Joseph Cross, the Art Director for Bungie’s upcoming Marathon revival, has revealed that the studio has plucked inspiration from the likes of Mirror’s Edge and Ghost in the Shell for its striking art style.
Described as ‘Graphic Realism,’ the art style in Marathon is inspired by numerous other game franchises, and the goal is to create a distinct visual “brand’ of science fiction that “feels fresh and stands the test of time,” explained Cross.
Officially we call it “Graphic Realism”, this is mainly a production-facing term, meant to frame how we think about and prioritize aspects of our visual world. On one side it’s about a simplified/deconstructed universal design language, strong graphic design and color statements, and limited materials. The other side is about realistic proportions & scale, implied functional & detail, and a generally grounded world.
“A lot of you have already identified many of our visual influences, Mirrors Edge, Aeon Flux, Ghost in the Shell, Otomo, Koji Morimoto, The Designers Republic, Chris Cunningham, are all definitely in our “stew” of inspiration.
Marathon was announced during the PlayStation Showcase last Wednesday, and is a revival of the classic 90s franchise before Bungie started working on the Halo series.
[Source – Joseph Cross on Twitter]