In the heart of Södermalm, Stockholm, Elemental Games is quietly pushing the boundaries of game development. At the core of their workflow lies a proprietary game engine — developed over three years alongside their new project, code named Unveil. But while their in-house technology is impressive, the real story lies in how they manage the day-to-day complexity of game production — integrating creative processes, technical development, and collaboration across a distributed team.
The Custom-Built Approach
Many studios today rely on established engines like Unity or Unreal, but Elemental Games has taken a different path. Their proprietary engine allows them to build exactly what they need for Unveil without compromises. As CEO Linus Blomberg puts it, “We have the luxury of drawing from triple-A experience, which gives us the flexibility to do things differently.”
This custom approach brings freedom, but it also requires tight control over every aspect of the development pipeline. A crucial part of their success lies in choosing the right tools and streamlining workflows to ensure the whole team stays in sync.
The Tools Behind the Art
Elemental Games uses a carefully selected suite of tools to meet the demands of high-end game development. Blender is the go-to for 3D modeling and animation, Substance Painter and Designer handle textures, and when it comes to world-generation and VFX, Houdini plays a critical role.
The studio also leverages Nvidia’s Omniverse and Nucleus for large-scale content creation. By integrating these powerful tools with their custom game engine, they achieve a seamless pipeline that allows for rapid iteration without sacrificing quality. Their workflow is designed to be adaptable, allowing the team to scale efficiently as production ramps up.
Art Reviews and Team Collaboration
With a distributed team working from different locations, communication and feedback are vital to keeping things running smoothly. Elemental Games holds weekly review sessions, where the team gathers to go over the latest assets and discuss progress. These sessions are central to their production workflow, ensuring everyone stays aligned with the project’s visual direction.
Though they rely on multiple platforms like Google Drive for static documents and Discord for daily communication, the team uses KLASH to facilitate video recording and sharing during these art reviews. This helps them capture in-game footage, track issues, and share feedback across the team efficiently — whether they’re addressing bugs or showcasing visual updates.
Embracing In-House Production
While many studios rely on outsourcing, Elemental Games takes a different approach. The majority of their assets, including art and animation, are created in-house, keeping the core team fully involved in every stage of production. However, they do see a role in outsourcing in the future, particularly for specific tasks like sound or additional 3D work. Until then, they’re committed to handling most of the heavy lifting internally, ensuring a consistent vision throughout the project.
The Power of Reuse
Like many modern studios, Elemental Games has embraced the idea of asset reuse. Nature assets, in particular, are often repurposed across various scenes, cutting down development time while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. This approach helps streamline production and brings the added benefit of cost efficiency, a key factor for any studio looking to maintain momentum without stretching resources too thin.
The Road Ahead
Elemental Games’ workflow reflects their commitment to innovation and efficiency. By combining a custom engine with a carefully curated set of tools, and keeping communication tight through regular reviews and the smart use of collaboration tools, they’re able to tackle the complexity of game development head-on.
As they continue to refine their processes and work towards the release of Unveil, Elemental Games exemplifies how a small, distributed team can leverage technology and creativity to punch above its weight in a highly competitive industry.