Bringing the physical to the digital
client
Ubisoft
services
In-game Assets
Design
Key Art
date
2018+
For brand extension to succeed, you’ve got to focus on the fans. That’s why we're consumer focused from start to finish, carefully researching the target market across all of our design projects – whether they’re physical or digital. So when video game publishers, Ubisoft, first approached us, we grabbed our controllers and got stuck into the world of gaming.
Game On!
After a successful brand extension and brand identity project, they asked if we could apply our approach to in-game outfits for their new AAA game, For Honor. They needed to rapidly scale up on asset research, production and delivery to support the game launch.
We normally take the digital and turn it into something physical – so we were the perfect people to switch things up and do the reverse.
A scale up mission
With a strong background in form and print placement, we were able to use the same skill sets to work on a huge number of digital assets in a lot less time. In fact, we set up a streamlined process that enabled us to turnaround the equivalent of licensing asset pack in just three days every three days – something that would have taken around three months if we were working on physical assets. Our team worked with internal and external artists to create thousands of outfit designs, which varied in detail and level of work depending on the style and pricing category.
Across both the real world and the digital one, self-expression is a key part of what consumers get from assets like these. For Gen Z in particular, self-expression through digital identity is hugely important – in Roblox’s 2023 Digital Fashion, Expression and Beauty Trends report, 88% say expressing themselves in immersive spaces has likely helped them comfortably express themselves in the physical world. All of this provides a huge platform for brands, who can help consumers create and curate their digital identities.
Taking the old into the new
As our virtual worlds evolve and digital identities start to form, people still want to see the same level of craftsmanship in their digital assets. According to Manuel Bronstein, Chief Product Officer at Roblox, their researchers are currently exploring how to “efficiently capture fine wrinkling details when simulating complex materials like thick leather garments, and opening the door for even more realistic materials and clothing in the future.”
At Skew, our background in physical goods means we can hold onto the human processes of production, like hand drawn and painted elements, retaining the skill and quality that comes with it. We bring together our trend knowledge, market awareness and design skills to create carefully designed assets every time.
For Ubisoft we enhanced the player experience for 7.5 million registered users, by creating thousands of character upgrade assets that fans loved and paid for. We’ll take that as a win. Controllers down.
