Project: Okiniri - Art Direction (Creatures & Riders)
Okiniri were mystical creatures but I wanted our creature designs to be somewhat familiar to players to increase their appeal and infer how it would behave and attack.
Okiniri are worship by the indigenous people of the land.
Riders were human's who's culture was built around riding and caring for these giant creatures. We were influenced by horse riding cultures throughout our history.
The heart of th game would be in establishing and nurturing the bond you have with your Okiniri. We loved the idea of caring for them like a Tamogotchi; feeding, grooming, and playing with them to maintain optimal performance on missions.
Each design intended to fill a player fantast about riding on the back of a giant beast across the land.
A variety of movement and attack types were essential for variety of play.
Project: Okiniri - Art Direction (Creatures & Riders)
These concepts were created for a project internally know as "Okiniri". Okiniri was the name for ridable beast that had the potential to unlock physical and magical abilities when bonded with a Rider. In doing so they became to protectors of all living things. Not only did I serve as Art Director, but I also was in charge of the creative team developing the IP. We wanted to tap into the collecting and nurturing behavior of Pokémon players but imagined for an older audience. Concept Art by Sergey Naygel, Kory Hubble, Chris MAdden, and Anton Bogaty.