While for some the name Phil Tippett might not say much, for those with an interest in movie visual effects, he’s a pretty big name. Tippett is a two-time Academy Award Visual Effects Supervisor and Director best known for his work on the original Star Wars films, Robocop, Jurassic Park, The Force Awakens, and more. That’s a resume that many would kill for, possibly literally. Tippett was the creator of the famous “Holo Chess" scene from the original Star Wars and the more recent The Force Awakens. Now, he’s decided to shift from making monsters for the big screen to making monsters for games.
More specifically, Tippett Studio, along with HappyGiant, are working on an AR/VR game called HoloGrid: Monster Battle, a hybrid board game, CCG, and digital game that hopes to bring a new type of gaming experience to players. While it’s being built for next gen AR & VR platforms, it will also come to mobile devices. The game uses a technique called “Photogrammetry" to scan Tippett’s actual monsters into 3D digital assets for the game, which should make them look much more detailed than most 3D models. This is the same process that was used in The Force Awakens, by the way, so that’s pretty cool.
The gameplay is similar to CCGs like Magic and Hearthstone, with customizable teams and various classes, and it will offer both local and online multiplayer and possible offline play, too. I’m really looking forward to this one, and I think many of you will too simply on the basis of who’s behind it. We don’t know when it’s releasing yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you informed.
