Stunning Game Art Revealed: Inside the Game Maker’s Sketchbook

Video games are brought to life by the incredible artistry that creates the environments, characters, and symbols we see on our gaming screens. Each year, this creative prowess is celebrated by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), iam8bit, and fortyseven communications through the Game Maker’s Sketchbook, showcasing some of the finest art from popular games over the past year.

“The level of artistic talent and imagination showcased in the submissions for this year’s Game Maker’s Sketchbook was truly remarkable,” Meggan Scavio, President of AIAS, commented.

“We are profoundly thankful to our panel of judges for their dedicated time and insightful critiques of the extensive collection of entries. Congratulations to all the finalists of this year! We are privileged to display their art both virtually and physically at this year’s Summer Game Fest Play Days,” she added.

A group of judges from diverse backgrounds in gaming, animation, cinema, and fine arts selected the featured images.

A complete list of the artwork is available below, and you have the opportunity to buy prints of your favorite pieces from the iam8bit store until July 7. All proceeds from these sales will benefit the AIAS Foundation.

Character Art Category

• Concept Art

  • Game – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  • Artist(s) – Per Gullarp (Principal Concept Artist)
  • Developer – MachineGames
  • Publisher – Bethesda Softworks

• Hero Design

  • Game – Marvel Rivals
  • Artist(s) – Dino, Yuzhen Zhang, Peilin Zhong
  • Developer – NetEase Games
  • Publisher – NetEase Games

• Michelle – Character Sheet

  • Game – Sorry We’re Closed
  • Artist(s) – C. Bedford
  • Developer – à la mode games
  • Publisher – Akupara Games

Curiosities

• The Craftsman’s Heart puppet theatre set

  • Game – The Midnight Walk
  • Artist(s) – Klaus Lyngeled, Olov Redmalm, Victor Becker
  • Developer – MoonHood
  • Publisher – Fast Travel Games

• Merch

  • Game – Bang Bang Barrage
  • Artist(s) – zhudaoyu
  • Developer – Monkey Bread
  • Publisher – Spiral Up Games

• Personality Test Shareables

  • Game – Black Mirror: Thronglets
  • Artist(s) – Beverly Chen, Ena Kim, Hannah Nicklin
  • Developer – Night School Studio
  • Publisher – Netflix

Environment Art

• The Great Gold Dome

  • Game – Riven
  • Artist(s) – Jeremiah Castro, Lance VerMeer
  • Developer – Cyan Worlds, Inc.
  • Publisher – Cyan Worlds, Inc.

• Sailing

  • Game – IKUMA The Frozen Compass
  • Artist(s) – Matthias Oberprieler
  • Developer – Mooneye Studios
  • Publisher – Mooneye Studios

• Scene Concept Design

  • Game – Marvel Rivals
  • Artist(s) – Dino, Kaidi Lv, Xufeng Xie, Pengxian Wang
  • Developer – NetEase Games
  • Publisher – NetEase Games

Iconography

• Ability Icons

  • Game – Eighth Era
  • Artist(s) – Evgeny Kobylkin
  • Developer – Perfect Day Games
  • Publisher – Nice Gang

• Codex Icons

  • Game – Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina)
  • Artist(s) – Tara Miller, Laurent Gaumer
  • Developer – Unreliable Narrators
  • Publisher – Unreliable Narrators

• Gui Design

  • Game – Marvel Rivals
  • Artist(s) – Dino, Tian Zhang, Ciyin Weng, Jingji Xie
  • Developer – NetEase Games
  • Publisher – NetEase Games

Impact

• Maxine – PvP Arena Mode

  • Game – Eighth Era
  • Artist(s) – Emanuele Pavarotti
  • Developer – Perfect Day Games
  • Publisher – Nice Gang

• Key Art

  • Game – One Move Away
  • Artist(s) – Remi Gourrierec, Michel Donzé, Alex Flynn
  • Developer – Ramage Games
  • Publisher – Playstack

• “Dinner” Key Art

  • Game – Goodbye Universe
  • Artist(s) – Daniel Beaulieu
  • Developer – Nice Dream
  • Publisher – Skybound Games

Storyboard

• Reveal trailer storyboard

  • Game – The Midnight Walk
  • Artist(s) – Olov Redmalm
  • Developer – MoonHood
  • Publisher – Fast Travel Games

• Chapter 2 visual script storyboard

  • Game – The Midnight Walk
  • Artist(s) – Olov Redmalm
  • Developer – MoonHood
  • Publisher – Fast Travel Games

• THE HEX – Beatboards

  • Game – Warframe: 1999
  • Artist(s) – Production Company: THE LINE, Director: Venla Linna, Producer: Tom Kay, Beatboards: Julien Perron
  • Developer – Digital Extremes
  • Publisher – Digital Extremes