Art Direction of Arena Battle Champions
My mandate after bring hired was to create an anime inspired Art Direction for an already gameplay established game.
Art Pillars
I worked on rebranding the Arena Battle Champion art style bringing it towards an anime style which was approachable, lighthearted and accessible on small mobile screens.
I’ve always been a huge fan of anime shows, manga’s, and games so this was a pleasure to dive into. I gathered as much reference as possible, and worked with the amazing art team to create a exciting world to play in.
High level Tone
Establishing high level tones are important so that the entire team can question if what they’re working on feels right! And why we make the decisions that go into the visual story telling.
ART STYLE
Every part of the art style needs to be decided with intent and documented otherwise it can start to become inconsistent and hard to identify.
NEO-FANTASY
Neo-Fantasy was an aesthetic that I helped coin to bring together the fantasy and scifi.
In this world spirit magic, humanoid beings, and other fantastical elements did not disappear. They existed from the beginning of time, and now co-exist with the modernization of the planet in the Neo-Age.
With the innovation of technology, it was possible to utilize the power of spirit, which created SPIRITEC. This brought in a wave of peace, prosperity and limitless possibility.
Some areas of Ullmara have strong fantasy culture, while others have left it behind, but most live harmoniously between both.
Characters
Characters are crucial to a MOBA.
They must be visually striking while also sparking the player’s imagination-hinting at the power fantasy each hero embodies. A great character design doesn’t just catch the eye, it invites players to envision the thrill of mastering their abilities.
Envrionments
Environments are a perfect place to create interesting world building opportunities. We made sure to include the Neo-Fantasy in envrionments by spanning ancient ruins to top of the bustling futuristic cities.
This is only a small section of my Art Bible.
For more information please reach out and I’d be happy to share more about my process.
Credit to:
Lead Artist: Camille Vezina
Environment Artist: Chahnaze Alami
Tech Artist: Jose Pizarro
Animation: Lucio Mennillo
Concept Artist: Timothy Mack
Vfx Artist: Francois Cardin