We were tasked with creating in-game cinematics for Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend, an expansion pack to the series’ fourth game. Embarking on a journey embracing historical authenticity and unearthing cultural insight, the resulting work retains a firmly contemporary aesthetic and engaging energy.
Age of Empires IV
Client
Relic Entertainment
Xbox Game Studios
Service lines
Animation
Platforms
Microsoft Windows
Xbox One, Series X & S
Release Date
October 2021 (Game)
November 2023 (Expansion)
Overview
The Art Team wove the art, textiles and architecture of the Mamluk era (1200’s-1500’s) into the creation of nine in-game cinematics. The result is a series of narrative campaign introductions, rich with locations, characters, and historical context.
Approach
Building strong collaborative foundations with Relic, we began with a style exploration, creating a unique art style specifically for this campaign. With a deliberately sympathetic animation style the artwork was brought to life and, we invited the player to step into an illustrated journal, further embedding them in the unfolding story.
Stages
Initial deep-dive research underpinned this project, informing all later stages. From the research into locations, character and clothing, a detailed style guide emerged, which in turn was the birthing ground for the proof of concept. From this, a further eight cinematics emerged.
Result
We welcomed the challenge of fusing traditional art styles with contemporary animation methods to help create a series of unique cinematics for a huge franchise. We were delighted to see some of the cinematics feature in the games promotional materials.
Relic Credits for XP3 Cinematics:
Lauren Wood – Narrative Director
Barry McDougall – Art Director
Nick Bedell – Audio Director
Kristina Wiik – Missions Lead
Philippe Boulle – Design Director
Seb Grinke – Senior Producer
Shara Kashani – Artist
Caitlin Yu – Producer
"Working and partnering with Atomhawk on the Sultans Ascend expansion for Age of Empires 4 was an incredibly positive experience. They worked with us to understand our needs and collaborated well with our internal team. They were always enthusiastic in our meetings and brought a high level of quality and craftsmanship to the project. We appreciate all that Atomhawk did in delivering something beautiful that we all had fun making."
Relic Entertainment Team
