Moonray Game Trailer
A job that requires playing games? Count us in!
When Moonray Games approached us to create a high-adrenaline, gameplay-driven trailer for their multiplayer combat arena game, we jumped at the chance. Moonray, based on the comics by Brandon Graham and featuring art by Xurxo G. Penalta, combines unique, fantastical environments with explosive hand-to-hand combat across four key characters.
Project Kickoff and Initial Steps
With a tight deadline of just a few months before the game's release, we dove straight into production. The Moonray team provided a collection of references, highlighting what they liked about each one. This helped us quickly align on the vision for the trailer.
Creating the Trailer
We started by playing the game to understand its feel, then created storyboards and a previz to outline the pacing, key elements, mood, and tone of the trailer. Given the ever-evolving nature of the game's live build, we worked with continuously updating environments and characters. It was super exciting to see the ever-evolving game develop, but also required careful planning to capture the coolest elements and latest updates.
We were able to integrate seamlessly with the developer's game build, via perforce and UnrealGameSync. By syncing all the latest changes as they're happening, we could ensure the best version of the game appears in the trailer, rather than being locked into whatever the game looked like months before release when huge improvements are still to come.
Capturing Gameplay
Capturing extensive gameplay footage was crucial. Despite our best efforts, we weren't gameplay experts. Coordinating with the US-based testing team, we managed to get footage of skilled players, 2am Saturday night play test anyone?! These efforts were vital to showcase the full extent of the gameplay.
Final Touches
With the narrative locked, we focused on adding dramatic flair: swiping effects, amplified sound effects, and text highlights for key gameplay features. To refine the trailer further, we moved the edit from Unreal Engine to Premiere Pro, allowing us to layer sounds, add split screens, and enhance overall presentation.
Outcome
This trailer was all about building hype for Moonray's early access release. We believe we delivered on that goal, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reactions on social media.
See the buzz for yourself!
