100 sketches to define a world

Helping Poster shape their game FormatEarth

In 2018 we worked with Poster on their game FormatEarth, and helped define and build their in-game world in 10 days with more than a 100 sketches and drawings.

Vizlab Studios did concepting and pre-visualization for the game FormatEarth made by Poster. Poster wanted a large quantity of concept art, mainly to flesh out their world and level design.

Vizlab Studios began work on concept art for FormatEarth in the fall of 2018, and during an intensive 10-day period created over 100 sketches and concept art pieces to use in FormatEarth’s level design and worldbuilding. FormatEarth is a dark sci-fi fantasy game, set in a distant dystopian future encapsulating an immersive story re-lived through the protagonist John.

Andreas was given the task of fleshing out FormatEarth’s world and create inspiration to the game and level designers

Approach and exploration

Andreas’ approach was to first do black- and white thumbnails inspired by references and moodboard, and then deciding on the design language of different elements within the world – Brutal depressing architecture for the manmade structures, and alien colorful and coral-like organic structures.

Working in close contact with FormatEarth’s developers, Andreas tried to figure out what the game’s feel should be like, and by taking inspiration from Cold-war era eastern europe, they created the oppressing, but adventurous feeling you can see in the next round of concepts.

A big part of the story in the game, is based around the main protagonist’s sanity, and how the world becomes progressively more alien and shattered throughout the game. In the start of the game, the levels are specifically designed to look familiar and human, but later on becomes more and more alien and unsafe

One of the main focuses of the concepts, was to explore different assets and functionalities within the game. Andreas created a concepts for gates and pathways into other areas and levels, to try and communicate how a player might traverse from one area to another, while at the same time staying immersed in the game.

Wrapping up

Andreas was also tasked with creating a couple of vendor-areas and battle arenas of which you can see a few of down below. By working with discipline, precision and in close relation to the client, Vizlab Studios can produce interesting concepts and design for your game with surprising speed .

We hope you have enjoyed reading our Case on FormatEarth. You may visit www.formatearth.game here, and see their project!

We wish them the best of luck!