You will know that Microsoft Game Studios and 343 Industries are the main players that brought Halo Infinite to life. However, there are a host of support studios that have been working on Infinite behind the scenes, all doing their part to help make Halo Infinite the best it can be.
One such supporter is CounterPunch, a studio at Virtuos, an animation studio that helped bring many Halo Infinite characters to life. From Cortana to the lovable Pilot, CounterPunch has been at the forefront of bringing its motion capture expertise to the acclaimed Xbox Series X/S first-person shooter.
In an exclusive interview with TechRadar Gaming, we spoke to three members of staff. This included Kay Arutyunyan, General Manager of CounterPunch, along with Mason Gardner and Kyle Renteria, Lead Animator and Animation Supervisor at CounterPunch, respectively.
animated halo
At what stage in the development process did 343 Industries approach CounterPunch to help work on Halo Infinite?
Kyle: CounterPunch was contacted by 343 Industries (343i) to support cutscenes once motion capture and cinematic development were ready for animation rendering just before the pandemic-induced lockdowns in 2020.
The mason: It was a title that our entire team was very excited about. And it was an amazing project to keep working on during the first few days of lockdown.
Halo Infinite was notoriously delayed at the last minute. How has the extra development time helped the team achieve their goals?
Kyle: Our involvement in the development of the film ended prior to the announcement of the delay. However, we have gone back and improved a small part of the original work due to the delay.
The mason: Our goal when working on film animation is to make the characters relatable and believable to the audience. We were able to accomplish these goals by working closely with our client's lead narrative for cutscenes and their lead Rigger for character platforms.
How has the pandemic impacted the development process and implemented any permanent changes that have been driven by a new way of working?
Kyle: The pandemic brought challenges that we were able to overcome. We've found it beneficial to have more frequent conversations with 343i in the creative process, as well as in technical development, to ensure we stay true to the vision of what cutscenes should look like.
The mason: To also ensure that we bring this vision to life within our team, we have implemented better ways to communicate feedback and direction internally. To keep everyone working from home in sync and feel like they're in the same space, we've done a lot more video chats and screen sharing so it feels like you're right next to each other at all times.
Pour one for the pilot
The pilot is one of the most moving characters in Halo Infinite history. What kind of technology was used to achieve such compelling expressions?
The mason: The pilot was one of our favorite characters to work with! He was such an expressive character. He gave us a good range of emotions to play with.
Kyle: Our company is highly skilled in facial animation based on the FACS (Facial Actuation Coding System) and this basic skill has allowed us to truly understand facial movement. Since the character's rigging used a FACS-based rigging system, we were able to create realistic movements and expressions that helped us achieve realistic and believable performances. We were in close communication with the 343i team to make sure the emotional and performance beats were played as needed.
Do you have any fascinating information to share with Halo fans who may not know about the development of the game?
Kyle: One fascinating thing for us that Halo fans might not know is how much the actors put into their roles. Jen Taylor (Cortana, The Weapon, Halsey), for example, shed tears during some of the most emotional moments.
The mason: We went to great lengths to try to really capture their performances and translate them into the characters.
Did you hide Easter eggs in Halo Infinite animations, like the hippo in the shotgun shell in the original Halo?
because: You'll have to play to find out!
Was it difficult to balance putting your own creative stamp on Halo Infinite and maintaining a sense of familiarity? Does 343 Industries have do's and don'ts?
The mason: We wanted to make sure creative decisions were directed by 343i for each character. When we get a new character to work on, we talk in detail with our client: how each character will be animated in the game, their role in the story arc, and how expressive the client wanted each character to be.
Kyle: We asked a lot of questions and got a lot of answers. We stayed true to the already developed personalities and helped create new personalities for the new characters.
What was it like doing the research for Mortal Kombat 11? What means do you use to animate a fatality?
because: Our managers spend time researching the art forms we animate for every project we work on, whether it's fighting or dancing. We can only bring realistic animation to life if we spend time in pre-production, studying the realistic movements we are trying to represent in our animation.