FARCRY 6 // Lead Artist
- Team management - Openworld + Location development - Prototyping - Benchmarking - Photo referencing -
I joined Ubisoft Toronto in late 2016 as one of the first artists on the team. Working in a small team in early pre-production stages was truly something special. It gave me the opportunity to work with the Art Director and World Geography Director on early prototypes, the world map, and build many of the first locations in the world. I helped prove out a workflow that will later guide the rest of the team in production.
I later benchmarked locations to define the level of quality for our Level Artists to bring visuals to a high shippable quality. This alongside managing a team of 9 artists had its challenges, but because of the fantastic team I had it made every moment an enjoyable one.
Below is a glimpse of my journey on FARCRY 6.
PHOTO REFERENCE
In early production I was fortunate to be sent on a photo reference trip to capture the essence and scale of locations in the real world. These references were brought back to the team to inspire them in building the fictional world and locations in YARA.
Below are a few snapshots.
Photo by Haine Kim
OPENWORLD DEVELOPMENT
In my role I oversaw the production of Madrugada, Isla Santuario and Libertad HQ regions (1/3 of the world). I ensured the quality was consistent throughout these regions. As an Art Lead I was responsible for working closely with Level Art team members, Level Design Leads, Biomes and Procedural teams, Coordinators, Project Managers and Directors with regular reviews and sync-ups to ensure the expectations were met or exceeded. I provided support in working on the regions throughout production as well.
Below are a few images from the amazing team of artists I had the pleasure of working with. These regions were a huge collaborative effort and I am proud of all the hard work put in by the team to deliver on these results!
The artists I had the privilege of working with and manage:
Alexander Sychov, Haeyong Cho, Jason Lacuna, Leonardo Iezzi, Mark Sayson, Mathew O'Halloran, Victor Rucareanu
LOCATION BENCHMARKING
I was responsible for benchmarking a few of our first shippable quality locations, which were used as internal guides and training references. This is Philly Barzanga's Magic Workshop. The location was an effort with the Branding, Lighting and Narrative teams to establish what a key character's location would look like. It was an extremely fun one for me to build because of all the resolver and makeshift elements in and around the house. It was later used in demos, marketing campaigns and teaser content prior to the game's release.
PHILLY'S MAGIC WORKSHOP
Barrio Del Principe
This was another benchmark location focusing on what a small rural residential village would feel like in Yara. I enjoyed working on this village as well as the mountains (mogotes) in the background with the amazing mind of Andrejs Verlis, who supported a lot of the development of our landscape. This location was later featured in demos, marketing campaigns and teaser content prior to the games release.
FIRST HOUR CONTENT
When the time came to showcase the first hour of gameplay, a focused effort on quality on all major paths leading to the final battle on Isla Santuario was necessary. Following this initiative, I led the rest of the team to polish the areas outside of the first hour.
Below are some examples of the work I did on the first hour.
TEAM LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE
Outside of my art creation duties, I was responsible for managing 7-9 artists throughout the production of FARCRY 6. This meant being the point of contact on the team, leading standup meetings, holding 1:1 sync-ups, setting career development goals, hiring and onboarding, and creating a fun and engaging culture where members felt valued and respected. Most importantly, I wanted everyone to feel represented by showcasing their work to the greater team.
Photo by Billy Matjuinis
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
This has been the largest production I’ve had the privilege to work in with hundreds of passionate, talented and dedicated developers spanning multiple studios across the globe. It’s also been the biggest role I’ve taken on in my career and the one where I have grown the most. I have Ubisoft Toronto’s leadership to thank for putting their trust in me to lead an Environment Art team.
I feel extremely fortunate to have worked alongside such incredible people throughout this production.
It’s definitely an experience I will cherish.
Images and music: TM & Copyright @Ubisoft Entertainment. All rights reserved.