New World Dives Into Its Zone Creation Process

In New World’s 14th episode of Forged in Aeternum, Host Mike Willette (World Experience Lead) is joined by Charles Bradbury (Art Director) and Rosie Strzalkowski (Environment Art Lead) to chat about the process of creating narrative-driven, immersive zones for players to explore.

When asked what themes the game artists wanted to explore, the main focus was on integrating multiple cultures while incorporating new ideas and themes. Another important factor is the game's cinematic moments. “At the early stage, we’re not focusing too much on specific designs, but trying to establish the overall tone of the scenery and using our tools to achieve those results,” Senior Concept Artist Stuart Kim explained.

“We’re also attempting to add in a sense of intrigue through directed compositions that may depict figures or the state of an object or place. For instance, you might see a settlement after it was destroyed or perhaps overgrown through abandonment and the passing of time.” These visual cues allow players to question the world and narratively piece things together. This unique version of storytelling, where the game shows a player something rather than specifically telling them, allows the player to be immersed and develop their own ideas and themes and allows the player, in a way, to be a part of the process of creating as well.

To those interested, you can check out the full blog post on New World’s site, or check out the 14th episode below!