Nakatomi: Concept 2.0, an immersive space to explore your game worlds

‘A vast vertical metropolis stretches above the clouds, an opulent city full of glamour and wonder of analogue space-age technology.’

Nakatomi allowed our team to innovate across many areas: procedural asset workflows, vehicle animation, cinematic pre-visualization, and VFX prototyping. The world was created in both UE5 and Blender to build structures and expansive procedural cityscapes, all while staying true to the project’s art direction and overall vision. Check out the official ArtStation Art Blast to see the full scope of the work.

We bought Nakatomi to life in UE5 in its early stages. Procedural generation techniques helped us to craft modular buildings and city layouts, which gave us the flexibility to build densely populated skylines.

We were able to navigate through the city skyline and walk through the plaza as levitating cars flew by. This added a whole new dimension to the project and was all the more impressive given that much of it was procedurally generated.

From the beginning, Nakatomi’s worldbuilding focused on the fusion of art deco and retro-futurism. Every design element, from props and vehicles to architecture and character concepts, features bold shapes, detailed touches inspired by the past, and a hands-on, mechanical feel. The aesthetic draws inspiration from the golden age of aviation and early visions of space travel, which both reflect an optimism for the future.

We placed strong emphasis on functionality and purpose, and every design had to work logically, mechanically, and narratively. Our artists were encouraged to dive deep into aesthetics, as well as the “how” and “why” behind every piece.

This meant we had to push our vehicle and props pipeline, integrating 3D motion studies and component-level breakdowns. Design and function were treated as equals—the result feels both imaginative and grounded in the world.

A shared library of assets was developed that could be used across multiple artists and concepts, which has created even more efficiency as the world of Nakatomi grows.

A key focus for the team was incorporating rich details and storytelling elements to add depth to Nakatomi. From storage compartments for umbrellas to analogue displays, and exotic wood dashboards, every feature was designed to hint at the world beyond and the characters who inhabit it. Don’t just scroll, stop and see what details you can find!

The next step for Nakatomi is to build a fully explorable vertical slice of the world faster and more efficiently than traditional game development pipelines to further our Concept 2.0 offering. All the while we continue to maintain high levels of detail at every scale across all our projects, live and internal.

For our team, Nakatomi isn’t just a place where the sky isn’t the limit – it’s only the beginning.

Contact us to find out about how we can harness Concept 2.0 to bring your game worlds to life, faster and more efficiently.