The pressures of high-stakes marketing can often crush the chance for true creative experimentation in game trailers, but these six outstanding films prove that personality, passion, and playfulness are alive and well in the genre.

All films were published in The Stash Permanent Collection during 2023 and are listed here in chronological order by the issue of publication.
 
 
NZMOBILE “REVERSE WAR” (Above)
Included in STASH 157

Somei Sun, director/animator in Singapore: “TIMIstudio of Tencent Games approached us, hoping to let us create an impressive conceptual pilot film for their anti-war mobile game Reverse War. They hope that through this film, old players can see a lot of familiar content to evoke their memories, and at the same time, it can also reflect the timeline of the entire anti-war worldview.

“The biggest challenge was how to reasonably arrange the huge worldview and rich elements into a 90-second film. So we sorted out the timeline with the whole story told in a flashback way, starting from the spaceship where the disaster happened and gradually going back to the beginning.”
 
 
 

WILD HEARTS “TAME A WORLD GONE WILD”
Included in STASH 158

EA’s new monster-hunting role-playing game Wild Hearts launches with this spectacular full-throttle CG trailer, a massive effort from Mill+ director Morten Vinther and the animation and creature crews at The Mill studios in Shanghai, Bangalore, London, and LA.

The Mill CD Anthony Bloor: “We started this project off with the assets from the game, keeping a faithful representation of the characters and beasts but altering them to fit in with the trailer’s cinematic style. The hunters themselves were cast from actors that were also experts in martial arts and stunts. We scanned the actors’ faces and then fitted them into elaborate game costumes made of layers of armor and cloth simulations.”
 
 
 

BUNGIE “MARATHON”
Included in STASH 160

Hot on the heels of their gritty and brooding titles for Silo on Apple TV+ (Stash 160), Antibody directors Patrick Clair and Raoul Marks dial up the style and pace in this polished action sequence for the reboot of Bungie’s sci-fi shooter Marathon.

Patrick Clair: “The challenge with this reveal trailer was distilling a very distinctive game into a single 90-second film. On the one hand, Marathon is bright and bold, the aesthetic is clean, technical and playful while the actual gameplay is anything but – it’s kill-or-be-killed squad combat. This unique combo pushed us to find a rhythm and a look quite unlike the darker tone that our game partners usually ask for.”
 
 
 

PRINCE OF PERSIA “THE LOST CROWN”
Included in STASH 160

Director Lucas Durkheim, who started at Paris prodco Eddy as a storyboard artist after graduating from Gobelins and CalArts, fuses 2D and 3D animation into a rampaging trailer for Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

From the team at Eddy: “This film marked a first for Lucas, who navigated the team with unyielding determination despite the complexity of the project. To elevate the project, we engaged 3D studio, Red Knuckles. Their expertise was pivotal in translating the vision into reality, serving not only as animators but also advisors, alerting the team to potential pitfalls.”
 
 
 

THE CREW: MOTORFEST
Included in STASH 160

Rebecca Rice, CD/EP at Mathematic in Paris: “The objective was to create a top-quality and unique trailer that conveys the new and exciting world of Ubisoft’s MotorFest racing game. Set on a paradise Hawaiian Island, we are taken on a journey into different MotorFest realms as we follow some of the hottest vehicles on the planet.

“As the M logo needed to feel central to this new IP, the client thought it would be good to morph from one M to another through the different car themes. However, we felt this wouldn’t make for elegant transitions and would make showcasing the cars also quite difficult at the same time.”
 
 
 

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS “FEEDING FRENZY”
Included in STASH 160

Eddy directing duo Kevin Teau Rose and Gautier Alfirevic (aka Kegs), who leaped onto the Stash radar in 2019 with their short film Yona (Stash 138), deliver snappy banter and plenty of visceral action in a showcase for League of Legends’ Briar character.

Animated in Paris by Eddy’s sister company Brunch Studio, the film combines 2D and 3D techniques and a mashup of graphic novel and CG gaming styles.
 
 
Watch all the Best of Stash 2023 Collections.