A cultural phenomenon, that’s how the online video game Fortnite is called. It quickly broke into the gaming world in 2017 and without further ado began to gain jaw-dropping momentum. Available in three versions of game modes sharing the common gameplay and game engine – Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite: Battle Royale and Fortnite: Creative – the game became especially popular thanks to the Battle Royale version, which attracted more than 250 million players worldwide and received several prestigious awards.
Battle Royale invites players to take part in a massive battle on a vast map – alone or in groups of two to four people, exterminating or avoiding the other players’ characters until there is only one winner left on the map. The player can choose a different appearance of the character – a skin purchased with in-game currency. Skins are a separate culture that constantly stirs up the interest of players: they want their character to look good, and if a partner or rival enters the game in a newfangled or menacingly mesmerizing skin, then they certainly need to look no worse!
The need to hold attention and engage players has led to the need to ensure a steady stream of new skins. Epic Games decided to team up with Kevuru Games to create new exclusive concepts for them. And it happened in the following way.
| GOAL | CHALLENGE | TEAM COMPOSITION |
| Triggering and maintaining the interest of newcomers | Create concept arts of new skins | Art director Lead concept artist |
| Retaining and engaging old hands | Concept artists | |
| Increasing the number of in-game purchases | Project manager |
Initial Data
The peculiarity of skins circulation in the game is that there is no need to spend real money to get them: there is a special in-game currency V-Bucks, which can be obtained for completing missions, tasks, and just for entering the game. Therefore, on the part of the players, there is no prejudice or annoyance towards skins, as happens with all sorts of game features that require a donation in order to unlock them.
Players are very fond of skins and carefully collect in-game currency to buy what they like. Therefore, Epic Games chose the correct optimization path for working with them, creating a unified knowledge base with all the standards and reference information for producing new skins. This allowed them to unify the basic requirements for skins and get rid of fragmentary interpretations.
To ensure correct operation, our partner provided us with access to the knowledge base. With it, our concept artists were able to create concepts with strict guidelines for style, color, and parameters set by Epic Games. When creating some of the concepts, our team was given complete freedom of imagination, which we actively used to demonstrate our creativity and deep expertise.
Epic Games’ trust and openness to dialogue allowed our artists to make suggestions and corrections even to those concepts for which the client initially had a specific vision. Many of our team’s ideas regarding colors, equipment, and weapon handling techniques were received with enthusiasm, overshadowing the initial ideas.
Workflow
A distinctive feature of cooperation with Epic Games was full access to all skins ever created without any restrictions. Thanks to this, the artists quickly got their bearings in the main thematic style that needed to be followed, and immediately got to work.
Intermediate approvals and discussions with representatives of Epic Games took place almost daily: our team provided about three works at various stages of implementation per day and took an active part in the discussion of possible additions or recommendations.
About the Created Concepts: Personal Profile
Astra
She is the star of any shootout. Beautiful, agile, and dangerous, she successfully combines innate talents and skills acquired in battles to demonstrate truly cosmic pirouettes to stunned enemies. Her speed is disarming, and the outfit is dazzling: she leaves no one a chance. First appearing on January 1st, 2020, in Chapter 2 of Season 1, Astra was featured in the Shooting Stars set, categorized as an Epic Outfit, and captivated players with her cosmic grace and elegance.
Bushranger
Insanely cute and incredibly charming tree instantly became the player’s favorite thanks primarily to its touching muzzle with beady eyes. It seems that such a creature is not able to offend anyone, but appearance can be deceiving when it comes to confrontation. He first came out of the fairy forest on November 7th, 2019, in Chapter 2 of Season 1. Now he is in the Woodsy set, is a Rare Outfit and is good at disguising himself in forests and groves.
Globe Shaker
He’s one of those who definitely likes to appear like a bolt from the blue or snow out of nowhere: the snow is actually his head filler along with the Christmas tree. Funny, festive, and extremely extraordinary, he fell into the world of Fortnite all of a sudden on December 1st, 2019, in Chapter 2 of Season 1, settled well in the Frosty Fights set, became Epic Outfit, and one of the favorites of the winter season. Who knows what will happen to this world if he shakes his magic head too actively.
Frozen Nog Ops
According to Polar Legends, after which the set is named, the Christmas and New Year seasons are particularly lavish with spectacular new Frozen Series gear. This girl is a vivid confirmation of this: her adorable winter outfit, fluffy hat, and icy breath make her look like a fighting Snow Maiden. She appeared on December 18th, 2019, in Chapter 2 of Season 1, and since then confidently overcomes both snowy and other terrains.
Bunnywolf
The pure glow of neon rage. A wolf or a rabbit, this will only be understood on the battlefield. And there, the animal power will break through. Released on February 28th, 2020, in Chapter 2 of Season 2, this Epic Outfit from the Neon Jungle set quickly caught the attention of players with a mesmerizing duality of its animal nature. Strange and a little awkward at first glance, this beast sensitively monitors every heartbeat of enemies and brings them a quick and inexorable death.
Chance
When it is not clear what to do next, leave it to chance. She appeared in the spring, during the liberation of the world from the shackles of winter, on March 15th, 2020, in Chapter 2 of Season 2, and, of course, became the leader among the Rare Outfits of the Spring Spirit set. Cheerful, active, and fiery-haired, she is a born leader, ready to guide people to any achievement. She fights as if dancing and takes down enemies with a smile on her lips. Many believe that being killed by her hand is not so bad.
Working on such large-scale projects is always a challenge, not only in terms of creativity, but also in terms of realizing a huge responsibility in all respects at once. To ensure information security when working with our team, we sign non-disclosure agreements that guarantee the protection and safety of our partners.
Value Delivered
For 10 months of cooperation, we created about 120 unique skin concepts for various thematic areas. They fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the game and are already actively used by players to explore and conquer the incredible world of Fortnite.
Each created character received an exclusive attachment, also designed by our team. It is called a back bling and has a special shape, color, and features that match the specifics of the character. It can be a backpack, badge, patch, shield, wings, helmet or any other item.
Many players managed to appreciate the loveliness of charming Bushranger, the gracefulness of cosmically beautiful Astra, the audacity of red-haired Chance, and many other characters from a wide variety of sets. And what could be better than recognition not only of a partner who appreciates our exceptional dedication, but also of players who admire the skins developed according to our concepts?
- Planning. Considering reference materials and knowledge base
- Sketching. Creating thumbnails, generating ideas, and choosing the final option
- Detailing. Adding small details and elements that complement the character’s image
- Rendering. Producing the final concept art that can be used for both further modeling and game concept art portfolio
Conceptual Conclusion
Our team is ready for challenges: this is an integral part of creative work, claiming to spread beyond the limits. Working with characters is our separate passion. Kevuru Games is happy to take on major world-renowned projects and ensures the highest standards of collaboration in all areas. Flexibility and adaptability allow us to easily adapt to the brand’s DNA while maintaining our unique creative vision. A well-established work process and high project management standards enable us to guarantee our partners the timely fulfillment of all obligations in the agreed volume and budgetary framework.
And if we move away from officialdom, then our team just loves to create cool art and contribute to the success of really worthy video games. Be sure: your game will shine with us!
Feel free to drop us a few words about your ideas and plans for a new or existing game: together we will come up with how to skyrocket it to new heights!
