An Epic Steam-Punk Bloodbath in Psyop's Trailer for Battlecry

Following a cataclysmic world war at the dawn of the 20th century, gunpowder is outlawed and traditional warfare is a relic of the past. Conflicts are settled head-on by elite teams of chosen warriors in WarZones. Trained and bred for battle, they face off for the glory of their nations. 

Introducing the official announcement trailer for "BATTLECRY," produced by Psyop and Bethesda Softworks for BattleCry Studios’ inaugural video game. 

Collaborating with agency ROKKAN and composers COPILOT Music + Sound, this epic trailer unveils the first look at the stylized world of the all-new multiplayer action combat game. The game features frenetic 32-player battles with team-based combat, combining visceral brutality and striking art direction to create a refreshingly new gameplay experience. 

The “BATTLECRY” trailer opens on our hero character, a blood-soaked Enforcer, as she struggles to come to terms with her fate in the grisly aftermath of a battle.

“Working closely with Viktor Antonov and the team at BattleCry Studios, we wanted to reveal the last moments of life for these warriors - the tension leading up to battle, their victories and ultimately their deaths,” said Paris Nourmohammadi, brand manager at Bethesda Softworks. “As a warrior, you experience those moments of glory and defeat, and that is exactly what we wanted to capture in the trailer.” 

Continuing to propel its growing portfolio of game work forward, the spot expanded Psyop’s creative limits in this action-driven, high-noon style cinematic. Pushing the boundaries of photo-real CG, the trailer includes 52 shots of ornately decorated sets, highly detailed characters, intricate FX, a custom built facial rig, in depth storylines and powerful, fast paced combat sequences.  

“We filmed real fighters at my friend’s martial arts studio,” said Psyop Director Gerald Ding. “They put on their pads and showed us real moves, with real weight, real contact and real reactions. It helped us move away from this notion of Hollywood fighting, which is scripted and beautifully choreographed, and helped us realize the raw, Old Western take on war that we were all driving towards creating.”

Credits

Executive Producer:  Lucia Grillo

Producer:  Ryan Mack

Director: Gerald Ding

Art Director: Naomi Chen

Storyboard Artist: Ben Chan

Editor: Victor Barczyk

Designer: Denny Khurniawan, Hyesung Park, Pete Sickbert-Bennett

Lead Technical Director: Alvin Bae

Lighting TD: Jonah Friedman

Rigger:  Frank Naranjo, Zed Bennett, Nick Miller

Modeler:  Bryan Eck,  Todd Daniele, Daniel Fine, Ari Hwang, Michelle Ko, Andrew Lema, Hyun Jun Song, Justin Burton,

Previz Artist: Pat Porter, Eric Chou, Ryan Moran, Stephanie Russell, Anthony Travieso

3D Animator:  Pat Porter, Eric Chou, David Han, Ryan Moran, Stephanie Russell, Anthony Travieso, Michael Altman, Sam Crees, Kitty Lin

Layout: Oliver Castle

VFX: Todd Akita, David Barosin, Miguel Salek, Michael Viscione, Zed Bennett

Hair grooming: Phil Avanzato, Andy Hara, John Payne

Lighter: Jonah Friedman, Jonathan Lee, Susie Jang, Oliver Castle,

Texture/shading: Jonah Friedman,Dave Chen, Anthony Patti,Susie Jang, Jonathan Lee, Oliver Castle

Lead Compositor: Tobey Lindback

Compositors: Herculano Fernandes, Bo Kim, Tim Regan, Thomas Smith, Thomas Panayiotou

Fight Choreography Team: Jin Yung, Peeloshmee Deonarain, Dave Wai Moy