About John Wu
John is the studio Art Director over at Balanced Worlds, Beijing. He is a veteran in the video games industry with over 10 years of experience working on AAA console titles. His contributions include God of War III, God of War PSP, the Ratchet and Clank series, Resistance: Fall of Man, Fat Princess, flOwer, and much more. In addition to the production of games, John was instrumental at the creation of new Sony IPs.
John’s big break into the world of video games was in early 2001.
He got a job as a Character Texture Artist at Insomniac Games in Burbank, California.
He spent the next five years learning everything there is to know about video game production and contributed a great deal to the company’s success.
John has helped create the hit franchise series Ratchet and Clank for the Playstation 2, which sold close to 9 million units worldwide.
His contributions included the core game idea, which was RPG meets Action Platformer, gameplay mechanics, gadget designs, and most importantly the concept of a cute and furry character with a robot sidekick.
After five years of hard work, John became a senior 2D/3D Concept Artist at the company. By then he had already worked on all the Ratchet and Clank titles, and later became a key member of the highly anticipated Playstation 3 game, Resistance: Fall of Man.
Today John works at Sony Computer Entertainment America, in Santa Monica, California. Besides work, John enjoys spending time with his lovely wife Mary, and his two dogs Littlepoop and Rudy. His other hobbies include Wing Chun Kung Fu and riding his new scooter.
Resumé
Work Experience
Sep 2010 – Present Balanced Worlds, Inc. Art Director
Unannounced Super Secret Project (PC)
- Direct art in creation and implementation of product
- Team management
- Interdepartmental communication
- Team training and mentoring (2D/3D)
- Art Design Documents
- Outsource Worksheets and Feedback
- Corporate Branding
Feb 2006 – Sep 2010 Sony Computer Entertainment America Senior 2D/3D Concept Artist
God of War III (PS3)
- Mood pieces for greenlight presentations
- Game combat mechanics
Fat Princess (PS3)
- High level art consultation
Warhawk Omega Dawn (PS3)
- Vehicle concept designs, vehicle weapons animatics and functionality prototyping
- Trophy weapon designs
Little Big Planet (PS3)
- Costume swatches for Evel Knievel-like character
flOwer (PS3)
- Art Direction from the publisher side
- Produced concept paintings, created color keys, storyboards, designed visual FX
- Game design support to improve player experience
flOw (PSP)
- Produced concept designs to enhance visuals and game design
- Prototyped animation style for various creatures
God of War III (PS3)
- Previsualization concepts
- Produced gameplay ideation and storyboards
Calling All Cars! (PS3)
- Established Art and Animation Style
- Character, environment, and vehicle concept designs
- HUD, GUI, and Shell Design
- Game design support
- 2D/3D prototyping and animatics
- Storyboards
Jan 2001 – Feb 2006
Insomniac Games
Senior 2D/3D Artist
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
- Produced various environment mood pieces
Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
- Senior Concept Artist
- Created various presentation paintings for SCEA, SCEJ, SCEE
- Produced view paintings for first player perspective
- Designed initial concepts for weapons
- Designed human and alien architecture, and props
- Jumpstarted FX Team
- Created core special FX with in-house particle FX tool
- Assisted in storyboards for cut-scenes
- Modeled/textured environments and vehicles
- Rigged and animated vehicles for cinematics
- Modeled, rigged, and animated, prototype vehicles for gameplay challenges
- Mentoring and training of Junior Concept Artists
Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked (PS2)
- Created concept paintings for various levels
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
- Painted all planets and space stations for level selection menu and cut scenes
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
- Created concept paintings for various levels
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
- Created concept art for the environments
- Assisted in designing gameplay ideas and melee combat mechanics
- Designed, modeled, and textured various levels
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
- Introduced RPG elements into the Ratchet and Clank franchise (weapons upgrades, and mods)
- Co-designed Ratchet and Clank
- Founder of the “look and feel” of the “Ratchet and Clank” universe
- Designed and created numerous gadgets, weapons, and vehicles
- UV mapped and textured all characters, gadgets, and weapons
- Designed HUD elements
- Created numerous effects for the environments, weapons, and gadgets
- Assisted in modeling, texturing, and provided matte paintings for the in-game cut scenes
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
- Created all spoof magazines covers in the “Bonus Material” section
Education
- D.E.C in Illustration & Design Program at Dawson College (Montreal)
Art Skills
- Character/Environment Design
- Digital Painting (concept art, matte paintings, texture creation)
- Storyboards
- Character UV Setup/Texturing
- Modeling/Rigging/Animation
- 3D Prototyping
Software Skills
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Adobe After Effects
- Maya
- 3D Studio Max
- Previsualization concepts
- Produced gameplay ideation and storyboards
- Established Art and Animation Style
- Character, environment, and vehicle concept designs
- HUD, GUI, and Shell Design
- Game design support
- 2D/3D prototyping and animatics
- Storyboards
- Produced various environment mood pieces
- Senior Concept Artist
- Created various presentation paintings for SCEA, SCEJ, SCEE
- Produced view paintings for first player perspective
- Designed initial concepts for weapons
- Designed human and alien architecture, and props
- Jumpstarted FX Team
- Created core special FX with in-house particle FX tool
- Assisted in storyboards for cut-scenes
- Modeled/textured environments and vehicles
- Rigged and animated vehicles for cinematics
- Modeled, rigged, and animated, prototype vehicles for gameplay challenges
- Mentoring and training of Junior Concept Artists
- Created concept paintings for various levels
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
- Painted all planets and space stations for level selection menu and cut scenes
- Created concept paintings for various levels
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
- Created concept art for the environments
- Assisted in designing gameplay ideas and melee combat mechanics
- Designed, modeled, and textured various levels
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
- Introduced RPG elements into the Ratchet and Clank franchise (weapons upgrades, and mods)
- Co-designed Ratchet and Clank
- Founder of the “look and feel” of the “Ratchet and Clank” universe
- Designed and created numerous gadgets, weapons, and vehicles
- UV mapped and textured all characters, gadgets, and weapons
- Designed HUD elements
- Created numerous effects for the environments, weapons, and gadgets
- Assisted in modeling, texturing, and provided matte paintings for the in-game cut scenes
- Designed assets for specific gameplay challenges
- Created all spoof magazines covers in the “Bonus Material” section
- Character/Environment Design
- Digital Painting (concept art, matte paintings, texture creation)
- Storyboards
- Character UV Setup/Texturing
- Modeling/Rigging/Animation
- 3D Prototyping
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Adobe After Effects
- Maya
- 3D Studio Max