pick his brain, send in your question on X by replying to our tweet about this edition of The High Life. We have a reward ready for the community member who asks our favorite question!

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We'll be back in two weeks. Stay tuned!