FIFA 20 is the latest iteration from the largest sports video game franchise on the planet. Bringing The World’s Game to new levels of life requires incredible attention to detail, and Technicolor Animation & Games has been upping the ante on character and environment photo-realism for the past 14 years of the franchise – the longest-running engagement for the team. For FIFA 20, they created approximately 500 player-likeness heads, an all-time high – capturing the essence of each player down to their individual hairstyles and the most complex of tattoos. This required a combination of skills whether creating content from scratch or maximizing game engine integration. The team also worked on the creation of uniforms – including artwork – as well as stadium, story-mode assets, soccer shoes and balls; with the creation of final in-game assets bringing state-of-the-art graphical improvements in stunning HD – and a completely reimagined, modern gaming experience for some of the world’s most avid fans.

Technicolor Animation & Games teamed up once again with EA for another installment of their popular hockey franchise game. For NHL 20, the team was actively involved in newly-introduced feature animations; their full range of animation work included Player Intros, Player Emotes, Signature Player Strikes, Goalie Animations, Team Celebrations, and more. To achieve the most realistic looking game moves, team members got their head in the game using real skates and hockey sticks. The team’s handling of assets included Scanned and Traditional Heads, Mascots, Stadiums, Uniforms, and Accessories. Highly-skilled artists trained specifically for traditional heads – which require deep sculpting skills and understanding of facial anatomy – worked closely with the EA team to understand and meet their expectations for the players and legends of the game.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. It’s all in the face. See the work of Technicolor Animation & Games in the highest quality facial animation for the hotly anticipated NBA 2K20. Using data captured from actor performances via head-mounted camera, the team – including 20 animators at peak times – worked on facial animations and polishing of the main players, as well as commentators Kenny Smith, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O'Neal in the pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows. The team then went on to polishing mo-cap body animations for post-game shows. It all contributed to making NBA 2K20 and its next level features the closest thing to playing in the real league!

Technicolor Animation & Games put their combined artistic and technical experience to the test for Mortal Kombat 11, which called for super heroic actions mixed with realism, in a Gameplay environment where players choose from a roster of fighters with unique abilities and Fatalities. This was the team’s first opportunity to be a part of the iconic fighting video game franchise from NetherRealm Studios. With motion captured data as their starting point, Technicolor animators worked tirelessly to keep the Mortal Kombat style intact. The enhancements and timings on hits and Combo attacks had to be spot-on – without losing their grace, or the brutal feel of the well-choreographed action sequences.