Case Studies
Conceptopolis Case Study
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (previously known as Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion) is the sequel to the 2006 action role-playing video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance which was released September 15, 2009. The game was jointly developed by Vicarious Visions (Playstation 3 and Xbox 360), n-Space (DS, Playstation 2, and Wii) and Savage Entertainment (PSP), and will be published by Activision. The game features characters from the Marvel Comics universe and elements of the Secret War and Civil War storylines.
Approach
Vicarious Visions approached Conceptopolis in the early stages of the game development. Vicarious Visions had an established 2D style sheet in place, but wanted to ensure that Conceptopolis could carry through the specific look across dozens of characters that would be featured within the game. With the basic guideline in place, such as specific anatomy sizes (small, medium and large), Conceptopolis’ task was to incorporate realistic looking materials and apply them to the characters that came from the Marvel comic book universe.
The main challenge was to take characters from the Marvel comic books and make them look contemporary, yet also be recognizable to any fan that was familiar with those characters. By utilizing real-world plastics, metals and various materials, Conceptopolis illustrated each character to a high level of detail. This gave the 3D art teams a very good guide to be able to translate the look to the final game.
Results
Fan reaction to the way the characters looked was very positive. Many are featured as DLC (downloadable content) and many are featured as cameos within the game. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 has received generally positive reviews from most critics, and holds a 82% at GameRankings. Metacritic currently holds the game at 78%. Brian Michael Bendis, comic writer for Marvel Comics was given an early opportunity to play the game, to which he later wrote on Twitter, “Happy to give a huge thumbs up for ‘Ultimate Alliance 2.’ The stills do it no justice. It’s gorgeous.”
About Conceptopolis
Conceptopolis formed in 2006, offering 2D art services for the toy and video game industries. Since 2006, Conceptopolis has completed over 200 unique projects with varied styles and guidelines. Our clients include Mattel, Hasbro, Sony, LEGO, 2K Games, Topps, WB Games, Activision, Wizards of the Coast, among others. Conceptopolis provides a “one stop shop” for all of your creative needs. When you hire Conceptopolis, you not only get quality 2D and 3D art; you get our years of experience in directing creative projects tailored to exact specifications.
In 2009, Conceptopolis began offering 3D art services – taking the same proven approach with it’s 2D art services. The 3D department is managed by Jon Jones, who brings valuable experience, having worked previously for NC Soft and 2K games as their art outsource manager.
Conceptopolis gives you peace of mind. We spend the time finding and testing artists for their reliability and overall ability. We can help add to your overall productivity by being one point of contact instead of managing groups of artists.
Conceptopolis Specialties: 12+ years within the comic book industry, working with publishers, art teams, distributors, licenses and high profile brands. 6+ years in the toy and video game industries, with direct contact to brand managers, producers and art directors.
Contact Conceptopolis today! www.conceptopolis.com | Click to reveal email | PH: 1.800.884.9262
