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Build a Level Designer Portfolio Using Old Game Maps (Even If the Studio Is Adding New Ones)

UUnknown

2026-02-24

9 min read

Repurpose old game maps into measurable, portfolio-ready case studies and demo reels—step-by-step for students and junior designers in 2026.

Build a standout level design portfolio from old maps — even while studios add new ones

If you're a student or junior level designer worried that live-service games and new map drops make your portfolio look out-of-date, this guide is for you. Studios keep shipping new maps, but that doesn't erase the value of older maps — it creates opportunities. You can repurpose, mod, measure, and document old game maps to show rigorous design thinking, measurable UX improvements, and the production skills hiring teams want in 2026.

Why old maps are a portfolio goldmine in 2026

Live-service games dominated 2024–2026, with studios continuously adding content. That pace created two realities: studios need designers who can iterate on legacy maps, and hiring teams value evidence that you can diagnose and improve existing levels—not only build from scratch.

Old maps are valuable because they let you demonstrate:

Design-for-iteration: how you make targeted changes with limited resources.
Game UX improvements: measurable reductions in player friction or better flow.
Data-driven decision-making: using analytics and heatmaps to justify changes.
Polish and pipeline skills: asset import, rebuilds in Unity/Unreal, mod packaging.

Even when studios announce new maps (for example, some teams teased multiple map sizes for 2026), experienced designers still rely on strong case studies showing how they improved older content. That’s your angle: show you can make legacy content shine.

“Don’t let old maps gather dust—treat them as living labs for UX & engagement experiments.”

Quick roadmap: What you’ll deliver for a hiring manager

A short, compelling case study (800–1,200 words) with before/after visuals.
A 60–90 second demo reel clip showing gameplay and flow changes.
Playable build or mod (hosted on itch.io, Steam Workshop, ModDB, or GitHub for source).
Metrics and heatmaps demonstrating impact (completion time, objective success, heat zones).
Resume bullets and a cover letter paragraph that cite the project and outcomes.

8-step framework to repurpose an old map (practical, actionable)

Step 1 — Audit & choose the right map

Don’t pick the flashiest map. Choose a level with clear UX problems or low engagement where you can make measurable changes quickly.

Criteria: clear objectives, manageable scope, community interest (modding forums, Steam Workshop activity).
Example: A PvP map with choke-point issues or a co-op map with weak objective flow.

Step 2 — Check permissions and mod policy

Before touching studio assets, read the game’s EULA and mod policy. Most studios welcome mods, but some restrict commercial distribution. If in doubt, ask in official forums or contact community teams.

If a game has official SDKs (Unity/Unreal or proprietary): use them. If not, rebuild a functional prototype inspired by the map rather than redistributing copyrighted assets.

Step 3 — Define a clear UX hypothesis and constraints

Frame your work like a product experiment. Example hypothesis: “Reducing three choke points on X map will improve objective completion by 12% and lower average respawn frustration.”

Set measurable goals (KPIs) and constraints (timeframe, asset budget, engine).
Record the baseline: gather current metrics and take a 60-second gameplay capture.

Step 4 — Recreate, prototype, or mod the map

Choose the appropriate technical path:

Official mod tools: Use them when available—Steam Workshop, official SDKs.
Rebuild in Unity or Unreal: Recreate the layout using block-outs and placeholder art (FBX, Blender exports). Unity and Unreal are must-know engines in 2026; showing you can move between them is a plus.
Prototype fast: Start with greybox geometry, then iterate. Use scale and player testing to validate pacing before artwork.

Step 5 — Instrument for analytics

2024–2026 saw analytics tooling become standard in live ops. Add minimal telemetry so you can show impact quantitatively.

Tools: Unity Gaming Services (UGS) analytics, Unreal Insights, Amplitude, or simple event logs pushed to CSV.
Events to track: spawn points, deaths, objective captures, player positions (for heatmaps), time-to-first-interaction, dropout locations.
Heatmaps: export positional logs and render them as density maps (there are open-source tools and small Python scripts that do this).

Step 6 — Run playtests and iterative fixes

Recruit peers and community players for structured playtests. Use a simple script: 10–20 players per iteration is enough for meaningful UX signals.

Collect qualitative feedback (surveys, session notes) and quantitative metrics.
Run small A/B tests when possible: original vs. modified map with the same test pool.

Step 7 — Build a tight case study

Your case study is the product a hiring manager consumes. Make it concise and evidence-led.

Structure: TL;DR → Problem → Constraints → Process → Metrics → Results → Learnings → Artifacts (links).
Include visuals: before/after screenshots, annotated maps, short GIFs, and heatmaps. Embed a 60–90s gameplay cut.
Show your role and exact contributions (e.g., “I redesigned the central plaza, wrote the spawn-balancing script, and ran two A/B playtests with 45 total players”).

Step 8 — Publish and present

Host your playable build and code, and make it easy to access:

Host builds on itch.io, Steam Workshop, or ModDB. Put source and documentation on GitHub or GitLab.
Produce a short video demo and add a downloadable ZIP for reviewers who want to run the level locally.
Link the case study from your portfolio, resume, and LinkedIn. Create a one-paragraph cover letter blurb that references the project and result.

Analytics & UX metrics to showcase (what hiring teams look for)

Don’t present raw numbers without context. Tie metrics to player experience improvements.

Engagement: Time spent per session on the map, repeat visits.
Progression & Completion: Objective completion rate, median time to complete core objective.
Player flow: Heatmaps for pathing, spawn-to-objective flows, popular chokepoints.
Failure points: Death locations, respawn clustering, abandonment hotspots.
Balance signals: K/D spread, objective contest time, win-rate per spawn.

Useful visualizations: annotated screenshots, comparative heatmaps (before vs. after), small charts showing percent change. If you ran A/B tests, present confidence intervals or p-values at a basic level to prove you understand statistical significance.

Demo reel & case study formatting: what to show and how

Recruiters skim. Make it scannable.

Opening (3–5s): Project title, role, engine, timeframe, and a one-line outcome (e.g., “Reduced choke-time by 26%”).
Gameplay segment (45–60s): Show core loop, before/after comparisons, annotated callouts pointing to design intent.
Metrics slide (10–15s): Heatmaps and 2–3 KPIs with percent improvements.
Closing (5–10s): Link to full case study and download/play link.

Keep the reel under 90 seconds for faster consumption. Use subtitles and short annotations so it’s clear without audio.

Resume bullets and cover letter snippets you can use

Translate project impact into crisp resume language. Focus on outcomes and tools.

Sample resume bullets:

Redesigned central objective area of X map; implemented spawn-balancing and pathing fixes that increased objective completion by +21% (A/B test N=42).
Built a prototype of legacy map in Unity; added telemetry for heatmaps and player-flow analysis using Unity Gaming Services.
Produced a 90s demo and published the mod on itch.io and GitHub with full documentation and reproducible analytics scripts.

Short cover letter paragraph (adaptable):

At [Studio], I rebuilt and iterated on a legacy PvP map using Unity and UGS analytics—reducing choke-point conflicts and improving objective completion by 21% in a controlled playtest. I’d welcome the chance to bring that same data-driven iteration to your live-map pipeline.

Common pitfalls and legal/ethical considerations

Don’t risk using proprietary assets without permission. If you can’t host the original content, rebuild a prototype inspired by the map’s layout and clearly state what’s original vs. recreated.

Respect IP and mod rules; attribute assets and credit the original game.
Avoid monetizing mods unless the studio allows it.
Be transparent about test conditions: how many players, platform, and whether tests were remote or in-lab.

Advanced strategies & future-proofing your portfolio (2026 trends)

As of 2026, studios expect designers to understand live ops, procedural tools, and AI-assisted iteration workflows. Here are higher-leverage moves:

Integrate live-ops thinking: Show how your changes adjusted to retention or event triggers (e.g., map variations for seasonal events).
Use generative tools responsibly: AI-assisted layout generation can accelerate greyboxing. Document prompts and how you curated outputs to meet design goals.
Automation for repeatable tests: Scripted playtests and automated telemetry collection (headless clients) impress hiring teams because they scale experimentation.
Cross-platform implications: Note accessibility fixes, FOV and UI scaling, and how changes affected console/PC parity.

Mini case study example (how to format)

Title: Reducing Choke Conflict on 'Old Harbor' (Unofficial Mod)

TL;DR: Rebuilt 'Old Harbor' in Unity; removed two choke-points, widened secondary routes, and added cover flow. Result: objective completion up +26%, average respawn clustering down −32%, positive player feedback in 78% of playtests.

Problem: Players funneled into a central alley creating long fights and frustration.

Constraints: 2-week iteration, placeholder art, limited scripting budget.

Process: Greyboxed alternate routes; instrumented 6 event types; ran two A/B tests with 46 players total.

Metrics: Heatmaps (before/after), objective completion (44% → 70%), average time-to-first-objective (3:12 → 2:18).

Artifacts: 90s demo, GitHub for code, itch.io build link, playtest survey results.

Actionable takeaways

Pick maps strategically: choose those with clear UX problems you can fix fast.
Instrument early: without data, you just have opinions—measure the baseline first.
Document everything: show constraints, process, and what you personally changed.
Host and link: make builds and source available and easy to run for recruiters.
Translate to hiring language: create resume bullets and a cover letter blurb that highlight impact and tools used.

Final thoughts & call to action

Studios will keep adding new maps in 2026 and beyond—but that only increases demand for designers who can iterate on legacy content with evidence. Repurposing old maps into modded experiments and polished case studies shows you’re both creative and data-driven.

Ready to turn an old map into a portfolio-winning case study? Start with one small hypothesis, instrument it, and publish the result. If you want templates for case studies, demo reels, and resume bullets tailored to level design roles, download our free toolkit or share the map you're considering and I’ll give a quick critique of scope and potential KPIs.

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