Glasgow-based animation studio creates epic new trailer for the debut of real-time strategy game ‘Grey Goo,’ published by Grey Box and developed by Six Foot and Petroglyph.
Glasgow-based animation studio Axis and director Dana Dorian have created an epic new trailer for brand new real-time strategy (RTS) video game Grey Goo, published by Grey Box and developed by Six Foot and Petroglyph.
Evolved from classic strategy mechanics, Grey Goo aims to reinvigorate the RTS genre with an emphasis on tactics over micromanagement. Axis was brought into the project in the early stages of the game’s development as Six Foot was exploring the characters, story and world.
“Our first introduction to the project was to see some incredible character design work that was being done by the team at Weta Workshop,” said Axis managing director Richard Scott. “It was clear that the team at Six Foot were being very ambitious with the project and were looking for a creative content partner who would provide more than just great execution.”
The Axis team, led by director Dana Dorian, worked with Six Foot on bringing out the best in the game’s cut-scene sequences, collaborating on the scripts and providing all the necessary creative preproduction support from casting to storyboards and animatics.
The cut-scene sequences saw Axis complete over twenty two minutes of story animation, building a range of characters, sets and vehicles as well as defining a style using a series of techniques that ensured engaging story development at the highest production values.
“It was our collaboration with Six Foot on the cut-scene sequences and the great relationship that we struck up together that led to the creation of the trailer,” said Axis director Dana Dorian. “With a number of the required characters already built, voices cast and animation techniques honed we knew we could put our creative efforts into producing an epic action packed trailer that would put the new game firmly on the map.”
The trailer opens on a hazy distorted view as an unknown limb floats, dissolving slowly. The voiceover talks of explorers and monsters and from here we transition to both the Beta and Human races, each time revisiting the inside of the unknown mass as it gathers up more bodies and debris of war.
“My idea for the trailer was to introduce each of the games three races, never describing any of them as the hero or villain,” Dorian said. “The voice-over was juxtaposed at key points with the visuals as the viewer is teased as to who the mysterious voice is. This is then subverted at the end of the trailer when we reveal the voice to be the least likely of candidates, the Goo, a gelatinous mass of nanotechnology consuming everything in its path.”
The closing sequence in the trailer reveals the Goo and the humans engaged in an epic battle where hundreds of units and machines swarm the landscape. Viewers see two of the game’s human characters, Lucy Tak and John Redgrave, as they launch a further assault on the Goo culminating in Redgrave using the incredible power of the towering Alpha Unit.
“We wanted the battle sequence to deliver on three key things: scale, tactics and drama,” said Axis executive producer Debbie Ross. “Each of those are not only important to the success of the trailer, they are cornerstones of the games brand too. Attention to detail was massively important across the whole trailer -- from the insects floating in the jungle air to the way the Strider units form out of the Goo itself -- everything is in there to add authenticity and bring this fantastic world to life.”
“Axis’ work consistently delivers a quality of spectacle while also accomplishing an authenticity that goes beyond photorealism,” said Josh Maida, VP of games at Six Foot. “We were able to trust them with not only creating a trailer that delivered on our marketing messages, but also an entry point into the world of our game. They are more than a CGI Studio. They are storytellers.”
Source: Axis
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
