I love Unreal Engine 5 showcase videos. Can’t get enough of them. To be clear, I don’t even care how playable any of them ever end up being. This is an art feature, not a games review section, and so all I care about is how pretty they look, and tonight’s showcase is very pretty indeed.
This is Airborn, a video made by Airborn Studios, an art studio in Berlin we’ve featured a few times previously, including for its incredible work on some of Overwatch’s skins:
After a hibernation phase of many years, we made the call to revisit the project that our studio is named after. Wondering what it would be like if we dive back into that world with new ideas, a different approach, a mix of Airborn veterans and new team members, and the determination to use the latest technology to push stylized game art and stay true to the core pillars of the work that was done way back. And without further ado, we proudly present the result!
When they say a “hibernation phase”, they aren’t kidding: Airborn as an idea has been kicking around for over 15 years now, with this latest video just the most contemporary expression of the idea that gave the studio its name.
It’s important to note here that this isn’t a game pitch in the sense that this is something that’s actively trying to be made. They’ve called it a “visual prototype” in this case, and instead it’s a way for artists to be able to work on something that looks like a video game, in order to showcase their skills, all the while creating something that’s theirs, not the IP of an employer or a client.
To give you an idea of how much work goes into something like, here’s the full credits list for the project:
Airborn Studios
Alexander Delagrange - 3D Env/Prop Art
Alexandra Graap - 3D Character Art
Artur Rosário - Tech Art
Benjamin Sauder - Technical Director
Boris Patschull - Managing Director
Ching Rappsilber-Li - Management Assistant
Erik Neubauer - 3D Character Art
Fatos Tahiraj - 3D Character Art
Gabriel Hanna - 3D Env/Prop Art
Ilka Hesche - Concept art
Jan Wyss - 3D Env/Prop Art
João Sapiro Josue - 3D Env/Prop Art
Johannes Figlhuber - Art Direction & Concept Art
Jonas Kunert - 3D Env/Prop Art & Concept Art
Julian Dasgupta - Project Management & PR
Kevin Skok - 3D Env/Prop Art
Lennart Berger - 3D Character Art
Malwina Czech - 3D Env/Prop Art
Manuel Sitompul - 3D Character Art
Manuel Virks - 3D Level Lead
Niels Timmerman - 3D Character Art
Simon Kopp - Art Direction & Concept Art
Steffen Unger - 3D Character Lead
Svenja Roesner - 3D Env/Prop Art
Tim Moreels - 3D Character Art
Verena Porcher - Website Relaunch Coordination
Victor Pancrazi - 3D Character Art
Music
Ian Dorsch
Funkeyz Animation Studio
Shuki Gamliel - Animation Supervisor
Sonia Wolfson - Animation
Arthur Kazine - Animation
Michael Fabris - Rigging
SkewSound
Dan Crislip - Audio Director
Christopher Wilson - Sound Design
Nicholas Kallman - Sound Design
Steve Pardo - Sound Design
Production Babies
Joshua (Yoshi)
Special Thanks
Adina Krause
Ezgi Bulut
Josh Dina
Matthieu Schneider
If you’d like to learn a little more about Airborn and its creation, the team have written a short blog about the process, but were also kind enough to share a ton of behind-the-scenes pieces from the video’s creation, ranging from character designs to airship renders:
