Civilization VI Art Inspiration?

[Dray]

So I've been sleuthing around, checking the Pinterests, DeviantArts, CGSociety pages of some Firaxis artists for any signs of Civilization VI art, and I found some very interesting concepts on Brian Busatti (Art Director for Civ VI)'s Pinterest page.

Notable albums include "Stylized Environment Inspiration", "Interface Inspiration", and "Stylized Character Reference"

Since Pinterest is extremely annoying (forcing you to sign-in to view images), I've compiled some of the more interesting images below; do keep in mind however, these images are not created by anyone on the Civilization VI art team, they are merely 'pinned' as inspiration, though you can see the clear influence some of these images had on the game we've seen thus far.

Album - "Stylized Environment Inspiration"

Spoiler :

Album - "Interface Inspiration"

Spoiler :

Album - "Stylized Character Reference"

Spoiler :

Also of note; Brian follows 'Kat Nicole B' on Pinterest (presumably an artist for Civ VI as well?) and she has an album "Cartoon Buildings", which I will also compile below.

Album - "Cartoon Buildings"

Spoiler :

That's everything I found, some of these images evidently inspired the final game aesthetic very heavily, perhaps there's some evidence of not-yet-revealed Civs, Natural Wonders, etc that can be deduced from these pictures.

 

[moysturfurmer]

Bro... A+ topic. I salute your internet sleuthery.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Yes, I believe Kat Nicole B is on the Civ VI art team.

 

[Dray]

Yes, I believe Kat Nicole B is on the Civ VI art team.

Yes, her artstation profile confirms she is a concept artist at Firaxis, and works on Civ VI.

 

[killmeplease]

Spoiler :

 

[darko82]

and this looks like Civilization VII art

Spoiler :

Art must go into realism and serious tones, not colorful cartoons. I think the game would be incredible in terms of immersion for everyone and more people would be happy.

 

[King Jason]

That game Rime looks amazing. Just saying.

Spoiler :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q7CZiU8roU

I for one enjoy his artstyle. He seems to have a preference and it's no wonder it manifests itself when he gets the Art Lead on a game.

 

[Zaarin]

Art must go into realism and serious tones, not colorful cartoons. I think the game would be incredible in terms of immersion for everyone and more people would be happy.

That realism is the ultimate end of art is a fallacy; realism is just one of many tools in an artist's toolbox. I for one am a huge fan of stylization and surrealism; if I wanted realism I'd take a photograph. The goal of art is to convey emotion and tell a story. To use video game examples, CoD may look "realistic" but it doesn't have 1% of the emotional depth of a stylized game like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons or The Banner Saga or To The Moon.

 

[King Jason]

I think the game would be incredible in terms of immersion for everyone and more people would be happy.

Considering the entire argument that people against this kind of style has is that equates to "dumbing down for the masses" would seem to likewise suggest that more people will be happy with the current graphic style.

You can't equate cartoony graphics to an attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator and then turn around and suggest more people would like realistic graphics.

 

[Krajzen]

Arabia, Aztecs and Mali on release confirmed

 

[CivCube]

Really cool artwork. It makes me think that Ed is going for a Days of Wonder look with this game, like Memoir '44.

 

[AriochIV]

The way Brian stylizes characters looks better in hand-drawn art than it does on 3D models, in my opinion. Or perhaps the modelers are just not doing a very good job of translating the style to 3D.

 

[Valmighty]

As much as i love the cartoon tone of Civ6, the interface design is rather...poor. The font is bad, the aesthetic is bad. It doesn't work right either with the "age of exploration" concept nor the cartoony theme.

 

[m15a]

As much as i love the cartoon tone of Civ6, the interface design is rather...poor. The font is bad, the aesthetic is bad. It doesn't work right either with the "age of exploration" concept nor the cartoony theme.

I've been assuming that at least the fonts are temporary. A lot of the UI might be, too.

 

[darko82]

Considering the entire argument that people against this kind of style has is that equates to "dumbing down for the masses" would seem to likewise suggest that more people will be happy with the current graphic style.

You can't equate cartoony graphics to an attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator and then turn around and suggest more people would like realistic graphics.

Who said it is dumbing down for the masses? Tastes differ a lot. The same could be said about that (the other) kind of style other people prefer. And I can't remember people complaining so much about Civ 5 graphics. If they like it, it means they would also like a more serious look.

Civ games always tend to have more cartoony look, even though it deals with serious issues such as politics, wars etc. The art does not fit the themes it deals with. Just saying.

Civ 6 art reminds me a bit of Civ 4. But it looks a lot better, nicer. Obviously, we are 10 years ahead.

 

[Chinese American]

As much as i love the cartoon tone of Civ6, the interface design is rather...poor. The font is bad, the aesthetic is bad. It doesn't work right either with the "age of exploration" concept nor the cartoony theme.

it kind of has some steam-punk elements as well.

 

[CivCube]

Civ games always tend to have more cartoony look, even though it deals with serious issues such as politics, wars etc. The art does not fit the themes it deals with. Just saying.

The game concept from 1991 onward has glossed over most historical atrocities and injustices in the name of "Columbus Day" style history. This is mostly due to its zero-sum model that demands winners and losers in its nationally pure civilizations.