AnsweRED Podcast Episode 17 — Art Direction in Baldur's Gate 3 & Batman

Art direction in games doesn’t stop with setting the vision — it includes juggling multiple priorities, including guiding entire teams towards a unified look, aligning the environment with the story of the game, and most importantly, connecting players to a world they’ll remember long after the credits roll. 

Our hosts Sebastian Kalemba, VP and Game Director and Paweł Burza, Senior Communication Manager, sit down with Alena Dubrovina, Art Director at Larian Studios, and Émilie Beauchamp, Associate Art Director at WB Games Montréal.

They explore what it really means to direct art in AAA games — the challenges, inspirations, and the subtle (but crucial) role of intuition in creating visual identities for beloved IPs. 

Here’s what you’ll find:

• What does it mean to be an Art Director?
• How do you combine art with leadership?
• How do you create a vision for an existing IP?
• How to establish communication with teams?

One major theme? Falling in love with the world you’re building. Émilie shares that, “Starting a project, any project, it's important to fall in love with the brand or the franchise and then you can really immerse yourself in all the reference material.”

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For Alena, the path of art direction is one of continuous movement — a journey more than a fixed destination. She explains: “Art direction is a process, and it's going to end at the end of the project. Normally, obviously, pre-production sets a lot of things, and so it really starts with direction. You need to set up a path for the team and for the project that you think is going to work out.”

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The episode also offers some words for aspiring professionals. Émilie offers advice she often gives to students — about choosing focus over generalization and trusting that dedication will open the right doors. “Usually it pays off, because you're going to spend a lot of energy to learn and make sure that the piece is as nice as possible, and you're going to target companies or projects you want to work on. That pays off because quality is going to hit the mark, and even if it's not going to work in that particular company, other places are going to see the quality and there's going to be an opening of doors.”

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Whether you’re a budding artist, a fellow art director, or simply fascinated by how game worlds come to life — this episode is a must-listen.

Watch or listen now:

YouTube: cdpred.ly/AnsweREDPodcast17

Spotify: cdpred.ly/AnsweREDpodcast17

New episodes of AnsweRED Podcast are released every fourth Thursday of the month. Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Enjoy watching and listening!

Alena Dubrovina, Art Director at Larian Studios

Alena Dubrovina joined Larian Studios as a Character Art Intern and has since worked as a Character Artist and Lead Character Artist on titles like Divinity: Original Sin II and Baldur’s Gate 3. Now an Art Director, she focuses on character art to enhance player experiences and reach a broad audience. Alena believes a hands-on approach and blending technical and artistic skills are essential for successful projects.

Émilie Beauchamp, Associate Art Director at WB Games Montréal

Émilie is currently serving as the Associate Art Director at WB Games Montréal. With over 12 years of industry experience, she started her career specializing in environment art, contributing to several titles including Batman: Arkham Origins, Mortal Kombat 11, and Gotham Knights. Additionally, she's dedicated to teaching and mentoring students in 3D and environment art at UQAT (Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue).