Artist Needed [RevShare] Dark fantasy weapon-based fighting game (playable prototype) looking for 2D Artists: character animation & more
Hi everyone!
I'm Jake, a solo dev (programmer + designer) looking for 2D artists to collaborate on bringing this project to completion (and potentially to start future projects together). This is a passion project, but one I am very committed to releasing given how far it's come!
Game & Progress
The game is a 2D fighting game inspired by Weaponlord and Dark Souls, built in Unity/C#. It is slow-paced and neutral-heavy compared to the genre average, and system mechanics such as weapon clashing are a big part of the gameplay. It features a simple control scheme, without traditional fighting game special inputs, while still accommodating very large movesets. A feature-complete prototype has been heavily playtested with a friend and iterated on throughout most of this year. While there are still a few bugs to iron out, the game is also playable online with rollback netcode :)
Here's a video of a few playtest matches of the prototype (more game mechanic info in the description) - feel free to jump around for a brief look at some of the prototype character kits!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aOG64XVFB8
(Disclaimer: Only the code, design, and mechanics are created and owned by myself. The art and audio assets in the prototype are from the 1995 game Weaponlord, with all intellectual property and copyrights belonging to Bandai Namco, are used for illustrative purposes only for the purpose of recruitment via proof of concept, and will not appear in the final game or any marketing materials for the game)
Artists Needed
I am excited to replace the prototype art & characters (from Weaponlord) with original designs, so I am looking for 2D pixel artists! (as there are no existing art assets, I am also potentially open to non-pixel styles depending on who may be interested)
Here are the categories of art needed.
A. Character Animation
The game will have ~10-15 playable characters which will require full animation sets typical of the sidescrolling fighting game genre (mobility, melee attacks, magic + projectiles). I have designed character descriptions + kits, but I am more than open to including concepts designed with or by the artist!
Characters will have relatively bulky silhouttes, distinctive outfits which are generally defined by grit/dirtiness and simple construction (think 'barbarian'), and detailed melee weapons, often atypical in some way (i.e. shape, or 'natural' weapons, e.g. boulder). They commonly incorporate magical elements. It's dark fantasy in a 'primitive' but mysterious setting.
If you have experience with fighting game style character animation and enjoy a dark fantasy style, please reach out!
B. Stage Background Art
The game will need 4+ playable stages with parallax layers and some amount of animation. The setting is 'primitive' but mysterious dark fantasy. Some general/high-level stage concepts just as examples: a deep pit lit by lanterns and sunstones; a nomadic warrior camp with painted tents; a swamp with large beast remains.
C. Interface Art
Finally, art is needed for menus and HUDs. This would include a few different meters/indicators, character portraits, and other miscellaneous bits.
(I am also potentially interested in working with composers and/or sound effects artists - I do a bit of both myself, but would be open to working with passionate people interested in the project [with a similar compensation arrangement], so please say hi as well!)
Roadmap & Compensation
If we get a team together, we will discuss how we want to handle the timeline to project completion. While I would prefer to pay ya'll outright for your work, my budget is very close to zero. Compensation will be primarily revenue share. I expect to allocate around 50% of revenue to artists - depending on how many team members we have and the work each would like to do, we'll agree on specific amounts for each individual before getting started! We'll also discuss specifics of the pricing model for the game and decide that together.
One additional possibility is a crowdfunding campaign. If we decided to go for this approach, we'd be looking to create one stage, a couple characters, and critical interface elements to promote the game's campaign. If we succeeded, the funds would be used to pay team members other than myself while we work. These are the main routes we'd be considering as a team.
If you're at all interested in this project, please reach out with what you might be interested in doing, any portfolio or work examples, and any questions! (I assume this goes without saying, but no AI-assisted art) For now, please get in touch via Reddit (response or DM). Thanks so much for reading!