HALO SPARTAN ASSAULT
RELEASE: July 18, 2013
PLATFORM: IOS, Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam
FUNCTION: Lead Artist
Halo Spartan Assault is a top-down twin-stick shooter set in the Halo universe. Originally developed for Windows phones and tablets using our proprietary “Blue Engine,” its success on mobile led to ports for Xbox consoles and PC later on. Working closely with Microsoft and 343 Industries, we were given a lot of creative freedom to establish a new timeline and explore new locations within the franchise.
AVERAGE TEAM SIZE: ~65 total, ~16 Artists
ENGINE: Proprietary Blue engine
MY CONTRIBUTIONS:
- 3D Art Lead: Led the 3D execution for all levels, characters, assets, and VFX. I was responsible for making sure the final in-game look felt like an authentic Halo experience while matching the Art Director’s vision.
- Production Planning: Managed the planning, prioritization, and task distribution for the art team to keep production on track.
- People Management: Conducted regular 1:1s with the artists to provide feedback and mentorship. I focused on both project progress and personal growth to maintain a supportive and healthy team environment.
- IP Asset Assessment: Reviewed existing assets from 343 Industries to determine what we could adapt or use as a reference to fit our specific technical and mobile constraints.
- Hands-on Art Production: Worked directly in the engine on ground textures, props, lighting, and the layout of several levels.
- Technical Problem Solving: Acted as a bridge between the artists and the engine team, flagging workflow issues and finding workarounds for technical limitations in our custom tools.
INTERESTS & CHALLENGES:
- Pitching and Securing a Major IP: Following our previous game, Gatling Gears, we built a series of twin-stick shooter prototypes. These caught the attention of Microsoft, which ultimately led to the incredible opportunity to develop a mobile title for the Halo franchise.
- The Custom Engine Trade-off: Developing on our proprietary “Blue Engine” had clear pros and cons. It was a massive advantage because major commercial engines didn’t support Windows mobile devices at the time, allowing us to push the hardware to its absolute limits. However, because our tech team was small, tool support was limited. The art team frequently had to find creative workarounds to get our assets into the game.
- Mobile Performance Constraints: Ensuring a smooth frame rate on low-end mobile devices was a constant technical hurdle. We had to be highly disciplined with polygon counts, texture sizes, and modular level setups so the game ran flawlessly without losing its visual quality.