Problem

For Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, our client required us to leverage our game art talents to work on the level of detail (LOD) of numerous in-game objects, including buildings, cranes, terrain, rock formations, and much more. LOD work is intricate and requires extensive knowledge of 3D game art to pull off successfully. It’s a common technique in modern game development that reveals different levels of detail on an object relative to the in-game camera’s distance – the closer the player is to an object it’ll show more detail and less detail when the player is further away from the object.

Solution

To tackle our client’s requirements, we assembled a team of 3D artists, quality assurance specialists, and more. We scaled our team depending on the project’s needs at any given time, with over 15 people working on the project at the team’s largest. At the beginning of the project, before we even started delivering our game art services, we established communication pipelines with CD Projekt Red so that any questions or issues could be communicated efficiently through Slack or Jira.

Our 3D game art services for this project necessitated us to use CD Projekt Red’s proprietary REDengine, something our client helped us with as we learned the ins and outs of the engine by providing exceptionally quick technical support. Our process began by extracting the asset from the REDengine, which we optimized as best as possible by using trims and overlaps and setting the LOD distances required for every object. Though this might sound like a straightforward process, we optimized countless objects of various descriptions that each had wildly varying parameters that required adjustments. We also baked the textures in-engine.

We worked closely with CD Projekt Red throughout our one-year collaboration. In particular, we worked closely with their environment and production leads to ensure that our work was consistent with the rest of the game.

Result

Our client was pleased with our game art services on Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. At launch, critics and players alike lauded Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty in basically every regard, but its technical state received particular praise. We’re delighted we could contribute to the project and that it received such a positive response.

Problem

Our work was mainly real-time VFX and 3D art production. We were contracted to assist the Gunfire Games team in delivering their final work. A lot of the VFX work was focused on weapon and weapon modifier VFX. The game allows customization and crafting of weaponry, imbuing the weapons with different effects and elements. We also spent time on “power-ups”. A catchall term to refer to any kind of item that players can utilize to change their playstyle. These power-ups often caused a character or area-of-effect (AOE) visual effect. For our 3D game art services, we ended up creating and delivering more than 30 assets and enemies. These included weapons and weapon mods, mainly for the N’Erud world, as well as a few Earth mods, and even the Custodian Eye miniboss and its minions.

Remnant 2 is a huge project. As with any outsourcing collaboration, the set-up takes some time. This was our first obstacle as we had a lot of project data to bring in and not a lot of time to do so. The size and complexity of this project was the bulk of our initial challenge.

One challenge worth mentioning was the complexity of implementing the VFX into the game itself. Built on a custom version of Unreal Engine 5, we were wrestling with the huge project size, its wealth of blueprints, and its machine of moving parts. Another was simply in the faithful recreation and delivery of the unique Remnant 2 style that had been created by the Gunfire Games team. It was a unique visual style but one we relished getting to grips with.

Solution

As is usual in AAA games, the project was huge. We approached the set-up time as educational preparation. Our team did this by consuming as much information as possible about the project, its art style, and our requirements. This was aided hugely by the Principal VFX Artist giving us constant advisement on their team’s workflow and recommendations.

Implementing and testing the VFX was something we simply had to get to grips with. Our team took the time required to understand the moving parts and blueprints. A methodical approach of getting to grips with its size and scale helped us to adapt and we are proud of the efficiency and speed at which we did so.

The Gunfire Games team were more than happy to share with us the art we needed. They also loved to share the lore we might need and gameplay mechanics that might inform our artistic choices. The information they were happy to share meant we could nail down the VFX and 3D assets to match and emulate the sources from unique boss abilities or pieces of lore.

Result

This collaboration was truly a pleasure from start to finish and we were pleased to hear the exact same from the Gunfire Games team. We were thrilled at the open communication and collaboration from the Gunfire Games team, it really was a pleasure to work with them.

Problem

Our client required Magic Media to build The Goombles from the ground up through our full-cycle game development services and to create marketing materials with our video production services. Our services included initial conceptualization, programming, design, art, testing, and more. On the video marketing side, we were tasked with creating a main game trailer, three distinct user acquisition advertisements, banners, and a series of cinemagraphs.

Solution

At the beginning of our work, we spent ample time communicating with our client to understand their vision and requirements as best as possible. We delivered our full-cycle development services over six months approximately, taking The Goombles from an idea to a fully realized game using Unity as our game engine. In the initial phase of the project, we developed creative concepts and prototypes before entering into fully-fledged game development work. In the final months of the project, we dedicated ourselves to ensuring The Goombles was optimized for each of its target platforms and was as bug-free as possible.

We began our video production services work while The Goombles’ principal development was underway. This provided us with a distinct advantage in using some of the game’s in-game assets for our video content. We produced all of this content over six weeks and included several in-game assets, edited assets, and custom environments for our trailers and advertisements to showcase the core elements of The Goombles and attract players.

Throughout this whole process, we kept in constant contact with our client to provide updates, and deliverables, and discuss The Goombles. They were extremely receptive to our expert recommendations and helped shape this process into a truly collaborative one.

Result

Our client was highly satisfied with our work on The Goombles, so much so that the game was presented to potential investors. This is a true testament to the high-quality full-cycle game development services and video production services we delivered for the project and our client’s confidence in the caliber of our work. We couldn’t be happier with the quality of our work and more pleased with how we exceeded our client’s expectations.

Problem

Our client approached the Magic Media team to assist with set dressing for several levels of the game. Switchback VR features a collection of levels directly inspired by other titles in the Dark Pictures Anthology series, so while some available assets could be used in Switchback VR, further 3D modeling, texturing, and set dressing work would be required.

The primary responsibilities of this project were to set dress the 3D environments to make them as immersive and believable as possible. Considering the title is a virtual reality game, it was of the utmost importance to have a keen eye for detail.

Solution

Each level the Magic Media team worked on involved dressing it appropriately according to the Dark Pictures Anthology games that inspired it using existing assets. A large portion of this work necessitated updating the textures on the existing assets to bring them to the level of fidelity needed for the PSVR2 headset. Additionally, we created several 3D models from the ground up where required assets weren’t available, and the 3D model for the roller coaster ride the protagonist is seated in throughout the game.

Communication was a priority for us during this project, so we engaged with the client using Microsoft Teams primarily to provide regular status updates on the project for each level we were responsible for. This also facilitated communication around our needs for project access in Unreal Engine for each level we were working on.

Result

Our client was thrilled with the work we completed populating the levels with the assets required, the texture updates, and the original 3D modeling work we carried out. Both in terms of our approach to the project and our performance throughout, the client was very pleased with the Magic Media team. Additionally, since its release, Switchback VR has been praised in gaming media for its immersion and fantastic visual quality.

Problem

The design project started with a test. The client provided us with one spaceship to develop from scratch, giving us the freedom to design the ship while providing us with good references. With the test surpassing the client’s expectations, the project to create the space fleet commenced. We were tasked with developing 80 unique spaceships in just two and a half months. The client had nine factions, with ten ships per faction, totaling 80 spaceships that needed to be created. They provided us with ten ships as references and divided them into defensive, offensive, and supportive categories. All factions had one legendary ship and one premium ship, with the remaining to be common ships of varying rarities. The scope of the project was significant, and the timeline was tight to deliver 80 unique spaceships.

Solution

To tackle this challenge, we met with our 2D and 3D departments to discuss how we could deliver high-quality work within the given timeframe. We decided to create different stages of ship designs, starting with the legendary as a brand-new design, then reusing some elements as we went down to the common ships. This allowed us to create unique designs while using some of the existing models to save time. Our 3D department was able to reuse models to create unique designs without lowering quality. The 2D department, on the other hand, had more restrictions due to the client’s specific requirements. The client provided a story, loot, races, goal in the game, pilot, story, and other information that needed to be incorporated into the design. The workflow started with roughs and sketches, which were then approved before moving to rendering and coloring, and finally, 3D.

Results

This workflow allowed for efficient communication and collaboration, enabling us to achieve the goal within the given time frame. After just one month, we were able to deliver all 80 spaceships, meeting the client’s expectations and requirements. 

The client was satisfied with our work and because of this, asked for 80 pilots to be designed in 2D, including sketches, color, and definition. Once again, we were able to deliver designs that met the client’s needs and exceeded their expectations.

In conclusion, designing 80 unique spaceships and pilots within two and a half months was a significant challenge that required careful planning and execution. Despite the tight timeline, we were able to deliver high-quality designs by dividing the ship designs into different stages and reusing some elements to save time. Effective communication and collaboration between the 2D and 3D departments were crucial in achieving our goals.

PROBLEM

The main bulk of work we were brought on to do was clothing and accessories for the multitude of characters in the game. There is a significant amount of items and accessories available to players in creating and customising their characters. Our work included creating costumes and clothing, hair styles props, headgear, and some of the buildings that populate the world map.

Our work with the client was a lot of communication and back and forth in batch deliveries.

SOLUTION

Working in constant communication with the client, we were able to respond to their needs and requests on a batch basis. We used Marvellous Designer to simulate any clothing and cloth and added fine details in ZBrush.

Our modelers optimized the model with a highpoly texture bake and a UV wrap, and then shipped it to be rendered by the client’s team. Later on during production, we gained access to the engine proper. This allowed us to deliver the final pieces rendered in-engine for the client.

RESULT

With each batch delivery of items and accessories, the client would request more of us. They were very happy with the quality of our work and with the efficient turnaround we provided. This culminated in the client granting us access to the game engine, which allowed us to deliver the models and accessories fully rendered.

Problem

Our main challenge on the project was the tight time-line for production. Because national broadcasts work according to purchased time-slots on Ukrainian television, our deadline was scheduled for 10 weeks. Likewise, because the video’s initial target broadcast channel was TV, we were restricted by Ukrainian national law regarding the exhibition of weaponry on advertisements. We had to figure out a way to work around these limitations in the design phase of our characters, and to make our deadline using the most efficient methods.

Solution

Interestingly, we didn’t shoot anything for the first 6 weeks. Instead, we primarily dedicated our time to preparing the finalized product. This meant creating, modeling, and texturing 4 main character designs from an initial set of 12, while also drafting the concept’s storyline. Once complete, we used motion-capture technology to capture the main animatic, and determine the structure and timings for the sequence. Additionally, we struck a balance between the project’s combat-heavy nature and national broadcast laws by altering the character’s weaponry to more acceptable forms, like a scepter and a staff. Finally, we also recorded a voice-over to create a more immersive experience, as the characters move through the 3D environments produced by our team of environmental artists, animators, riggers, and modelers.

Result

Next to receiving great praise from our client, sales of the ATB franchise were reported to have grown by 30% after the video’s release, which amassed a viewership of approximately 1.2 million. Additionally, the client presented our team with a special gift box, containing the project’s art bible, statuettes of the main characters, and playing cards featuring each of the characters which we helped to design for the franchise – a great token of the creativity and hard work of our team.

PROBLEM

For this project, we created a number of trains and their accompanying train-cars. Later on, we were contracted to create a large number of the buildings that populate the maps. We also created some of the animations for the trains. We worked on several of the DLCs later released for the game including the Japanese, Germany, France, NE Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland packs.

The main bulk of work is in faithfully recreating these older trains while working off little to no solid references. Due to the historical nature, the amount of visual references are quite sparse and any blueprints are often scaled incorrectly. And in the event that we had solid blueprints, we had no textures to reference or utilise in our work.

SOLUTION

Our team simply had to scrape every detail they could from available references and work off intuition, repeated tests, and some guess work. Before many tasks were assigned to us, we completed test tasks for the client, guaranteeing they were happy with our quality of work.

Our artists and modelers worked to find the right size and proportion of these trains, using a mixture of the older references and any newer available ones from similar lines of trains. We also had to ensure these models were animation ready and that they would move realistically. We used Maya for the shapes and animation, and Substance Painter for the materials and textures.

RESULT

The client was quite happy with our work throughout and this is evident of their repeated contracts with us. Initially, we created trains and some buildings. Now, as the project is said and done, they were so happy with our work that we ended up working on numerous DLC packages that were released post-launch.

Problem

We were contracted for full-cycle development with the Binamon title. This meant we handled everything from the initial designs and game design document to the core programming, art, production, and the UI/UX design. This project is still in its early stages, but we’ve been working on implementing the NFTs into the game’s design and the feature allowing players to import other NFTs from their collection. We cooperated with the client’s backend programmers, blockchain specialists, and Unreal Engine developers to achieve this implementation.

Solution

The game’s design went through several iterations from the original concept. Most notably, the game would have originally been focused on melee combat. After some research and testing, we decided to switch the game to a ranged combat system. We remade the core mechanics to accommodate this change and overall, it was a positive one. Playtesters and QA staff all reported a better feeling while playing with these new mechanics. Finally, we were working on these iterations and new updates on short turnarounds. Blockchain and NFT games are community built and focused so we aimed to have efficient turnarounds for the eager Binamon community.

Result

Over the course of delivering several updates, there have been two sets distinct, separate feedback from the community and the client. This gives us interesting sets of data to work with given the different sources. Our latest update was very well received by both. Overall, both client and community are very happy with our direction and with our deliveries of content and updates. Our latest update was increasing the server player counts to 60. Next up is creating individual servers for each region.

Problem

The bulk of the work is made up in delivering a large number of 3D models, textures, and assets for the game. The majority of this work was in models and assets rather than textures. However, the main challenge of the project was delivering a wide variety of these assets in a modular fashion.

The purpose was to allow the developers to take a single, modular framework and create multiple, unique objects or assets from it. These included tables, fences, ladders, seats, catwalks, fire escapes, furniture, and several buildings.

Solution

The trick in these is building them specifically so that each variation has a unique feel. The modular pieces must be created so that each variation isn’t homogenous.

Our artists and modelers worked each object and asset as a whole. Achieving this goal meant working with a variety of pieces together and ensuring that they could be mixed and matched. There was a standardised shape and fit established by the team. This meant the pieces themselves could be customised freely as long as they ended up in that rough, standardised shape.

Result

The client was very happy with our results. From the work that required texturing, the untextured assets, as well as the modular options, they were delighted with what they received.

Thanks to our initial work, we were contracted to work on further assets. The new contract included work on vehicles in the environment, such as cars, vans, train wagons, and a tram. Finally, we worked on weapons, scopes, and attachments. All were delivered to a satisfied client.