Led by VFX supervisor Benjamin Walsh, Deluxe-owned VFX house creates a wide range of CG effects for Top Game’s Super Bowl spots, including massive armies and accompanying weapons and horses, and atmospheric elements including fireballs, fog and smoke.
Menlo Park, CA-based mobile game publisher Top Games US debuted two spots to launch Evony: The King’s Return around this year’s big game broadcast. Working with ad agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group-owned Method Studios handled VFX on the two-minute teaser which debuted online on February 1, and on the a 30-second big game spot showing the climactic battle.
In the campaign, leaders from various historical eras -- including America’s George Washington (Aaron Eckhart), England’s King Arthur (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and China’s Empress Wu Zetian (Fan Bingbing) -- converge as allies in an unlikely battle. The spots depict each character’s unique region and vast forces as they prepare for battle, culminating with all three coming together to storm an enemy castle. Method VFX supervisor Benjamin Walsh led a team of 30 artists, creating a wide range of CG effects including massive armies and accompanying weapons and horses, and atmospheric elements including fireballs, fog, and smoke. Artists also created matte paintings for various environments, including the enemy castle and surrounding landscape, King Arthur’s medieval ruins, and George Washington’s Virginia countryside.
“We only had a two-and-a-half week post schedule, so as soon as the shoot wrapped in New Zealand we were sending back data to start building the CG soldiers for the three distinct armies,” Walsh explained. “Our dedicated artists did a wonderful job of efficiently executing the rigging, painting, lookdev, and multiple animation cycles required on the soldiers carrying weapons, flags, and riding horses to create these beautifully cinematic spots.”
The big game was broadcast on February 5 and reached 111.3 million viewers.
Source: Method Studios
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
