ITV

Tag: 88 Pictures

  • 88 Pictures launches its gaming division – 88 Games

    88 Pictures launches its gaming division – 88 Games

    Mumbai: 88 Pictures, an animation and VFX studio from India, has launched a new gaming division, 88 Games, entering the game development sector with a focus on high-quality indie games for PC and console audiences. 88 Games aims to blend visual quality with storytelling inspired by India’s rich history and culture.

    Known for its animation work on shows like Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Gremlins: Secret of Mogwai, Transformers: The Earth Spark, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, and Fast & Furious: Spy Racers, 88 Pictures has made a mark in international markets. With 88 Games, the studio builds on its storytelling legacy to offer interactive experiences that entertain, educate, and inspire.

    Led by industry veterans Milind D Shinde and Shiben Bhattacharjee, the team includes experienced professionals from global studios, all dedicated to creating games that showcase India’s cultural heritage.

    88 Games founder & CEO Milind D Shinde said, “88 Games represents the next step in our journey at 88 Pictures. Our team is dedicated to producing premium games that are not only visually stunning but also deeply rooted in our cultural identity. India, being one of the oldest civilizations in the world, has legends, stories, cultures, and art that have existed for thousands of years, forming a unique kaleidoscope that needs to be showcased to the world. It is an exciting challenge to translate the heritage of India into this new medium, with our mission to narrate stories based on this immense cultural capital through video games for the global audience.”

    88 Games plans to introduce titles that will give global gamers a unique glimpse into India’s folklore and history. Through intricately crafted art styles and immersive sound design, each game will present an authentic, engaging experience, drawing from classic Indian tales, legends, and mythological characters.

    “At 88 Games, we see storytelling as a powerful bridge between cultures. Our mission is to create games that entertain while connecting players to India’s rich history and mythology. As India’s gaming market rapidly expands, there remains a significant gap in the availability of high-quality PC and console games that showcase the country’s unique cultural identity. 88 Games aims to fill that void, by providing an exceptional gameplay experience to immerse and contribute to the growth of the video gaming industry,” stated 88 Games’ game director Shiben Bhattacharjee.

    88 Games has three games in development, with its first title—launching on Xbox and PlayStation—set for a reveal at the India Game Developers Conference (IGDC) 2024.

    According to Lumikai’s recent Levelling Up: State of India Interactive Media & Gaming Research FY’24 report, India’s Animation/VFX industry was valued at $1.6 billion in FY 24. The gaming market also grew by 23 million new players, reaching a total of 590 million gamers and projected to exceed $9.2 billion by FY 29, with a 20 per cent five-year CAGR.

    The union cabinet, under prime minister Narendra Modi, recently approved the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, and extended reality). PM Modi also encouraged Indian game developers to make an international impact in his Independence Day address.

    With 88 Pictures’ animation and VFX expertise, the launch of 88 Games is expected to further boost India’s role in the global AVGC-XR and gaming sectors.

  • PNB Housing Finance’s animated ad campaign a breakaway

    PNB Housing Finance’s animated ad campaign a breakaway

    Banks’ television commercials are known to depict various services in a staid, old-fashioned way, forsaking creativity for efficacy. Animation, however, is changing that.

    The recent ads for PNB housing use the medium of animation to very interestingly explain the home loan services of the Punjab National Bank. The ads created by Mumbai-based 88 Pictures have one thing in common – the use of CGI animals.

    Renowned ad film-maker Shantanu Baagchi approached the studio with an idea to create a high-end CGI project, which doesn’t necessarily look CGI. “We weren’t sure about it but when we looked at the concepts, it appealed to us,” said 88 Pictures founder-CEO Milind Shinde.

    88 Pictures chief creative officer Philippe Gluckman explained, “The project allowed a really interesting characterisation of animals through animation. One of the challenges, and interesting points, was to find the line where the animals express human emotions, but don’t become overly anthropomorphic. It is deliberately not treated in an “over the top” cartoon style, which hopefully makes it more relatable.”

    Animals in the ads are used to express human emotions. “I hope people will appreciate the subtleties of certain expressions and what they mean to convey,” shared Shinde.

    Other than the animation work, the integration into realistic environments, and the many details needed to make the ad convincing, were wonderful to create, he revealed.

    The spots were created by the ad director Baagchi but “given our expertise in working on high end animation content, we like to add our creative flavour to everything which not every director is open for,” Shinde added. “However, we had a great time working on them as the director was very open to ideas, as well as providing many of his own, yet never losing track of the end goal.” The team at the studio worked from storyboard to final output.

    As a first ad project for the studio, was it challenging in any way? “Commercials are like short movies, one has to go through the entire process of storytelling and execution regardless of the duration, and deadlines are always short,” he highlighted. “The joy of working on challenging animation content attracted us towards this project.”

    “It was a first for us but a great experience. We are open to get our hands on anything that requires pushing boundaries and creating beautiful pictures,” he concluded.