Game trailers are often built as small animated films, not simply recorded from gameplay. DIGIC’s process begins with a publisher’s treatment, storyboard, or script, then develops the idea into a 3D animatic before specialist teams shape performance, characters, environments, effects, lighting, and the final edit. The exact workflow varies with the project and how much creative freedom the client gives the studio.
How a game-trailer project begins
DIGIC says a project may arrive with anything from a treatment to a complete script. Its account managers coordinate client communication, while the creative team works out the film’s world, characters, locations, and intended atmosphere. Some clients bring a developed concept and specific character requirements; others invite the studio to contribute more ideas. The game owner’s brief and marketing purpose therefore shape the film from the outset, rather than DIGIC following one fixed formula. DIGIC’s FAQ and a 2020 interview with studio head Rabb Sándor Alex describe this collaborative approach.
For its Assassin’s Creed Valhalla work, the team considered the scenario’s locations, characters, battle, historical setting, and atmosphere while planning the look and action. That kind of planning connects the trailer’s cinematic choices to the game’s world and the client’s aims.
Why the team makes a 3D animatic first
Before full production, DIGIC develops the story and previsualization, or previs. A 3D animatic is a rough animated version of the film: it lets the team and client see how the sequence is likely to play before detailed character, environment, and effects work is complete. DIGIC says this stage helps establish the intended duration, locations, events, cuts, and shots.
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In the 2020 interview, Alex described the studio’s typical preparation as five phases: story development, previs, motion-capture shooting, 3D animation, and visual development. He also explained that capture material is processed in 3D software, rather than first being edited as conventional live-action footage. These are the studio’s description of its preparation process at that time, not a guarantee that every project follows an identical sequence.
How performance becomes digital character animation
Motion capture gives digital characters movement based on actors or stunt performers. DIGIC says it uses mocap in most films, with directors and performers working out action choreography during capture sessions. That does not make the process automatic: captured movement must be prepared and fitted to the character, and animation and modeling teams may revise their work together.
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DIGIC’s official FAQ says its VICON T160 camera system is mainly used for its own films. The studio also describes motion-capture services that can include recording, asset creation, data cleaning, and retargeting—the process of adapting recorded movement to a digital character. DIGIC’s motion-capture page outlines those services.
The Witcher 3: capture shaped by character and story
DIGIC’s breakdown of its The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt cinematic shows how performance work can be tailored to a specific game. The team used body capture, head-mounted facial footage, and voice timing. Geralt’s appearance drew on the game’s art direction and materials, while the character model was adjusted to accommodate the stunt performer and the captured animation. The account describes iterative collaboration between modeling and animation, rather than a one-step transfer from performer to digital character. DIGIC’s The Witcher 3 production breakdown gives the project details.
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How artists build the world around the action
Once the story and performances are taking shape, teams create or assemble the settings, visual effects, lighting, and composite—the integration of separate image elements into finished shots. The mix of methods depends on the project. In the Witcher 3 breakdown, DIGIC describes combining traditional 3D work with projection painting, scanned objects and ground patches, stock footage, and matte paintings, then bringing elements together in Nuke. Houdini was used for procedural environment and effects work; the account also mentions Yeti instancing for a particular dust effect. These are examples from one production, not a recipe for every trailer.
A different creative brief can lead to a different visual language. For Rainbow Six Siege: The Playbook, DIGIC pursued a mockumentary style, with handheld camera work and fast-paced editing for the action. The production involved eight locations, and its lighting and compositing lead described maintaining a consistent tone across them, with Nuke used for grading and iterative changes. The Playbook case study shows how camera movement, pacing, and grading can support a trailer’s particular concept.
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Which software does DIGIC list?
DIGIC’s official FAQ lists tools associated with different parts of its work. The studio does not date each tool disclosure, so this is best read as the toolkit it lists—not a verified inventory for every current production or a claim that every title uses every package.
| Production task | Tools DIGIC lists |
|---|---|
| Animation and some hard-surface modeling | Maya |
| Organic modeling and sculpting | ZBrush |
| Texturing | BodyPaint, Modo, Photoshop |
| 2.5D projection | Mari |
| Compositing | Nuke |
| Rendering | Arnold |
| Effects | FumeFX, Houdini |
| Hair, fur, and simulations | Yeti, nHair, Syflex |
| Clothing and cloth | Marvelous Designer, nCloth |
| Crowds | Massive Prime |
| Editing | Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve |
The list illustrates why a finished cinematic is a team effort: the software supports distinct specialties, while artists and directors make decisions about how those pieces serve the same story and visual style. DIGIC’s FAQ is the source for the listed tools.
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How long does it take to make a game trailer?
There is no universal schedule. GamesBeat reported that third-party trailer production can begin around the middle of a game’s development. In that report, DIGIC head of creative István Zorkóczy said high-quality trailer work can last several months, with the duration depending on runtime, the number of characters and environments, and overall complexity. The article cited at least four to five months for a decent film and up to a year for 40–50 minutes of cutscenes. Those are attributed estimates and examples, not a minimum schedule for every short trailer. GamesBeat’s feature on how game trailers are made provides the context.
Format also matters. An early marketing cinematic, launch trailer, intro sequence, and trailer assembled from in-game assets are different assignments. A fixed runtime alone cannot predict the workload: the brief, assets available, performance needs, number of locations, and visual complexity all affect what the team must build.
What makes one trailer different from another?
- Creative latitude: a completed storyboard or script gives the studio a different role than a loose brief that invites it to develop the concept.
- Performance approach: a production may use motion capture, facial capture, keyframe animation, or a hybrid. DIGIC describes frequent mocap use, but does not quantify how many shots in its films rely on each method.
- Visual construction: artists can combine 3D assets, scans, projection work, matte paintings, stock footage, and procedural effects as the particular film requires.
- Camera and edit: The Playbook’s handheld, fast-cut action differs from the darker, performance-led battle in the Witcher 3 breakdown.
- Production scale: runtime, characters, environments, and complexity influence scheduling more than a single standard duration.
DIGIC describes its portfolio as spanning 24 years on its own site in 2026; that is the studio’s figure, not an independently audited founding date. DIGIC’s portfolio page presents the studio’s work and its own description of that history.
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