Arkane Studios - Harvey Smith on memorable universes

[Silver]

@GamesIndustry Harvey Smith of Dishonored fame offers advice on how to create memorable universes.

Arkane Studios: "Lots of people have done elves and dwarves. F*** that"

Dishonored creative director Harvey Smith offers advice on how to create a distinct and memorable fictional universe

It's the dream of almost every creator to forge a world that people instantly recognise.

While few gaming realms are as instantly recognisable as Star Wars' galaxy far, far away or J.K. Rowling's wizarding world, there are still franchises set in universes that can be identified by millions of people from a single screenshot, item or phrase.

One of the most prominent examples from the past five years is Bethesda's Dishonored. The series' blend of steampunk and the supernatural sets it apart from any other franchise, thanks in no small part to the vision and leadership of Harvey Smith, creative director at Dishonored developer Arkane Studios.
harvey

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz earlier this year, Smith offered the following advice for creating a distinct world.

"Raymond Loewy, a designer in the '50s, once said what people want is something very familiar but different enough," he explains. "Something new but not too new, not too familiar. That's a tricky combination.

"When you're making something you want to be recognisable, if you find yourself doing exactly what has been done before you need to put a twist on it. We constantly talk about that - bone charms, on some level, are just a system of perks but they work differently. They don't just modify an existing power, they do something different. What's their place in the main world, since most people aren't magic-using assassins?

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[luj1]

Arkane Studios: "Lots of people have done elves and dwarves. F*** that"

Completely agree with that notion

When you're making something you want to be recognizable, if you find yourself doing exactly what has been done before you need to put a twist on it.

Sorry but that's not good enough. PoE did that and it turned out bland as fuck. For example vampires are called "fampyrs", "Xaurips" are copy-pasted Kobolds, and Vithracks are basically Illithid with a different head (spider head instead of tentacled head).

Such low-effort copy paste always ends up forgettable and banal. No one will remember that shit. Sadly, the industry is stacked with talentless and lazy hipsters who don't know how to be original.