Devoted SpeakEasy #3: Character World, Design Kits in LoL, GoW

Bigger than Games: Character World, Design Kits in LoL, GoW with E.Gonzalez. Devoted Speakeasy E03

Lead Art Director for Catalyst Black Eduardo Gonzalez joined us for a new Devoted SpeakEasy podcast episode. Previously he was a concept artist for God of War, Socom, and Kill Zone. He also contributed to Visual Development and World Building at Riot Games. 

In this episode, we discussed how he built his career at Riot Games and the specifics of building a team of artists worldwide. Watch this episode to get some insights into how to create games with unique identities and provide them with catchy storytelling.

Timecodes:

( 00:00 ) — Intro
( 1:00 )  — Riot: how it all started
( 5:08 )  — Co-Founding World Building Team with the knowledge that the IP will transcend the game
( 11:40 )  — Shape language and symbolism of specific champions in League of Legends
( 17:28 )  — Subcultures within characters to give depth and possibility without touching the game
( 20:40 )  — How does the collaboration between different roles work in champion design?
( 29:00 )  — Surfacing “hooks” or “clues” that will give games their identity
( 35:15 )  — Estimating time spent on assets as a trial and error process
( 40:00 )  — A glimpse into early visual development for God of War
( 45:40 )  — What are the secret ingredients to a successful new IP?

Watch the full episode at the link