Looters News

[h3]The Wait is Almost Over, Heisters! ⌛[/h3][p]We’re officially pulling back the curtain on the very first cinematic trailer for Looters. This project represents a massive milestone for us, and we can't wait to show you the world we’ve created![/p][p]Here is the first look at the Looters Cinematic Trailer, now available on Steam and YouTube:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Creating this trailer required the collaboration of many talented individuals, including Noah, one of our Concept Artists. Noah drew the complete storyboard for the 2D portion of the cinematic. In the opening seconds of the trailer, you’ll see the infamous Goblin King ordering our little Goblins to embark on a risky—but potentially very fruitful—heist mission.[/p][p][/p][p]A part of the storyboard for Looters Cinematic Trailer. Each scene was hand drawn by Noah (Concept Artist)[/p][p][/p][p]Once the storyboards were approved, it was all hands on deck! Designers Hervée and Akim braved the Unreal Level Sequencer to capture our trailer footage, a tricky task since animations and environments were still being finalized. Thanks to their persistence and Andrea’s lighting work, we perfectly captured the whimsical vibe and core gameplay of Looters.[/p][p][/p][p]WIPs of our trailer below: [/p][carousel][/carousel][p]To bring the trailer home, Akim stepped in to weave together Hervée’s recordings and Noah’s 2D art. Aligning everything to the soundtrack's rhythm required an incredible amount of precision and countless iterations. After a marathon of late nights and pure creative fuel, we’re beyond thrilled to finally pull back the curtain on our progress![/p][p][/p][p]Akim (Animator and Editor), was responsible for editing all of Looters Cinematic Trailer’s shots with Andrea and Hervée's help. This specific shot showcases the moving stairs mechanic in the Library level
[/p][h3]Rest in Peace, Goblin King 🪦[/h3][p]So, you’ve seen the trailer... but that’s not the whole story! It’s a bittersweet reality of game dev that some of our favorite work ends up on the cutting room floor. Case in point: our Goblin King 3D cutscene. We realized that polishing this scene to perfection would take more time than our small team had to give. Still, we're too proud of the work our artists did to just throw it away! We’re excited to share this "lost" scene with you as a special behind-the-scenes look at our development journey.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Showcase of a deleted scene that was originally made for the opening of Looters but that didn't make the final cut. In this scene, the King Goblin gives a quest to his minions, two small Goblins played by the players[/p][p][/p][h3]Mark Your Calendars 🗓️[/h3][p]All in all, the Cinematic Trailer is but a foretaste of what Looters has in store for the final release.[/p][p]Loot Goblins all around the world, mark your calendars: April 10th 2026.[/p][p]Stay tuned... the heist of the century is just beginning.

Break next week! [/p][p]And as always,[/p][h3]👉 Add Looters To Your Wishlist Now![/h3][h3]👉 Follow our shenanigans and development insights on Instagram![/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Looters was always about giving the players as many opportunities to cooperate and interact with the environment as possible. Since the very beginning of the project, our programming team has been acquiring new Tech Goblins, each with their own strengths and technical skills. For instance, Guy, our Technical Director, is responsible for the core mechanics and the game menus. Émile, our Creative Director, is more focused on the looting and interaction systems as well as the sound integration. Léo, our Encounter Designer, is the one behind the design and behavior programming of the Cultists, the Bag and the Big Rats roaming around the manor. Timothée and Kobi are both in charge of programming the interactable elements of the game, such as the many doors, levers and the elevator you can find through the mystical Cultist’s manor. In this blog, we’ll tell you a little bit more about what our Tech Goblins have been working on lately to make Looters even more magical![/p][p]The Prog team, from left to right, top to bottom: Guy (Technical Director), Léo (Encounter Designer), Émile (Creative Director & Programmer), Timothée (Programmer) and Kobi (Artist & Programmer)[/p][p][/p][h3]The Stacked Goblins Cover-Up[/h3][p]In Looters’ universe, Goblins are pretty small creatures. So small they can barely look out the window! In order to reach higher places and get more precious loot, they must climb on top of each other. While they transition towards this stacked state, the split-screen becomes one. Yes, both players become ONE. Acting together as this newly formed entity, you can put on a red cape to hide among the Cultists. As long as you keep the cape, no Cultists shall see you for what you really are (Goblins, that is). But, reveal yourself, and you’ll face the wrath of the Cult! 👁️[/p][p]In Looters, the Goblins can stack on top of each other and put on a red cape to hide among the Cult
[/p][p]As Émile, our Creative Director, once said...[/p]

[p]‘’The stacking and the cape mechanics were first inspired by the famous ‘goblins in a trenchcoat’ trope and is, to this day, one of the most loved aspects of the game among players.’’
— Émile (Looters Creative Director)[/p]

[p]
Émile (Creative Director) explaining the stacked goblins mechanic to one of the artists in charge of the characters and their animations
[/p][p]At first, Émile describes, one player could freely decide to climb onto the other, which felt a bit hindering to the bottom player, now slowed down by his friend’s weight. The programming team eventually decided to change it: now, when a player presses the input for stacking, his avatar takes the other goblin on his shoulders rather than climbing on him. This way, the animations look way smoother and both players feel like they have more agency, which is what we want in the end![/p][p]Just three Cultists standing in a row… as you can see 🕵️[/p][p][/p][h3]The Moving Stairs and the Floating Books[/h3][p]Early on in the project, Tech Goblins Guy and Timothée created tools made specifically for the level designers. With these tools, the designers were able to fully express their creativity and make their ideas come to life. The challenge, from the programmers’ perspective, mostly came from understanding precisely which parameters should be made available for the designers to play with considering their specific needs. In the case of the moving stairs, Guy made a tool allowing the designers to link each moving stair to a specific book, as well as to decide its rotation angle, direction and movement speed.
In the Library, the Goblins can activate magical floating books connected to moving stairs in order to progress through the level, solve puzzles and find more worthy loot[/p][p][/p][h3]The Quest for the Perfect Throw[/h3][p]When the players unlock the Kitchen level, they learn a new mechanic: the Throw. The Throw was programmed and implemented by Guy and went through multiple iterations following player feedback. As of right now, while the trigger is held, the Throw’s prediction curve appears on screen to let the player aim where they intend to. When the trigger is released, the item is thrown in the corresponding direction. Now that you know this, loot Goblins, it’s up to you to embrace the Throw and discover the many ways you can use it! Have you ever tried throwing something on a Cultist’s head or adding a weird ingredient to the boiling cauldron throwing in the Kitchen?… 🤔
In the Kitchen level, the Goblins learn how to throw items. They can use this mechanic to do many things such as adding ingredients to a giant cauldron, unlocking doors, stunning Cultists on the spot and more[/p][p][/p][h3]A Very, Very Special Watering Can[/h3][p]The Greenhouse, the very last level of Looters (which is still a work in progress) **comes with yet another mechanic : the Watering Can. Implemented by Timothée, this object, unique to the Greenhouse level, allows the players to water crops and magical flower pots. When watered, the plants grow rapidly to form bridges and/or platforms for the Goblins to reach higher areas. Our Goblins must be careful though ; the Watering Can is a breakable item and it will be disintegrated on the spot if thrown on the ground! …But please, don’t panic hehe… there are respawn points!🌱💧
In the Greenhouse level, the Goblins can use the Watering Can to grow flowers that serve as platforms and bridges between key zones located at different heights[/p][p][/p][h3]Starting Fires and Roasting… Lambs? 🐑[/h3][p]Looters is not only about Goblins looting stuff, it’s also about the ambient chaos these mischievous creatures can cause. In order to enhance the chaotic aspect of the game, we wanted the manor’s environment to offer a lot of potential interactions for the players. Someone like Kobi, who is both an artist and a programmer, was the perfect person to implement new fun interactions with the 3D props in Looters different levels. For example, the multiple globes located around the Library can be messed with by the fidgeting Goblin waiting for his friend. Any curious Goblin can also interact with the bellows to start a fire in the Kitchen’s giant oven, which might reveal treasures… or burn them. Finally, our dear Goblins are not above roasting lambs on a stick if they feel the desire to do so.

Globes can be spun by the Goblin who interacts with it[/p][p][/p][p]It is possible to start a fire in the oven by interacting with the bellows in the Kitchen[/p][p][/p][h3]The Curse of the Big Rats[/h3][p]The Big Rat is an artificial intelligence that is introduced in the Library level. It is quite sneaky and will try to steal the precious loot from your Bag. Léo, our Encounter Designer, programmed the Rat’s behavior so that the more stolen loot it eats, the bigger it becomes. If a player catches the Rat in the act of stealing, it will flee and throw its hands in the air to appear innocent. Ultimately, Goblins will be able to pick up the Rat and shake it (by smashing buttons) until it drops the stolen loot. The Goblins should keep an eye on the Bag if they don’t want to face the curse of the Big Rats! 🐀[/p][p]The Big Rat can steal loot directly from the Bag. The more loot it eats, the bigger it becomes
[/p][h3]What Comes Next?[/h3][p]At the end of the day, we’re all very grateful for all the hard work our Tech Goblins put into the game. Looters would not be nearly close to what it is now without their contribution - and their nerdy brains. Each day that goes by, programmers help us master new aspects of the game engine and have a more anchored, concrete view of the mechanics and features we’re working on.[/p][p]
Kobi (Artist & Programmer), putting to use his multidisciplinary skills in both 3D art and programming to produce more items with fun interactions in Looters[/p][p][/p][p]Stay tuned for next week, heisters, as a big reveal is coming! [/p][p]And as always...[/p][h3]👉 Add Looters To Your Wishlist Now![/h3][h3]👉 Follow our shenanigans and development insights on Instagram![/h3]

[h2]We Are Back![/h2][p]Hey there heisters,[/p][p]In today’s devlog, we’re sharing something a little different: a look behind the scenes at the leadership and management of Looters. Game development is a team effort, and strong communication and direction are key to keeping things moving.[/p][p]We also hosted internal Q&A sessions with the management team, asking questions about leadership decisions, project direction, and how the team guides development. Dive into the leads’ history![/p][p]The front page of Looters online documentation, all made with Notion. Each department has a dedicated section that regroups all the essential information we might need during the development process[/p][p][/p][h2]Team Collaboration[/h2][p]When Looters was elected as one of our two final university projects alongside Spire of Chaos : Arcana Unleashed, the original team went from 5 people to 26 in the span of two weeks. Onboarding everyone on the team and making sure we all shared the same vision for the game was one of the biggest challenges we had to face. In order to achieve this and bring everyone together, we had to designate Project Managers, Directors and Leads to cover each design and art department.[/p][p]The original members of the team presenting Looters pitch deck at Gameloft Montreal in March 2025[/p][p][/p][h3](Francis and Cassandra, Co-Project Managers)[/h3][p]➡️ What are the pros and cons of co-managing a team of 26 people?[/p][p]🗨️ Pros: both of us can do other tasks aside from management (such as design and art) and are better equipped to pin down problems in our respective departments.[/p][p]Cons: there is always a possibility of having a disagreement or a misunderstanding on something, leading to a fragmentation of the team. It’s also possible that different methodologies emerge from each of us and our individual managing style, which can potentially cause confusion among team members.
[/p][p]➡️ What is some advice you would give to an aspiring project manager?[/p][p]🗨️ Focus on listening before jumping into solutions. Project management is about more than tasks and production deadlines, it is about the people behind the work. Clear communication keeps everyone aligned and learning from mistakes is an essential part of growing as a manager.[/p][p][/p][p]Cassandra (Project Manager) taking her job of assigning artists tasks in Notion very seriously[/p][p][/p][h2]Establishing Solid Foundations[/h2][p]Looters may be aimed at casual players, but it relies on a complex web of interconnected systems. This is where our lead programmers, Guy and Émile, shine. They build the project infrastructure, program mechanics, debug, review code, and maintain technical documentation. Thanks to their work, our Goblins can loot items, wear their dissimulation capes, throw things, and run around without running into game-breaking bugs![/p][p]Francis (Project Manager) leading a Sprint Planning with the rest of the team[/p][p][/p][h3](Guy, Technical Director)[/h3][p]➡️ What was your favorite feature, mechanic or system to implement in Looters so far?[/p][p]🗨️ It’s always hard to pinpoint only one thing, but I like implementing tools and systems for our level designers. I enjoy being able to help the team iterate more quickly and help them have the necessary resources to make the game they want to create. Having a system for interactions, using levers for example, allows them to create multiple interactions in their levels without needing a programmer. Being a small team, this helped us manage our resources a lot more efficiently.[/p][p][/p][p]➡️ Is there a technical aspect of Looters that was really challenging, and if so, how did you overcome it?[/p][p]🗨️ The throw probably was the hardest thing to implement. The mechanic went through various iterations. The programming itself was a little bit tricky, but figuring out what worked best for Looters was the hardest part. How we wanted the mechanic to feel, and its gameplay purposes were questions that took us longer than expected to answer.[/p][p]Émile (Creative Director/Programmer) and Guy (Technical Director) pulling legendary moves[/p][p][/p][h3](Émile, Creative Director/Programmer)[/h3][p]➡️ How does being both Creative Director and Programmer on Looters impact your creative decisions for the game?[/p][p]🗨️ Since we are only a few programmers in the team, I often had to prioritize coding over other things. That’s why it’s really important to have trust in your team members and encourage them to come see you for any questions or concerns. For example, the AI Encounter and Level Designers gave me weekly updates during Looters production, which allowed me to oversee many departments at once and reinforce coherence between all aspects of the game.[/p][p][/p][p]➡️ How does it feel to have your creative vision come to life through a 26-person production team?[/p][p]🗨️ It feels surreal. At the beginning, the vision for Looters was really straightforward. But when there’s so many people joining a project at once, a linear vision can easily become a melting pot of ideas. It’s very stimulating in a way, but we still have to be careful ; having many ideas is cool but coherence should always remain our priority. I’m still really amazed by how far we’ve come since our first pitch at Gameloft![/p][p]Émile (Creative Director/Programmer) with his beloved goblin Danaël (Level Designer)
[/p][h3](Rachel, Lead Level Designer)[/h3][p]➡️ What was the biggest challenge you faced as the Lead Level Designer?[/p][p]🗨️ One of the biggest challenges for the level design team was creating levels for two players that encourage collaboration while staying within precise metrics. We worked hard to reduce the risk of soft-locks, but players often found clever ways around puzzles we thought were unbreakable. Testing levels in pairs and iterating constantly has helped us refine them, and with enough playtesting and QA, we are confident the puzzles will challenge even the most determined players.[/p][p][/p][p]➡️ How did you manage to reconcile gameplay and art through the level design of Looters?[/p][p]🗨️ From the start, it was important that each level had its own identity, built from a narrative and visual theme paired with a mechanical one. In the Kitchen level, the theme focuses on the absurd amount of food everywhere, while the mechanics embrace the chaos of meal preparation. This level introduces the throw mechanic, letting Goblins toss ingredients into a giant cauldron to create a mysterious recipe. No spoilers! 🤭[/p][p]Rachel (Lead Level Designer) and Léo (AI Designer) working together on polishing a level for an upcoming playtest[/p][p][/p][h2]Guiding the Vision[/h2][p]Our art leads are at the heart of Looters’ visual direction, shaping the game’s overall style and tone. They set the creative goals, define the aesthetic boundaries, and ensure that every artistic decision aligns with the high-stakes, cinematic heist experience we want players to feel. By leading the team with clear vision and direction, they make sure that the world of Looters has a consistent, striking identity that stands out and draws players in.[/p][p]Since the early days, Miro has been part of our pipeline for team brainstorming. Here you can see part of the process used to explore the visual aesthetic of our levels[/p][p][/p][h3](Céline, Art Director)[/h3][p]➡️ How did you first establish the art direction for Looters? What where your main inspirations?[/p][p]🗨️ We established the art direction for Looters early on, when our team was just three artists. We spent a lot of time gathering references on ArtStation and Sketchfab to find styles that felt appealing and achievable. Games like Castlevania, the Zelda franchise, and Palia helped guide our fantasy tone and stylization. Working in a school setting, we also considered technical scope and team skill sets, leading us to a clay-like, low-poly aesthetic with vibrant colors, exaggerated shapes, and strong readability. The themes remain rooted in a classic D&D-inspired fantasy universe, where stylization enhances the magical and adventurous tone.[/p][p][/p][p]➡️ What aspect of the project are you most proud of?[/p][p]🗨️ As Art Director, what amazes me most is how each artist brought their own strengths to the project. The art direction had a very specific style, which was challenging at first, but through feedback and collaboration the team quickly adapted. I am proud of how everyone committed to the vision. In the end, that collective effort is what makes Looters feel visually cohesive, unique, and recognizable.[/p][p][/p][h2]Supporting the Vision[/h2][p]Beyond big-picture direction, our leads also guide the cohesion of environments, characters, and props. They work closely with the team to ensure every element fits naturally into the game world—whether it’s the design of a tense location, the personality of a character, or the details of a key prop. Their leadership keeps all visual components aligned, creating an immersive and believable world where every asset supports the story, gameplay, and atmosphere of Looters.[/p][p]Because we are part of a French university, our internal work is done in French. Here you can see our development journals, product backlogs, the artistic direction for Looters, and examples of deadlines, all managed in Notion[/p][p][/p][h3](Léa, Lead Character Artist)[/h3][p]➡️ As the Lead Character Artist, you were in charge of overseeing the creation of all the characters in Looters. How did you ensure that the there was always a coherence in the visual style of all the characters?[/p][p]🗨️ Since Céline and I established the Art Direction at the very beginning of the project, I had a lot of time to study it and clearly identify the key elements we wanted to maintain throughout the game. We were also fortunate to work with very talented concept artists who understood and followed the style closely, which made the work easier both for the 3D character artists and for me as a lead.[/p][p]At times, we needed to move slightly away from certain concepts to better fit the Art Direction within a 3D context. Those moments often became opportunities to experiment and refine the designs so they translated well into the final in-game characters.[/p][p][/p][p]➡️ What would you say was the hardest thing to do as the Lead Character Artist?[/p][p]🗨️ I think the hardest part of being a lead is giving feedback. Every artist works differently, and communication can sometimes be challenging. Having a clear vision is one thing, but explaining it in a way that others can easily understand is a completely different challenge. I was very lucky to work with patient and open-minded artists who were always willing to listen, even to my wildest ideas![/p][p]Léa (Lead Character Artist) and Andrea (Lead Marketing) discussing a very important matter[/p][p][/p][h3](Julien, Lead Environment Artist)[/h3][p]➡️ How did you collaborate with other departments to create coherent environments for Looters?[/p][p]🗨️ Since Looters is all about finding and looting every valuable prop, the environment really does have a bigger purpose in the core gameplay. Environments have to look good but also serve as a way of hiding or revealing certain objects or puzzles. Hence, Level Artists have the responsibility to work in tandem with Level Designers as well as Economic Designers to make sure that the loot distribution is balanced and rewarding for the players. It’s a bit of a give and take process for all the departments involved and finding that sweet spot in terms of what helps make the environment feel believable but also makes the gameplay feel right requires a lot of iterations.[/p][p][/p][p]➡️ What was the biggest challenge you faced as the Environment Lead?[/p][p]🗨️ It’s probably an obvious one but learning how to lead properly takes time and I would even say that I still don’t completely know how to do it. Unlike artist skills or 3D skills, you can’t learn leadership by taking courses or reading books, because there’s no perfect way of leading a team as every team is different. Unfortunately, I do believe that the only way you can learn to lead a team is by trial and error as even experienced team leads are going to face some struggles even if they probably get less frequent with more experience.[/p][p]Leading is so deeply rooted in human relations and intuitions that it sometimes feels like a totally different field than Video Game Development. Fortunately, it is also deeply rewarding, because there’s no better feeling than seeing your team thrive and work cohesively. When your team is having fun and producing amazing results, it really does feel like you did something right.[/p][p]Julien (Lead Environment Artist) reviewing artists props for the Kitchen level dressing[/p][p][/p][h2]Building an Online Presence from Scratch[/h2][p]Building an online presence from scratch for a game is both a creative and strategic process. At the beginning, the goal is not just to promote the game, but to start building a relationship with a potential community. This means defining a clear identity, choosing the right platforms, and sharing the development journey in a way that feels authentic and engaging. Step by step, this early visibility helps transform a project into something people can follow, support, and become excited about. 🎮[/p][p][/p][h3](Andrea, Lead Marketing)[/h3][p]➡️ Can you tell us more about the role of the marketing department from the start of the project and how it evolved during the production?[/p][p]🗨️ At the beginning, marketing focused on building our online presence by creating social media platforms and sharing the development process. The goal was to start building visibility and a small community around the game. As production progresses, the role will become more strategic. I would like to showcase more behind the scenes content and gameplay to help attract a wider audience.
[/p][p]➡️ What was the biggest challenge you faced as the Marketing Lead?[/p][p]🗨️ The biggest challenge was (and still is) promoting a project that is still evolving and that doesn't allow me to showcase gameplay as of yet. Since many elements changed during development, it required careful planning to communicate clearly while staying authentic to the team's progress.[/p][p][/p][h2]Off To Work![/h2][p]We hope this devlog gave you an insight of what it’s like to work as a multidisciplinary team on a project like Looters. Leads and Project Managers are there from start to finish to make sure everyone is on the same page. Each department has its role in the development process, and none should be overlooked. After all, it takes a close-knit tribe of Goblins with each with their own strengths to make a fun and coherent game![/p][p]The complete leading team, from left to right, top to bottom : Guy (Technical Director), Léa (Lead Character Artist), Rachel (Lead Level Designer), Céline (Art Director), Julien (Lead Environment Artist), Andrea (Lead Marketing), Émile (Creative Director/Programmer), Francis and Cassandra (Project Managers)[/p][p][/p][p]Next week, we will tackle the Programming department and show some behind-the-scenes of the technical challenges our team faces daily.

In the meantime, stay greedy, heisters! 💚✨[/p][p][/p][p]And as always...[/p][h3]👉 Add Looters To Your Wishlist Now![/h3][h3]👉 Follow our shenanigans and development insights on Instagram![/h3]

[p]When players step into Looters, they will see characters, environments, and details that feel alive. What they will not see, at least not at first, are the talented 3D artists behind it all, the team turning our ideas into something you can explore and immerse yourself into. Now is their time to step into the spotlight. Meet the 3D artists shaping the universe of Looters! Today, we will be diving into the environment, props and level art done by our team.[/p][p]From left to right, top to bottom: Akim (Animator, Writer), Léa (Lead Character Artist & Prop Artist), Céline (Art Director, Animator), Michael (Rigging Artist), Antoine (Animator, 2D Concept Artist), Julien (Lead Environment Artist & Prop Artist), Jean (Environment & Level Artist), Vincent (Character & Prop Artist), Éloise (Character & Prop Artist), Andrea (Character & Lighting Artist), Noah (2D Concept Artist, Prop Artist), Sébastien (Prop & Level Artist), Kobiwan (Environment & Prop Artist), Benjamin (Tech Artist), Cassandra (Prop Artist)[/p][p][/p][h2]Building the World of Looters[/h2][p]Creating the world of Looters is about far more than arranging rooms and placing props into empty spaces. It is about storytelling through interiors. The way a room is laid out, how objects are positioned, what feels carefully maintained and what feels neglected all give you clues about the Cultists who live there and their lifestyle within the manor.[/p][p]Because the game takes place entirely indoors, every space has to carry atmosphere and intention. We focus on composition, material contrast, and lighting to shape the mood of each level. Narrow corridors can create tension, while larger chambers offer a brief sense of relief. Subtle details in surfaces, architecture, and set dressing help each area feel distinct while still belonging to the same world.[/p][p]Each level reveals a different aspect of the manor, allowing us to explore variation in tone without losing cohesion. Even small environmental choices are deliberate, reinforcing both the narrative and the gameplay experience.[/p][p][/p][h2]Meet the Artists[/h2][p]To give you a closer look at the people behind Looters, we asked each artist two simple questions. First, to introduce themselves and share a bit about their background. Second, to tell us which piece of work on the project they are most proud of.[/p][p]You will also find links to their portfolios and LinkedIn profiles below, in case you are curious to learn more about our team members and explore more of their work.[/p][p][/p][h3]Céline Diep - Art Director[/h3][p]To bring the game's vision to life, we rely on an artistic direction that guides every spatial decision and visual cue. That direction is shaped by our Art Director, Céline Diep, who ensures that every corridor and chamber supports both the narrative and the player experience.[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]"I had a lot of fun creating the environment concept art. Even though my strength lies more in character design, it pushed me to challenge myself with perspective, ambiance, and lighting. In the end, I think the results turned out great and really helped guide the prop and environment artists which was ultimately the best reward."[/p][p]Visit Céline's portfolio by clicking here[/p][p]Interested in her work? You can contact her here[/p][p][/p][h3]Julien Lesénéchal - Lead Environment Artist & Prop Artist[/h3][p]"I am incredibly happy to help shape the overall vision of the game as Lead Environment Artist, and I am very proud of what my team and I accomplished within such a short production timeline. Over the past two and a half years, I have worked on various game environments, but never at the scale of Looters.[/p][p]Throughout the project, I contributed across multiple areas, from modeling and texturing to building modular kits and refining level art. Balancing those responsibilities with the management side of being a team lead was definitely a challenge, but it was also deeply rewarding. It allowed me to rely not only on my technical skills, but also on my communication and leadership abilities."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]"For me, one of the biggest challenges and most beautiful aspects of Looters is creating levels with strong, distinctive visual identities that still feel cohesive under one clear art direction. Each level reveals a different side of the cultists’ manor, sometimes even adding a subtle touch of humor to the overall setting.[/p][p]I am especially proud of our level art team for embracing the challenge of building environments around a looting system. Dressing a space like the kitchen without using food items was not simple, since those items are tied to gameplay and could easily confuse players about what can and cannot be looted. Finding creative solutions without sacrificing clarity was a major achievement for the team."[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Visit Julien's portfolio by clicking here
Interested in his work? You can contact him here[/p][p][/p][h3]Léa Jalbert-Gonzalez - Lead Character Artist & Prop Artist[/h3][p]"I think what I’m most proud of, and most attached to, is the art direction of Looters.[/p][p]When Looters first started, we were only three artists. Shaping the visual identity and building the pipeline from scratch with two of my best friends was such a special experience. It was fun, chaotic at times, but incredibly fulfilling. I had the freedom to focus on what I love most: sculpting and texturing.[/p][p]Even though I’m primarily a character artist, we quickly realized our loot goblins would need props. A lot of props. And when I say a lot… I mean hundreds. From tiny clutter pieces to larger set dressing elements, props became a huge part of defining the world’s personality and storytelling."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]"As Lead, I always tried to guide the team with the vision I had from the very beginning. Giving critiques isn’t always easy, and receiving them can be even harder. But I truly believe feedback is what helps us grow. In fact, I think “constantly evolving” is the perfect way to represent Looters.[/p][p]Every month, we evolved. More people joined the team. The scope grew. The ambition grew. Balancing everything wasn’t always simple, but the progress we made together is something I’m incredibly proud of.[/p][p]And I think that every artist on this team should be proud of themselves."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Visit Lea's portfolio by clicking here
Interested in her work? You can contact her here[/p][p][/p][h3]Kobiwan Phaysavanh - Environment & Prop Artist[/h3][p]"For my part, I'm just a bumblebee who likes any kind of work (except rigging and animation). I do props and level art, trying to create small little stories within the game. I'm also the guy who brings people to try new foods."[/p][p][/p][p]"Personally, I think I can say I’m proud of the trimsheet and what I created with it. But I can't ignore the fact that the thing I'm most proud of is my team. They're really great people who work super hard and bring great vibes to the workplace."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Kobi's little note: "Hey, we dare you to try to find the mini ghost cultists in some levels. They're cute! :D"

Visit Kobi's portfolio by clicking here
Interested in his work? You can contact him here[/p][p][/p][h3]Vincent Marquis - Character & Prop Artist[/h3][p]"For Looters, I think the role of multitasker suits me best. I create props and characters, handle sculpting and texturing for my assets, and contribute to level dressing when the team needs it. I also assist with Unreal Engine tasks from time to time, helping ensure everything comes together smoothly."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]"Something I'm really fond of in this project, as simple as it is, are the crates and barrels I did. As simple as these assets are, I think my execution in making them was good, and that's what matters: making things well, however simple and basic they may be.

I'm also very proud of the characters I made for the game, but that's for another devlog, so stay tuned!" [/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Visit Vincent's portfolio by clicking here
Interested in his work? You can contact him here[/p][p][/p][h3]Jean Horlaville - Environment & Level Artist[/h3][p]"Working on Looters has been so far an incredibly enriching experience. The scale of the team, a first for me, gave a whole new dimension to the tasks I am used to handling. Whether it is creating architectural elements, props, materials, or modular kits, everything had to fit within this large pipeline that introduced new challenges, where collaboration became essential to build a cohesive and believable world."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]"As the main environment artist in charge of the kitchen, one of my proudest achievements was probably successfully translating the level designer’s original intentions into a distinctive and varied environment. While matching the artistic vision with the technical constraints and gameplay requirements can be sometimes challenging, focusing on the technical requirements and then layering the artistic elements on top of it helped me overcome this difficulty. Using a modular kit that thoughtfully balanced granularity and efficiency, I was able to maintain both creative flexibility and production practicality."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Visit Jean's portfolio by clicking here
Interested in his work? You can contact him here[/p][p][/p][h3]Sébastien Marchand - Prop & Level Artist[/h3][p]“My role is Environment Artist, Prop Artist and Level Artist. In other words, I help build the world of our game, working hard like a busy bee to bring every space and object to life.”[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]"The part I am most proud of now is my work on props. At first, I thought I might struggle with the art direction, but I was surprised by how much I could accomplish when I really gave it a try. That is one of the things I love about working on this game, seeing what I am capable of while helping bring the world to life. [/p][p]Right after that, I am also really proud of the level art in our environments, which helps give every space its own character and mood."[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Visit Sebastien's portfolio by clicking here
Interested in his work? You can contact him here[/p][p][/p][h2]What's Next[/h2][p]Although we weren’t able to cover everything in this post, many more people contribute to bringing the environments and art of Looters to life. Concept artists, lighting artists, technical artists, VFX specialists, and animators all play a vital role in shaping the manor and making it feel alive. Their work, combined with our level and prop teams, helps create the immersive world you explore in the game.[/p][p][/p][p]Next week, we’ll be taking a short break from devlogs. When we return, we’ll shift the focus to the lead and management team behind Looters and share more about how they guide the project from vision to execution.[/p][p][/p][p]In the meantime, enjoy some behind-the-scenes and bloopers of the arts team![/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]And as always...[/p][h3]👉 Add Looters To Your Wishlist Now![/h3][h3]👉 Follow our shenanigans and development insights on Instagram![/h3][p][/p]

[p]It is no secret that making any kind of video game is hard. With that said, designing a game for two players like Looters comes with its own challenges. For instance, what’s the best way to encourage cooperation between players? How do we prevent players from going their separate ways in an open level? What do we do if one is stuck somewhere and the other keeps going? What draws the players together? All of these questions, and many more, have to be addressed; that’s where the Design Team comes in.[/p][p]From left to right, top to bottom: Léo (Encounter Designer), Émile (Creative Director & Game Designer), Rachel (Lead Level Designer), Justin (Economy Designer), Julien (Scenarist), Hervée (Level & UI Designer), Francis (UX Designer), Danaël (Level Designer), and Nathan (Level Designer)[/p][p][/p][p]At Partners in Crime, we currently have nine designers working on different aspects of the game. This blog post will cover the main design fields and how they all work in collaboration to achieve the best version of Looters we can imagine![/p][p][/p][h2]Game Design: Thinking like a Loot Goblin[/h2][p]Émile, Rachel and Hervée are among the original game designers on the team. They defined and prototyped the core game mechanics. In other words, what the Goblins can actually do in the game. Can they walk, crouch or throw things around? Can they jump and, if so, how high? Which buttons do players need to press to perform these actions? (We got a lot of headaches over this one, believe us… 🫠) But it’s all part of the process![/p][p]Game designers also work closely with User Experience (UX) Designers like Francis to craft the gameplay loop, or the repeating cycles of objectives, actions and rewards the players will go through. For instance, in Looters, the core gameplay loop follows this simple four-step structure:[/p][p][/p][h3]LOOT ITEMS ➡️ SCORE POINTS ➡️ UNLOCK LEVELS and then 🔁 REPEAT[/h3][p][/p][p]The gameplay loop is what marks the progression in the game — meaning that for every completed loop, they must receive some sort of reward, whether it be an upgrade in skills, a cosmetic change or the unlocking of new levels. Without a solid gameplay loop, the players have little to no motivation to keep playing. That’s why Hervée, who has a natural talent for mockups, made a first version of the levels end screen that will display the Goblins’ looting score, respective death counts and emotes count. Once finalized, this User Interface (UI) mockup will be polished and perfected by our UI artists.[/p][p]In the end, UX and UI Designers have to constantly find new ways to cultivate player motivation through engaging loop cycles that offer variety in gameplay, narrative, aesthetics and other areas. Like Goblins (the clever, tinkering kind), we have to get creative and patch together smart solutions to design problems as a team. It’s less “chaos gremlin energy” and more “scrappy problem-solvers sharing one brain cell — productively”.[/p][p]
Level end screen mockup designed by Hervée[/p][p][/p][h2]Encounter Design: Shaping Behaviors[/h2][p]Léo is our only Encounter Designer on the team. He is in charge of designing the artificial intelligences (AIs), defining their range of behaviors and the way players can interact with them. Since we have four AIs in the game, this represents a ginormous workload. On a daily basis, Léo has to work hand in hand with level designers, programmers and animators and to ensure every step of the AI pipeline creation is aligned with the overall vision for the game.[/p][p]Léo, Encounter Designer, in deep thinking in front of his Behavior Tree[/p][p][/p][p]The Behavior Tree (BT), Léo’s favorite tool, is like an AI code of conduct. Without a BT, our Cultist AI wouldn’t be able to manage priorities and switch between finite sets of tasks, called States. The BT organigram made of little blue and purple boxes can easily look chaotic from the outside perspective. Getting lost between the numerous branches and oddly named States when looking at Léo’s screen is not unheard of… Therefore, we recommend keeping the encounter designer happy at all times by fuelling him with copious amounts of coffee so that he can demystify the strange behaviors of your game’s enemies at once. ☕😌[/p][p][/p][h3]🗨️ ‘’You must first confuse yourself to confuse the enemy.’’
— Léo, Looters Encounter Designer[/h3][p][/p][p]Whether it be a deadly Cultist patrolling the Manor, an innocent Lamb running around the Kitchen or a greedy Rat stealing loot from our Goblins, every encounter has to be prototyped, tested and iterated until the difficulty level feels right for the target audience. For instance, the Altar room from Looters would be almost impossible if the Goblins didn’t have access to the Cape mechanic that lets them blend in with the red hooded antagonists. Seamless, don’t you think…?! 🥸[/p][p][/p][p]In Looters, Goblins can stack on each other and wear a red cape to hide among Cultists.[/p][p][/p][p]When your friend gets hexed by a Cultist, their soul will start leaving their body (yes, spooky, we know). You can rescue your friend by smashing the X button with the kind of rage that makes your controller fear for its life. As you can imagine, balancing this mechanic is also part of the encounter designer’s work and leads to repercussions on player agency, level layout, visual effects and character animation.[/p][p][/p][p]The ‘’Rescue your friend’’ mechanic was originally designed by Léo and prototyped in collaboration with programmers[/p][p][/p][h2]Level Design: Building a Coherent World[/h2][p]Level designers are the ones who establish the core metrics that ensure consistency in gameplay. By metrics, we mean everything from the Goblins height and width to the maximum distance at which they can pick up an object. At the start of a production, these metrics are typically pretty flexible; but the more the game gets refined, the more fixed they become.[/p][p][/p][p]Lead Level Designer Rachel reviewing a level blocking[/p][p][/p][p]In addition to this, the level designers plan out the levels in 2D, either on paper or using softwares like Photoshop, Miro or Figma. After iterating, they bring the levels to life in 3D within the game engine. This step is usually referred to as ‘’greyboxing’’ or ‘’blocking’’. A level can remain in this greyboxing state for as long as it takes before it is officially locked and made ready to be dressed by the environment artists, which will make it look unrecognizable, in the very best way possible! ✨[/p][p][/p][p]The very first blocking done by Level Designers Hervée and Rachel when initially prototyping the core mechanics for Looters[/p][p][/p][p]In Looters, there will be a total of four different levels, each with its own mechanics, encounters, aesthetics and secrets (🫢). No matter the level, our Goblins only desire one thing: loot as much shiny stuff as possible without being detected by the crimson figures we call the ‘’Cultists’’. We don’t want to spoil too much before the full game release, but here’s a teaser of each level:[/p]

1. [p]⛪ The Grand Hall, by Rachel; The start of the heist and the very first time our Goblins encounter the red hooded figures patrolling the Manor and guarding the precious loot.[/p]
2. [p]📚 The Library, by Nathan; An enchanting and brainy parkour to find the most valuable artifacts through mazes of books, greedy rats and moving staircases.[/p]
3. [p]🍽️ The Kitchen, by Hervée; The most chaotic and otherworldly soup recipe you’ll ever make, quite literally.[/p]
4. [p]🌱 The Greenhouse, by Danaël; Sentient plants, cottagecore magic and talking trees — who thought the Cultists had green thumbs?[/p]

[p]Topview of the Kitchen’s level and its delimited rooms, made by Level Designer Hervée[/p][p][/p][h2]What’s Next?[/h2][p]Of course, Looters could not come to fruition without many other design departments that we couldn’t cover here today, such as economy design, technical design and narrative design. With that said, we must remember, as designers, that even the smallest of changes in a game’s features may have an impact on the Art Team as a whole.[/p][p]Work in progress of the Kitchen’s level blocking, by Hervée. See how blockings like these transform into the fully realized in-game environments next week, thanks to our environment and prop artists. [/p][p]
With that in mind, stay tuned for next week’s blog post, heisters, as we’ll be diving into the Art of Looters, especially environment and props!
[/p][h3]👉 Add Looters To Your Wishlist Now![/h3][h3]👉 Follow our shenanigans and development insights on Instagram![/h3]