PUBG is celebrating its 6th anniversary. We have been busy preparing many celebratory events. Among them was an event where we created the key art for the celebration through a collaboration with the graffiti artist TRISTAN EATON. The event’s highlight was finding points from PUBG made into a collage centering on the Lone Survivor. Let’s hear about the behind-the-scenes stories from Moon Hyong-June and Sim Yoomin, who put a lot of effort into creating the key art.
Nice to meet you. Can you introduce yourselves to KRAFTON blog readers?
Moon Hyong-June (Moon): Hello. I am Hyong-June Moon from the Publishing Department, Business Development Team 1. I’m in charge of managing license-in and license-out work using KRAFTON IPs.
Sim Yoomin (Sim): Nice to meet you. I’m Yoomin Sim from the PUBG Marketing HQ. My team promotes PUBG to the public and communicates with fans. We are constantly working to make our game more accessible to fans while planning and executing global marketing strategies and action plans.
What roles did you play in this collaboration?
Moon: I searched for many artists in a wide range of fields and prepared contracts after contacting them.
Sim: From the initial planning phase, I worked with the Business Development team to discuss which artists to collaborate with. Ultimately, we chose TRISTAN EATON to create the PUBG 6th anniversary key art together. I was also in charge of planning and executing how we could deliver messages and take action toward the users through the key art at this important moment of the 6th anniversary.
How did PUBG start collaborating with TRISTAN EATON? I’m curious about how the idea first started.
Sim: Actually, when we started the project, we didn’t have TRISTAN EATON on our minds. As PUBG has grown both in quality and quantity while presenting various content, we wanted to approach users with new perspectives and methods and allow them to enjoy new experiences in the game.
Also, as PUBG is the trailblazer in the battle royale genre, we hope it can become a game with an expanding cultural influence.
Considering this, we devised an idea to collaborate with an artist. Specifically, we thought it would be great if people could experience graffiti, which they usually enjoy offline, and expand PUBG’s cultural influence by doing so. So we searched for an artist who would fit well with PUBG and who could create synergy when working together. We worked with the BD team to list different artists and finally selected TRISTAN EATON.
Do you have any specific reasons for selecting a graffiti artist?
Sim: At first, we didn’t just search for graffiti artists, and we had various discussions on the matter. We also discussed working with installation artists, pen drawing artists, and more. We considered some famous artists as well, actually, and even contacted some of them before deciding on a graffiti artist.
Graffiti is already implemented in the game. We wanted the users to experience graffiti while moving around in the game and even have them spray it on the walls. So, in the end, we chose the graffiti artist TRISTAN EATON to collaborate with us.
How did you carry out the planning process? I’m curious about the internal decision-making and planning process.
Sim: After deciding to proceed with the artist collaboration, we listed dozens of artists. After that, we filtered them out gradually, considering who would be a good fit for PUBG. We also had many discussions with the PMs we work with on how we would apply the art’s characteristics to the game.
After many meetings, we concluded that what mattered most was whether fans would like it. We decided that it was more important to collaborate with an artist who matches PUBG’s style than to work with a famous artist who has no relation to the game. We thought that was the type of collaboration that would suit PUBG’s 6th anniversary.
Surprisingly, after we signed a contract with TRISTAN EATON, we discovered he owns a level 3 helmet. We considered it destiny (laughs).
Can you tell me about the goal of the collaboration?
Sim: PUBG has introduced a lot of content and carried out many other collaborations. We’ve collaborated with many singers, characters, and brands, but this is the first time we have worked with an artist to create official key art inside and outside the game. We hope you recognize the efforts that PUBG is making to provide users with various experiences.
In fact, six years is not a short time. We have considered many ways to refresh the image of a game that has become so familiar. We wanted to reach out to fans as a game that constantly grows and provides new experiences. Furthermore, we wanted to express PUBG’s 6th anniversary through TRISTAN EATON’s graffiti collage style and provide the joy of discovering what PUBG elements are represented in the artwork.
What was the hardest part of the collaboration?
Moon: It was difficult for me to contact artists one by one. There are no associations or lists that are systematically kept updated. I had to reach out to them in an unorthodox way, like sending DMs to artists on social media.
Sim: The hardest and most important part was providing feedback to the artist on the result. Of course, TRISTAN EATON was very passionate and thoughtful in his approach. But we did have certain elements we wanted to emphasize in PUBG. We were cautious not to infringe upon the artist’s discretion when providing our opinions. But in the end, it was a relief to see that the outcome turned out well.
Where can we see the key art collaboration inside and outside the game?
Sim: You can find PUBG’s 6th-anniversary art in many different places. It’s right on the loading screen when you log in to the game, and when playing the game, you can see them on randomized décals on the map and billboards.
And we have many more events coming up. To celebrate the 6th anniversary, we will carry out six types of login events and mission events on a large scale, including special drops where you can receive different 6th-anniversary rewards. Don’t forget that there’s also the PUBG 6th anniversary celebration message event until March 23rd. Be sure to participate and get key art collaboration goods! This sounds too much like a sales pitch (laughs).
When was the most rewarding moment during the collaboration work process?
Sim: This project almost took a year, as we had many twists and turns in the preparation process. Although it took so long to prepare, we could only meet the artist at the end of the project. So, when we went to LA to check the work site and made a video of the whole process, I felt really proud when I watched it.
<Photos from the work site>
Do you have any last comments?
Moon: I hope the users can enjoy the collaboration. I’d be really proud if there were a lot of key art photos on social media.
Sim: The Lone Survivor was recreated in TRISTAN EATON’s drawing style. I really hope everyone will enjoy the key art as it is released on PUBG’s 6th anniversary, a meaningful time for both fans and us. Also, I’d like to thank all the colleagues from the Creative Center, the PM team, and the development team who participated in this project!
