Magic in the details.

 

We’re thrilled to have partnered with our friends at EA Originals and Ascendant Studios to bring you “Immortals of Aveum™,” an extraordinary new single-player shooter featuring magic-based combat, set in a world ravaged by war. This narrative-driven FPS game is packed with rich lore and intense combat, and deserved a graphics package that would truly immerse players in a daring adventure. To deliver an experience that matches the sheer scale of this game, we set out to create a cinematic, thrilling package, steeped in backstory, with fast and fluid motion, and epic in scale.

 We begin with the look development.

 

In this case study, we’ve broken down our look development process into several stages to provide a detailed illustration of our creative journey. While we would love to share our pitch deck with you, it’s chock-full of proprietary information that we simply can’t divulge. Our initial step was to conduct a deep dive into every element, analyzing its appearance, behavior, and impact on other components within the frame. Through an extensive design exploration process, we arrived at a modular 3D system that allowed us to exercise complete control over every component. This gave us the freedom to fine-tune every detail, making adjustments as needed based on feedback.

 On to the motion theory and animation tests.

 

To guide our motion design, we established four key principles: Magic, Sigil + Glyphs, Environment + Lighting, and Camera Moves and Animation. Given the subjective nature of “Magic,” we developed a toolkit that employs more tangible elements to express this idea. Our formula for “magic” blends three types of light: Surface Trails, Core, and Escaping Magic.

Surface Trails are the first to emerge, flowing freely over the sigil without constraint. As surface consumption progresses, the core is revealed through fine cracks and cross sections, lighting up and spilling color onto the edges. With the opening of new cracks, more light and magic are unleashed, escaping the sigil in the form of electrical or dust-like energy.

For more behind the scenes…

 

We approached every aspect of our project with a meticulous attention to detail, from the background and environments to the logo design. Our commitment to storytelling extended to every pixel, with each design decision carefully considered to advance our narrative. The movie below comprises of a few animation and comping tests that went into creating just a few seconds of screen time.

The full official reveal trailer.

 

Collaborating closely with EA Originals is always a thrill, as their team consistently provides us with top-tier creative concepts to sink our teeth into. Click below to watch the full launch trailer.

Studio logo animation.

 

We faced the unique challenge of blending two distinct studio logos into a cohesive whole. To accomplish this, we drew on our theme of magic and employed light as a unifying element. Ascendant’s logo gradually builds, with multiple beams of light converging to form and fill in the design. In contrast, the EA Originals logo seals together, containing the magic within. Our use of light and symbolism effectively bridges the gap between the two studios and creates a powerful visual representation of their collaboration.

360 execution.

 

At K+C, we approach all our projects with a “mobile first” mindset during the conceptualization phase. This means that our designs must not only look stunning in 4K resolution, but also retain their beauty and integrity when scaled down to a smaller mobile screen. We refuse to compromise on quality, no matter the platform, and strive to deliver a seamless and visually compelling user experience across all devices.