Hello Champions!
And welcome to our very first Bueprint! Today we are glad to give you a glimpse of the art creation process and lore of Roller Champions.
We met with Gauthier Malou (Creative Director) along with Joel Dos Reis Viegas (Art Director), Sebastien Jacob (Art Director and cofounder of a <a href=https://www.123klan.com/>graffiti crew) and Carole Boudart (also cofounder of a <a href=https://www.123klan.com/>graffiti crew) to discuss their inspiration and contribution to our colorful universe.
Roller Champions' Neo Retro Universe
Creative director Gauthier Malou wanted to create a modern sport that was thoroughly grounded, but also wanted to stretch reality’s boundaries. A quick jump 10 years into the future helped achieve both goals! This allowed Joel Dos Reis Viegas to go wild and bring shape and function to Roller’s universe while a crew of graffiti artists handled the graphic signature of the game.
*1 - Asha, Sam, Shao - Early Concept Art*
Our founders were thought of as the archetypes of Roller Champions. They are the creators of the sport who met over the internet, each from a different country, but united by their collective love for roller skating and death-defying tricks. They came together and created a sport anyone could learn to play…as long as they knew how to put skates on!
*2 - Sam, Asha, Shao - Founders - Final Version*
Likewise, their design is meant to be unique - from the gear they assembled to their signature color: red for Asha, black for Shao and teal for Sam. Every star athlete chooses their number for reasons significant to them. Asha and Shao chose the year they started roller skating, while the last of the trio chose to taunt opponents with “03,” the number of laps needed to win a match in one fell swoop – an aggressive strategy that Sam favors.
Customization
We want players to feel like they are the real stars, so it was important to reflect player progression through customization.
*3 - Player Progression & Customization*
There are 3 main style items in Roller Champions and you can mix and match any kind of gear from each of them to create your own look:
Sports
You've probably heard of them before! Artistically, this refers to inspirations from established real-world sports, like roller derby, hockey, and many more!
Radical
The radical category veers towards stylish contemporary inspirations, allowing for items like the Varsity hoody.
Fantasy
This category features over-the-top items inspired by sci-fi and fantasy universes.
Very much like our own world, the world of Roller Champions has one thing that all professional sports have: sponsors! In the game, they take different shapes and are present in and around the rink thanks to advertising that's designed to be just like the real thing.
Creating an in-game sponsor requires the same level of design as a real brand would to make it as believable as possible.
Hence why our favorite octopus Umisan, one of our first sponsors, was used so prominently on t-shirts when we announced the game. There are plenty of sponsors for players to discover. Their role will be more than just adding flavor to the world, as sponsors will be at the center of the quest system in Roller Champions. We look forward to diving into this system closer to launch.
We hope you enjoyed this first behind the scenes look into the art of Roller Champions!
Keep an eye on <a href=https://discord.gg/rollerchampions>Discord as additional art pieces will be released throughout the month, and of course, on our <a href=https://twitter.com/rollerChamps/>social media to make sure you don't miss the next Blueprint!
