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It's not often that you get to see video games when they're so early in development that they more closely resemble messy amalgamations of cubes and shapes than anything you'd actually expect to grace your screen, but thanks to this yearly trend, we can all be given a glimpse into the unknown.
The trend in question is Blocktober, which opens the door for developers and designers to show how their games looked before all the shiny textures and trimmings were put on top. Started in 2017, it encourages creators to share old blockmesh designs used while their games were still coming together – doing so really helps highlight the hard work that goes into bringing projects to life. This year, we've seen submissions from the devs behind Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Apex Legends, God of War: Ragnarok, and many more.
Santa Monica Studio senior level designer Jon Hickenbottom has shared an early behind-the-scenes look at Svartalfheim's Nidavellir Port in God of War: Ragnarok, and the before and after is staggering. "It takes a colossal amount of effort from every single person to bring these spaces to life, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to collaborate together," Hickenbottom says.
Happy #Blocktober ! Today, sharing a look into the Level Design for Svartalfheim’s Nidavellir Port location in #GodOfWarRagnarok . This arena was a blast to design—collaborating with @DaNightTrain & seeing it come to life with the incredible work of everyone at @SonySantaMonica pic.twitter.com/FGhZMFQKLcOctober 9, 2024
Meanwhile from CD Projekt Red, level designer Bartłomiej Pyrko shared some screenshots of in-development level design for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's The Man Who Killed Jason Foreman side quest. You can see that most objects in the screenshots are just covered in nothingness – an empty grid texture envelops the basic shapes mapping out the room, which was done first and foremost to "determine the dimensions and general flow of the area," Pyrko explains.
This month, we’re participating in #Blocktober to highlight the work of our talented Level Designers! First up is Bartłomiej Pyrko, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the level design for the gig “The Man Who Killed Jason Foreman”."First, I wanted to determine the dimensions… pic.twitter.com/RNWYeo3NT0October 2, 2024
Another spectacular before and after comes from Respawn Entertainment level designer Aaron Stump, who's been sharing some early looks at different parts of Apex Legends. One of them, from the hero shooter's 21st season, shows an enormous difference: "I did one other iteration after this. Added in the bridge, some height changes on platforms, and some cover placement," Stump says.
Some more early iterations of #ApexLegends S21. I did one other iteration after this. Added in the bridge, some height changes on platforms, and some cover placement. #Blocktober pic.twitter.com/rpCQHQ9HIUOctober 2, 2024
There are loads more examples like these to pore over on Twitter's Blocktober's hashtag, which are well worth looking at for some insight into the creation of so many iconic games. You can understand why most devs don't tend to show off footage of their games at this stage in their development before they're actually released, though – some might get a fright at how ugly they look – but it's all a case of trusting the process.
Be sure to keep up with all the latest new games for 2024 with our handy roundup.
