How this year’s most exciting game trailer — for Unbeatable — was made

How this year’s most exciting game trailer — for Unbeatable — was made

The developers at D-Cell Games have put a significant amount of time and effort into creating a trailer for their upcoming game, “Unbeatable.” Unlike the standard process in the video game industry, they did not create an animated cinematic trailer, but instead used footage directly from the game itself. This approach allowed them to align the vision for the trailer with the tone of the game and set the voice for the project.


Approximately one hundred games were presented at this year’s Summer Game Fest. Over the course of several days, major publishers such as Microsoft unveiled impressive games and trailers. Indie studios with limited resources also showcased their solo projects during this event. With so many offerings, it can be challenging for a small independent studio like D-Cell to grab attention. To stand out, they had to carefully plan their approach.

“When it comes to our game’s trailer in the showcase, there are two factors that remain uncertain beforehand – the identity of the game being presented prior to ours, and the audience’s response to it. To create a fair environment for ourselves, we introduced ‘islands’ or ‘sit down and shut-up’ moments in our trailer.”

Tsai proposed an illustrative scenario: Imagine if the preview for the greatly anticipated, almost legendary game “Hollow Knight: Silksong” was shown prior to your own game trailer. The excitement is bound to overflow into your clips. “You must grab their attention and then, just as they think ‘Oh, that looks intriguing,’ amplify the experience tenfold, leaving everyone transfixed and captivated,” Tsai suggested.

As a fan, I can’t help but be impressed by how the Unbeatable trailer drew me in. It began subtly, like a gentle leaf drifting in the breeze. Director RJ Lake shared with TopMob that their intent was to make the start of the trailer uneventful – an unexpected move given the game’s far-from-boring premise. In this rhythm game, music is outlawed and you break the rules – “you do crimes,” as the developer puts it.

Lake explained how some movies, like “Skinamarink,” deliberately start off slowly and uneventful. This intentional dullness makes even small occurrences seem significant, resulting in a more profound impact when something major happens later on. In the midst of an overwhelming abundance of spectacular events, quiet moments are essential to refocus our attention.

As I watch the Unbeatable trailer, an alarm beeps, signaling the beginning of the action. The catchy tune plays as a pink-haired woman sings into a microphone, her voice echoing in my ears. I anticipate the beat dropping and the fighting commencing during certain parts of the song, but it remains elusive, building up the tension. Finally, the music gives way to the chaos – the bandmates engage in an epic brawl with a cop.

Lake explained that they deliberately maintained the mystery surrounding the starting point of the events by introducing various distractions throughout the piece. The opening scene is followed by logo cards and singing, which should leave the audience perplexed and fully engaged before the action truly begins with Beat being attacked. This layered approach enhances the overall impact of the scene rather than just jumping straight into the fast-paced portion of the song.

Hi there! I’m collaborating with @pixelhavokk on this game project, and after a productive day and some much-needed rest, I believe it’s time for us to discuss the trailer creation process in more detail. Looking forward to our conversation!

— rj (@spellbang) June 11, 2024

Approximately two years before the premier of D-Cell’s trailer, the team began brainstorming and planning its creation – a process discussed extensively in various X threads, including one initiated by Lake in June. The game was initially announced through a Kickstarter campaign in 2021, which generated $267,402 and released a demo. Other D-Cell developers, such as composer and sound designer Vas, shared their thoughts on the experience in separate X threads. According to Vas, speaking openly about the trailer and the effort put into it was a relief after keeping quiet for so long. “You risk damaging the game if you reveal too much,” he explained to TopMob, “but staying completely silent can also leave you feeling disconnected.”

In the video game industry, it’s not typical for teams to invest extensively in creating trailers as Unbeatable‘s developers acknowledged. However, this meticulous approach is essential to our project.

During the process of transforming the initial concepts into the final product, there’s a great deal of variation. It’s not just about creating an animated trailer; instead, we’re developing genuine game content simultaneously. The specific shots in the trailer underwent frequent modifications due to the unpredictable nature of game development and the unexpected readiness of certain features. Consequently, capturing gameplay footage became a continuous juggling act to determine which shots to use.

Making the trailer aligns with the game’s vision and sets its tone is a significant undertaking, yet it’s indispensable. Having the game’s voice locked in place significantly facilitates focusing on what truly matters during production. As co-producer Jeffrey Chiao explained to TopMob, “Having that voice nailed down provides a clear guide, helping us stay on track. However, it’s equally important for the game itself to express its unique voice. Ultimately, our well-crafted trailer served to establish that distinctive voice for everyone engaged in our project.”

The trailer accurately reflects the game’s content, making the effort put into creating it worthwhile beyond generating excitement alone. According to Tsai, if we were dealing with a ‘cinematic trailer,’ none of this material would have been feasible given our production timeline.

One variation could be:

How this year’s most exciting game trailer — for Unbeatable — was made

I’ve been impressed by the marketing strategies of “Unbeatable” so far. According to Lake, it’s currently the most wished-for game from publisher Playstack, and it even set a new record for the company with its day-one wishlist numbers. There’s a significant number of PlayStation users who have added this game to their wishlists as well.

“Ultimately, the finer details might deviate from the crux of the matter. However, what truly matters to us is bringing our creation to life in a vivid and compelling manner, demonstrating its potential to the community and conveying our vision with utmost clarity.”

He went on to explain: “It’s quite challenging to convey emotions and visualize abstract concepts using text alone. Yet, I trust that my message will be comprehensible, despite its intangible nature. Subsequently, the commercial aspect of it should follow naturally as a result of people’s enthusiasm for the project.”

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2024-07-14 18:19

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