We were tasked with creating the trailer from concept to completion. To do this, we had to take care of all gameplay capture, motion graphics, directing, concept, audio design, editing, and overall production polish.

We wanted this to be a big trailer in both tone and feeling, and be used in a way that set the stage of the world for an audience interested in learning more about the game. To accomplish this goal, we crafted a story opening built around the pillars of the game's universe. We decided to have custom VO from one of the characters (Locke) pulling back the curtain so to speak on the game's world. To show that it is full of monsters and villains, dark magic and creatures of strange origin.

To accompany this opening, we had to build all the motion work from the ground up, designing and animating all the newspaper sequences. We had created the idea of showing various newspapers hinting at the strange happenings behind the scenes, with background VO of newsreels from the 30s trying to explain the events as they unfold. Our motion work supported and built that concept into what you see on screen.

We also created a structure for the trailer to showcase the various elements of the game, from exploration to combat to the unique variety of characters, all while Locke pushed the narrative forward. We did so by taking care of all gameplay capture (both cinematic and direct) which is 100% real-time in-game. We also built the big motion titles from the ground up in full 3D, to give each title sequence the blockbuster feeling it deserved. This also meant taking the game's logo and rebuilding it in 3D as well.

The above was combined with our mix of the soundtrack, where we spliced together numerous tracks to show you the range of tone and feeling the game explores (Serious and blockbuster, a feeling of adventure, and classic 1930s pulp) and we then tied that into the edit and structure of the trailer itself.

We finished the trailer with our rounds of polish and careful attention to detail, all while making sure the folks at HBS approved of our direction and approach. The final result premiered at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023!