The Narrative

We developed a narrative that captures the essence of the game at its core. Our story brought together three unique characters. The characters were each inspired by specific regional motifs, pop culture references, and quirks that make them authentic to their background.  

The core idea for the story was to showcase how BGMI brings people from different parts of India together with the spirit of the energetic gaming experience. We recreated a gaming session infused with the undertones of friendship, loss, and revenge. We showcased how BGMI squads are not just normal gaming squads but much more than that; they’re like a family, and every blow to the family is bound to feel personal.  

But on this day of receding attention span, how could we keep people hooked for 45 seconds? We brought our inner Bollywood buffs to play. Because there’s nothing that keeps people hooked better than a good old-fashioned revenge saga with an added dose of heartwarming friendship, crafted to perfection with some Bollywood tadka.  

We put our three musketeers on the battlefield, faced by a ruthless enemy squad out for blood and chicken dinner. Our terrific three went toe-to-toe with the relentless enemy army, standing steadfast in the face of their ceaseless assaults. Although the crew could not defend themselves for longer as the continued attacks led to the loss of two of the squad members, leaving the lone survivor standing on the battleground facing the enemy squad, determined to avenge his fallen friends.  

Building the Squad: Bringing the Characters to Life with Form & Personality  

Our squad took its references from a multitude of movies, musical bands, and slices from our own lives. Yes, we are not shying away from confessing that one of the characters in this film was heavily influenced by someone from our design team. Allow us to introduce you to our three beloved musketeers.  

Sameer:

Inspired by comedian Vir Das’s character Arup in Delhi Belly, Sameer was designed to bring in a breath of fresh air into the intense narrative. His Delhi roots, fun personality, colourful headband, chunky flip-flops, and an unfaltering commitment to his squad take him from being just a cheerleader for the group to the ultimate anchor of the story, who keeps the narrative going with his funny remarks, explosive temper, and spirited cheers for his squad.  

Karthikeya:

Karthikeya, the quintessential Bangalore boy, brought the voice of reason and strategy into the story. The character design of Karthikeya showcased his belief system through his choice of outfit; Karthikeya believes in the fact that nothing in this world is worth losing his mind over, and we agreed. So, we kept his style casual and his fanny pack filled with war strategies and a few hand grenades.  

Rhea:

The powerhouse of the squad was Rhea. Although the design influence for Rhea’s character came from the music videos of the virtual band Gorrilaz, Rhea was designed as an out-and-out Bengali girl. She wears her identity not like an accessory but like a second skin. With her Kantha-stitched jhola, a vibrant bandana, and a septum piercing, her bold and beautiful styling choices set her apart from the crowd, making her the strong-willed, energetic, opinionated character who never leaves an inch without a fair contest.

These characters were designed with sharp, hand-drawn lines infused with regional quirks and unique aesthetic choices that added an extra layer of personality by literally bringing them to life. They stood on their own as a testament to BGMI’s ability to bring people together, irrespective of their geographical locations, cultural differences, and unique personalities. 

Into the Battlefield: The Chaos in Design  

Designing the environment came right after zeroing in on our main crew. Our goal was to develop an environment that aligns with the gamer’s vision of Erangel. We sampled the BGMI maps through some intense gaming sessions among us to develop a game-accurate rendition of the setting.  

With the hand-drawn environment and a flat colour palette, we developed a world patiently waiting for the power-packed battle that was about to begin. The UAZ jeeps, the Dacia, the guns and the grenades – every piece was hand-drawn down to the acute details. With the usage of sharp lines and the movement of light and shadows, we made the surrounding environment palpable. We made Erangel tremble, shudder, and wait for the ultimate revenge with bated breath.   

Final Animation 

We approached the story with the traditional 2D animation medium to bring our hand-drawn assets alive on the screen. We used depth-of-focus techniques and fisheye perspectives to give a three-dimensional scale to the battle between our main crew and the enemy squad.  

We built anticipation through fast-paced movements with cut-on-motion animation techniques, as the background music held the action together with high-energy scores. We went for a high-action visual narrative with every frame delivering a blow, a thud, and a bang.  

We approached the fast-paced walk-and-run sequences with large steps to make the buildup breathtaking. As the drama intensified in the climax, the experience of the falling action set in slow motion with an unexpected turn of events, hitting the catharsis right on time. The lone survivor becomes a hero with the revenge arc and motion trails leading to the ultimate resolution, the sweet taste of revenge, to its full effect.