Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

Well this wasn't the super secret project I had alluded to in my previous post, but here is another new title coming out of Double Fine Productions that I had the opportunity to work on - Sesame Stree: Once Upon a Monster.

Man, what a pretty game this is going to be!  There's a short write-up about the project over at Gamasutra, and a link to an immensely informative fur rendering test over at the Double Fine site.  My contributions were pretty minimal - I did some previz and pitch work and character animation (including the tall furball pictured above), as well as some character modeling, rigging and fur tests on some non-Sesame characters.  Last I saw the project it was looking stunning.  I can't wait to see it when it ships.

Long Overdue Update

Well hey there internet.  I've been busy these past couple of months, and I have quite a few things to tell you about.  Let's go from old to new:

Costume Quest is Out in the Wild!
So I am immensely tardy on this one, but Costume Quest finally shipped back in October.  I animated BoJonn and all Trowbog variations, as well as the Unicorn(!!!) and Vampire costumes during battles.  Shameless promotional plug for my fiance Luke Nalker who did character modeling on both of those costumes as well as a number of other characters in the game.  If you haven't downloaded Costume Quest (or accompanying DLC "Grubbins on Ice"), go do so!  It's a really adorable game and I had a blast working on it for the short period of time I was on the project.

Stacking!
I didn't animate on this project (I did some voice work, but I don't think that counts..) but man what a really special game.  It was great to watch this project develop from pitch to final product, and Double Fine's art director (and project lead on Stacking) Lee Petty runs a tight ship and is a friggin' genius.  The art direction is superb, the gameplay is distinct and engaging, and it's a unique title in a sea of me-too releases.  If you don't buy it you HATE FREEDOM.

You can also pick up a gorgeous set of Russian stacking dolls from the game (which were actually made in Russia...who would have thought) at the Double Fine store.


Something I Can't Talk About Yet!
I was working as the Lead Animator on an unannounced project at Double Fine, which is in a confidential state of completion.  More on that in the near future!  Maybe!  I don't know!

Holy Crap I work for Valve!
So back in December I said so long to Double Fine (and the Brütal Bus, which will forever live at Double Fine or at least until they get bored of it), and at the end of January I packed up the house and the dog, and moved to Seattle, WA.  I finally started work last week animating on Dota2!  Getting to work at Valve is totally the fulfillment of a dream for me, and I am beyond excited to be there and learn from the immense talent at the studio.

...and that's it!  For now.  More on that super secret thing when that nebulous game oven timer goes off and the turkey's done.