The Sandbox Hub
The Sandbox Season 2 - February 2022
The Sandbox Hub was the main map during Season 2. I made this map in collaboration with Guillaume Pin and our Art Director Thibault Simar. It’s a 2x2 multiplayer map. During the Season the map received 200K+ unique visitors.
The map is divided in 4 regions - the entrance and NFT museum, and three areas for the main RPG factions: Oracles (related to nature and spirit), Heroes (related to the northern cold and bravery) and Scientists (from the desert, interested in technological advancement). Each of the three faction areas had a portal leading to the faction’s Main Hub. I took over the original design by our Art Director and helped define the three areas and the Central Plaza.
Architecture and Themes
Each area is designed to quickly introduce the player to the different faction’s visual themes and elements. The goal was to take apart each of their values and core elements and translate it into a visual code with a distinct palette, biome and assets, as well as the most recognizable NPCs.
For the Heroes area I went with a snowy, barbarian feel that featured a tavern, a Hero graveyard, a windmill and an underground prison.
The Oracles area features a giant hollow tree, a floating island and a lot of speaking animals.
For the Scientists area I went for a desertic, industrial feel that conveyed the idea of scientifical research and advancement.
For more on how I developed the faction’s lore read about my work as a Narrative Designer.
After the level was finished I worked on three 2x2 multiplayer maps dedicated to each faction, where the portals in each area lead to. These were included in both Season 1 and 2 of the game.
