The Utmost Origin: The Founding of Arkane Studios (July 1999)

Section 1: The Foundational Principles of Arkane Studios (July 1999)
  • Studio Establishment: Arkane Studios founded in Lyon, France, in July 1999.
  • Key Founders:
    • Raphaël Colantonio (Founder, President)
    • Alexandre Freire (Co-founder, Lead Programmer)
    • Christophe Carrier (Co-founder, Level Designer)
    • Laurent Brouzès (Co-founder, Design/Writing)
 
  • Core Motivation: A shared, deep passion for the immersive simulation genre.
 
  • Key Inspirations: Classic immersive sims like Ultima Underworld and System Shock.
 
  • Defining Immersive Sim Characteristics (as valued by Arkane):
    • Highly interactive environments
    • Multiple solutions to challenges
    • Deep exploration and discovery
    • Significant player agency and consequence
 
  • Initial Goal: To create games that embody these immersive sim principles.
 
  • First Project: *Arx Fatalis* - Chosen as the immediate, practical manifestation of their founding vision.
 
  • Early Technology: Developed their own "Arx Engine" for Arx Fatalis, demonstrating technical ambition to realize their vision.
 
  • Absence of Dishonored Concept: At this origin point, the specific idea for Dishonored did not exist; the focus was on establishing a genre-defined studio.

 

 

 

Section 2: Evolution Through Early Projects and Lessons Learned (Roughly 2002 - Late 2000s)

  • Development of *Arx Fatalis* (Released 2002):
    • Served as Arkane's first attempt to realize their immersive sim vision (first-person RPG, underground world, rune magic, multiple approaches).
    • Learnings: Faced technical challenges with proprietary engine; encountered financial and market realities (critical but not commercially a breakout); refined design principles for level layout, balancing gameplay styles, and system communication.
 
  • Cancelled *Half-Life 2* Episode: *Ravenholm* (Circa 2005):
    • A contract opportunity with Valve.
    • Reportedly deviated from pure immersive sim (more linear action/survival horror).
    • Learnings: Gained experience working with external IP and managing external dependencies (project cancellation risk); exposure to a different engine (Source engine).
 
  • Contribution to *Bioshock 2* (Released 2010 - Development Contribution Likely Earlier):
    • Contributed level design and environmental art (e.g., Dionysus Park, Fontaine Futuristics).
    • Learnings: Reinforced appreciation for environmental storytelling and detailed world-building; gained experience in a larger production environment and with AAA production pipelines.
 
  • Maintaining the Vision: Despite varied projects, the core desire to create immersive sims persisted, accumulating expertise in key areas (level design, AI, system integration) and reinforcing their core design values.
 
  • Setting the Stage for Arkane Austin: The challenges of a single studio and the desire to collaborate with specific talents (like Harvey Smith) paved the way for the establishment of Arkane Studios Austin in 2006.

 

 

 

 

Section 3: The Genesis and Early Conception of *Dishonored* (Roughly Late 2000s - Early Development)

  • Impetus for a New Immersive Sim: A strong desire within Arkane to create a flagship title truly their own, leveraging accumulated experience and lessons learned from previous projects.
 
  • Raphaël Colantonio's Vision: As the creative lead, pitched a concept centered on player choice, versatile supernatural abilities, and a highly reactive game world.
 
  • Crucial Partnership: Harvey Smith: Formal involvement of veteran immersive sim designer Harvey Smith, sharing a similar philosophy and becoming Co-Creative Director alongside Colantonio. His Deus Ex experience was key for systemic design and consequence.
 
  • Role of Arkane Studios Austin: Austin became a key development hub from the early stages, facilitating the collaboration between Colantonio and Smith and expanding capacity.
 
  • Defining Core Gameplay Pillars: Conceptualizing and initiating prototyping for signature mechanics:
    • Blink: As a core movement/ stealth tool.
    • Early ideas for other supernatural powers.
    • Foundational design of the stealth system.
    • Emerging concept of a "Chaos System" for player action consequences.
 
  • Initial Prototyping: Building rough tests for key mechanics (Blink, stealth AI) to validate core ideas.
 
  • Initial World-Building and Artistic Exploration: Exploring concepts for a unique, atmospheric setting (industrial, plague, whaling - early "whalepunk" seeds).

 

 

 

Section 4: Securing a Publisher and Transition to Full Development (Roughly Late 2000s - Early 2010)

  • Strategic Need for a Publisher: Required financial resources and a partner who understood and supported their ambitious, non-linear immersive sim vision (lessons from Arx Fatalis challenges and Ravenholm cancellation).
 
  • Partnership with Bethesda Softworks: Bethesda, publisher of detail-rich RPGs (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout), proved to be an ideal fit due to shared values in player freedom and detailed worlds, providing essential financial backing and stability.
 
  • Formalizing Co-Development: The Bethesda deal solidified the co-development model between Arkane Lyon and Arkane Austin, with Colantonio and Smith as co-directors.
 
  • Scaling Up: Significant team expansion in both studios, allowing for specialization.
 
  • Transition to Full Production Assets: Shift from prototypes to building final game elements:
    • Committing to a game engine (likely Unreal Engine 3).
    • Creating high-quality art, animation, and audio.
    • Building full, intricate levels.
    • Implementing and balancing all core gameplay systems.
 
  • Refining "Whalepunk" Aesthetic: Full development and implementation of the distinct visual style.
 
  • Integrating Narrative: Fleshing out the story, characters, and lore within the gameplay and world.
 
  • Production Milestones: Structured development process with regular submissions to Bethesda for feedback and oversight.
 
  • Early Marketing Prep: Beginning to prepare assets for public reveal.

 

 

 

Section 5: Full Development Cycle and The Road to Reveal (Roughly Early 2010 - Official Announcement/First Look - 2011)

  • Intensive Full Production: The main period of building and polishing the entire game with scaled-up, specialized teams.
 
  • Iterative Development & Playtesting: Continuous cycle of building, testing (internal and possibly external), and refining based on feedback (including from Bethesda). Essential for a complex sim.
 
  • Realizing the "Whalepunk" World: Fully developing the detailed and atmospheric environments and visual elements of Dunwall.
 
  • Implementing and Balancing Complex Systems: Tuning and ensuring seamless interaction between stealth, combat, powers, AI, and the Chaos system for varied playstyles.
 
  • Refining Level Design: Iterating on levels to maximize player choice, exploration, and emergent gameplay opportunities.
 
  • Integrating Narrative and Lore: Ensuring the story and world details are seamlessly woven into the gameplay and environment.
 
  • Quality Assurance (QA): Extensive testing to identify and fix bugs and polish the experience.
 
  • Preparing for Public Showcase: Creating professional marketing materials (trailers, demo builds, press kits).
 
  • Official Announcement/First Look: The formal unveiling of Dishonored to the gaming world – a major milestone that generated initial buzz and introduced Arkane's latest ambitious immersive sim project.





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