Different games need different types of trailers.

A gameplay trailer can focus on mechanics and the player experience. An announcement trailer can introduce the world and characters before the game is released. A launch trailer can bring these elements together and create momentum around release.

We also produce animated game ads for mobile titles, cinematic trailers for indie games and promotional videos for Kickstarter campaigns.

Animation can be especially useful when a game needs something beyond captured gameplay. Instead of simply showing the product, an animated video game trailer can expand its world, introduce characters or create scenes that would be difficult to produce inside the game itself.

At Animwood, we approach every game trailer as a film.

For some projects, that means traditional 2D animation with detailed compositing. For others, fully 3D animation is the better fit. We can also combine animation with captured gameplay, creating a mixed-media trailer that connects the cinematic story with the actual game.

The choice of technique depends on the game, its visual identity and what the trailer needs to communicate.

Our own Animwood Showreel gives an overview of the 2D, 3D, character animation and compositing techniques we use across our productions.

We particularly enjoy working with indie developers and creative teams.

An indie game often has a strong idea, visual world or character at its centre. A well-crafted animated trailer can help bring that idea to the audience before they have played a single minute of the game.

We work directly with creative directors, developers and marketers to understand the game first. From there, we develop the visual language and story around what makes the project distinctive.

The goal is not to make the game look like something else. It is to find the cinematic language that already exists inside it.
 

Game trailer production is not limited to PC and console releases.

For mobile games, short animated ads can communicate the concept quickly and give the game a recognisable visual style across advertising and social media.

Animation can also help tabletop games explain their mechanics. For Bandit, we created a clean animated video explaining the rules of the card game, turning a set of mechanics into an easy-to-follow visual story.

The same approach can work for Kickstarter campaigns, where a trailer needs to introduce the game, explain its concept and create enough interest for people to discover more.

Animwood comes from the world of animation and filmmaking. We work across animated films, series, documentaries, commercials and branded content, and that experience shapes the way we approach game trailers.

For us, animation is not only about making impressive shots. It is about pacing, atmosphere, character, sound and storytelling.

Our work on DODA, an animated documentary series released on Amazon Prime Video, is one example of how we combine animation with an existing cinematic narrative. The production used hand-drawn, collage and cel animation to create sequences that worked alongside live-action footage.

That same filmmaking mindset can be applied to a game trailer, where animation, gameplay, music and sound need to work as one piece.

Our game trailer production process can start with a simple idea or an existing brief. We then develop the story, visual direction and storyboard before moving into animation and compositing.

Depending on the project, we can work with existing game assets, captured gameplay or create new characters, environments and animated sequences from scratch.

The final result can be delivered as a cinematic trailer, gameplay-focused video, launch or announcement film, mobile game ad, Kickstarter video or another format designed around the game's marketing needs.
 

If you are developing a game and looking for an animation studio to create your trailer, talk to Animwood.

We work with game developers, publishers, creative teams and indie studios internationally, creating 2D, 3D and mixed-media game trailer productions.

Tell us more about our game and contact us at:

newbusiness@animwood.com