Game Dev Supergroup is Bringing AAA Assets Initiative to Unity

By Emily Gera

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Next week Unity Technologies will launch The Icon Collective initiative, a series of AAA asset packs made by a veritable supergroup of game artists and designers for Unity users to purchase from the official Unity Asset Store .

“Volume #1: Buried Memories – Yggdrasil” is the first asset pack of this initiative, a set of science fictional art and sound assets that is slated to release on the Unity Asset Store Thursday for $250 (but is available for free to all Unity Pro subscribers with a small studio of fewer than 10 employees.)

Icon Packs are fully functioning game scenes which take place within their own universe, narrative and have their own lore and backstory. The Buried Memories – Yggdrasil Icon Pack will be the first in an episodic series within this world, telling the story of an earth-changing event that leads to the emergence of a machine civilization. “Yggdrasil” contains a game-ready, customizable world, featuring professionally rigged characters, shaders, textures, lighting, audio and source files, all based on the work of concept artist Johnson Ting – perhaps best known for his work on “Gears of War 4”.

The Unity Icon Collective itself is a group of character artists, environmental artists, cinematic artists, animators, and sound designers whose past work ranges from “Assassin’s Creed” to “Mirror’s Edge”.

Character art and animations are designed by “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” developers Mufizal Mokhtar and Cyrus Lam, who worked as senior art director and animation director, respectively. Sound design is done by Pinewood Studios’ head of creative audio Glen Gathard, whose past work includes a role as assistant sound editor on “Batman Begins”. Cinematic art will be created by “Need for Speed’, “Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst” and “Star Wars: Battlefront” alumni Matteo Grossi. Finally, music will be created by indie games composer Nathan Cleary and environmental art to be designed by artist Callum Tweedie-Walker.

“Volume #1: Buried Memories – Yggdrasil” is currently available for pre-order on the Unity Asset Store.