Helldivers 2 Trailer
We were tasked with helping to create high-quality concept art for the announcement trailer for the incredible Helldivers 2 for Goodbye Kansas Studios and Arrowhead Game Studio.
Overview
The award-winning VFX company, Goodbye Kansas Studios, renowned for creating iconic trailers and high-quality visual effects for franchises such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Netflix's One Piece, enlisted our concept art outsourcing studio, Athena Productions, to assist with visual development and concept art for the new Helldivers 2. As a game art outsourcing studio with years of experience, we were thrilled to collaborate once again with our friends at Goodbye Kansas Studios on this military recruitment-style commercial, infused with satire, drama, and action.
Approach
Our team of talented artists was tasked with creating cinematic concepts, leveraging Unreal Engine 5 to integrate seamlessly with the Art Director's pre-visualization workflow. Our in-house team’s expertise in Unreal Engine enabled us to assist other teams in scouting locations, experimenting with cameras, designing levels, and transferring scenes for mocap exploration, all while creating high-quality cinematic concept art. This project also allowed us to showcase our diverse skill sets in 2D concept art, 3D modeling, and Unreal Engine concept services, reinforcing our reputation as a concept art studio.
Super Earth Town Concept Art by Athena Productions
Final Trailer Screenshot
Process
In the opening cinematics, we’re introduced to 'Super Earth' through a military recruitment-styled advertisement, showcasing the galaxy's perils and the call to become a Helldiver. The brief was to create a town that felt highly designed and almost too perfect.
Our initial task was to create concepts for the town on Super Earth, including homes, street views, and overall environment design. Unreal Engine facilitated not only the creation of functional concept art designs but also level designs and town layouts, which were eventually handed over to the 3D modelers to streamline their workflow with a solid base.
Early in the process, we were tasked with designing the landscape of the Termanid-infested planet to scout camera views and cinematic compositions. Using Gaea, we created a complex alien landscape and then populated the scene in Unreal Engine with 3D models of rocks, Termanid eggs, alien-goop and other art assets from Arrowhead Games. From there, we scouted locations and presented them to the Art Director. Once some initial shots were locked in, we returned to our concept art roots to enhance the composition and storytelling for various shots, including the iconic 'thumbs-up' battle scene.
Mocap/Animation by Goodbye Kansas Studio - Our team assisted in creating the level design, and concepted the composition and scene. The Unreal Engine 5 scene was passed to the Director to import the mocap data for early pre-vis.
Final Trailer Screenshot
Result
We relished the challenge of utilizing Unreal Engine 5 to create concept art for this project, adding significant value to the broader team while telling the humorous and dramatic story of the Helldivers.
Our ability to provide game art outsourcing services, including 2D concept art, 3D modeling and Unreal Engine concept services, made us an invaluable outsourcing partner for this project. The seamless integration of our concept design into the production pipeline demonstrated our track record of delivering high-quality art for the gaming industry. Whether it’s environment concept design, or creating game characters, our art team consistently delivers top quality work, making us the go-to concept art studio for game studios.
Super Earth House Design by Athena Productions
Final House in trailer
