You would think these maps were made by Blizzard! Joshua Llorente, a Filipino student studying at the University of Santo Tomas, has crafted another map design inspired by Overwatch. His newest map, Cairo, brings life to Egypt’s capital city and pairs well with the existing Egyptian map, Temple of Anubis. With an aesthetic fitting the design and the lore of Overwatch, one would think that this map would be the newest addition to Overwatch’s pool of stages.
Mr. Llorente is known in the Overwatch community for his most famous work, the Favela map. This map gained attention as it could tell a story through its design alone. With a look of Overwatch’s caliber, the map paints a picture of a poorer and modern district walled off from a high-tech and futuristic city center. Likening it to the lore between two of Overwatch’s heroes, Lucio and Symmetra, the map’s location in Brazil fully completes this image. He even created a functioning walk-through of the map! A fan-made map this fateful to both the lore and aesthetic of Overwatch drew much international coverage for the artist.
A working demonstration of a walkthrough in the Favela map. Besides Cairo and Favela, Mr. Llorente has a few other concepts and artworks in his portfolio. With concepts of maps based on the stages of Hanamura and Nepal, his works are a beauty to behold, especially for fans of Overwatch. As a fan of his work, I had the chance to come in contact with the artist. I was able to ask him questions about what got him into 3D artistry, why he chose the Overwatch aesthetic, and his plans for the future as an artist:
What got you into 3D artistry? Since I play a lot of video games, I became interested in how it is made. Eventually, I researched and watched some videos on Youtube on how video games are created. Since my course in UST doesn’t offer 3D modeling, I learned it on my own. I started downloading different software like 3ds Max, Zbrush, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine and I just love experimenting and playing with them ever since.
What compelled you to do designs in/based on Overwatch? Overwatch is the first game I bought online, and I was amazed by the art style and direction of the video game. Since I have a little knowledge on creating art assets in the Unreal Engine, I started creating Overwatch-styled maps. I always play Overwatch and sometimes I just play it in spectator mode in the arcade. Through that, I’m able to just roam around and study the maps of Overwatch. I think that’s how I’m able to recreate their style. What was your reaction to the intense positive reception to your maps? I’ve been able to create 4 Overwatch styled maps as of now, but the Favela Map was the most popular one. I was overwhelmed by the comments and reactions to the Favela Map, as it was able to reach 127,000 views on Youtube and I did not really expect that.
How long do the maps take you to conceptualize, and then to turn into a 3D design? I don’t really have a concrete production pipeline in terms of environment building since I’m just doing the maps on my free time. I start with rough sketches for the assets and for the map layout. After that, I’ll just experiment with the 3D modeling software. Has the increased recognition given you new opportunities for your further studies/future career? After the Favela map, a lot of indie and solo developers offer me freelance jobs. I’m able to work on some commissions because of the exposure that the Favela Map has given me.
Has an international organization, like Blizzard, given you an offer for your services or a full-time job? In terms of big international companies, like Blizzard, they haven’t offered me a job. I think I don’t deserve it as of now as I still have a lot to learn. But I’m glad that 2 of the Senior Environment Artists at Blizzard noticed my work and they followed me on Artstation. Do you have any plans to fully flesh out, make playable, and balance your maps with Blizzard’s help, given the opportunity? Yes, of course! Working with a big company such as Blizzard is a dream come true for me.
What can you say to other aspiring 3D artists, especially those trying to get into artistry in gaming? I’ll just say that, If you’re really interested and dedicated to learning a specific thing, you can achieve it by practicing and researching. In my case, I’m a self-taught 3D artist, as I just learned environment art on Google and YouTube. Also, find some game development community or page where you can share your works since this is a good practice. People will be able to give suggestions and also be able to criticize your work, which you can use it to further improve your skills. Lastly, always remember that learning is a long process. It will take several months or years to be able for you to achieve what you want, so just keep practicing. Don’t forget to explore and experiment because in creating art for games, the only limit is your imagination. Joshua’s portfolio of works can be found at his Artstation, and videos of his designs are uploaded on his Youtube page.