Demand, Target Audience & Trends in Creating 3D Content for Non-Gaming Brands

Introduction

In high school, I started making movies, working in 3ds Max and Maya, creating small logos and animations. I was always interested in the realm of animation and 3D modeling, so a lot of my jobs were focused on supporting people who were working on this. 

I worked for Duke University and helped with their 3D Game Design Department. Then I worked for Epic Games for almost 6 years, where I was involved with the Special Projects department, helping launch various cutting edge Unreal Engine projects. After the Epic Games layoffs, I decided to start working on UEFN content because it's an interesting platform designed not only for gaming. You can use it for anything, and anybody can upload almost anything to it and create an experience. It doesn't have to be a game; it could be something educational or a demo. Let's say a realtor wants to show off a house. They could put the house inside, and somebody could walk through it. I think the potential is there. People just have not realized it yet.

Creating 3D Content for Non-Gaming Brands

I think the closest thing would be working for Duke University and creating content that was not necessarily gaming. One of the biggest projects that I worked on was recreating a historically accurate map of Auschwitz in a 3D environment so people could actually see how the camp looked on the ground level, especially in VR. We used ArcGIS data, scans, and content from various historical organizations.

Why Brands Like Nike, Adidas, and Ferrari Create Content in Fortnite

I think their purpose is to build brand engagement and experiences that can showcase either products or more detailed things in their upcoming line.

I think what's attractive for big brands is that you can build experiences to connect with consumers on a totally different level. We know that these, for example, shoes or arts, exist within a 2D or 3D space, and you can take these same models and throw them in one of the applications, such as UEFN or Roblox, and then show them on almost every platform. You don't need to go through certifications and a lot of hurdles.

Is There a Disconnection in The Target Audience of Luxury Brands & Gaming?

I don't think it's necessarily a misconnection. I think it's building brand appeal. Not everybody can afford a Ferrari: you can't buy it in real life, but you can buy a Ferrari Lego set. Ferrari is still getting some of that money. Building that connection with an audience still keeps your brand going and keeps your interest in that brand alive. I can't drive a real Ferrari, but I could drive it within Fortnite. I could drive it within Roblox. It's not the same thing, but you could say: "Hey, look at this car I'm driving. It's so cool". I think giving people access or visibility into this is what the brands are really looking for.

Challenges of Working with Non-Gaming Clients

I think there are a few challenges. There's the expectation versus reality challenge. A client may say they want a lot of things for the projects to represent, but you have to work within the software limitations.

You have to set expectations. I know that within UEFN, you can't use video files at all. So, we should let the client know that videos can't be technically implemented. But we can do something similar to this. It takes a lot of collaboration.

Recently, I was working on a project with some artists. The artists would give us files, and I discovered collision issues, which were causing glitches, and then you had to go back and ask the artist to fix this. I think that's the big thing, it's important to collaborate constantly and set the expectations with these brands or people working on these projects.

Demand for 3D Content, Virtual Experiences, and UEFN from Non-Gaming Companies

I think it has to be presented in the right and easy way. The platform should be easily consumable. It shouldn't require somebody to download 80 gigabytes of software to access some content. The level of access has to be the first important thing these people consider.

For many people, downloading an app to their phone is already a disconnect. How do you get past that disconnect? How do you get past the download thing? I don't think the major platform holders have fully figured it out yet. Once they figure that out and once it's easily accessible to a point where you could quickly go in and find something, then people will want to use it or look for it.

I think one of the features of Fortnite is using Island codes. I know it's a good idea now, but it also has to be something like: I saw somebody shared a link, so let me click it. It opens Fortnite, and it goes into this Island map quickly and easily without big issues. Roblox has that similar thing where you click on a link, and it opens, but at the same time, on Roblox, I've seen people get scammed by opening shady links, so you have to balance.

Setting a Reasonable Price

I think the price depends on the content and how much prep work went into it. If you directly reuse assets, it could be cheaper to do it, but I think the lower end for an average Island would be in the 20-30K USD range. It could be even lower, but it depends on how many assets clients need, how optimized these assets are, and how much gaming logic they want to put into it.

I think you could make an island for 10K USD easily, but I think 20-50K USD is probably the sweet spot, depending on the amount of work required for the island.

I think that a price over 50K USD is expensive, and a quality for a price lower than 20K USD could be not satisfying or at least is going to be different. It'd be like the difference between putting just a Ferrari you can walk around and a Ferrari you can drive. I think it's very little fun gameplay.

Trends in 3D Content Creation

One of the big trends I’m noticing is that more people are recognizing how profitable this can be. Many larger companies are starting to hire small teams to create content, which allows for fresh and innovative ideas, further expanding brand exposure. It kind of reminds me of the Netflix model, where Netflix invests in creators to develop shows that not only entertain their viewerbase but also generates interest in various topics, genres and projects that may attract new viewers. This approach can really help both the creators and the companies involved.

Another trend, in my opinion, is the diversification of creating gameplay where anybody can create a game without needing to wait for Nintendo or Sony to certify it. We're still very much in the early years of this, but I feel like in the next year or so, there will be more people creating full-on games and publishing through all these user-generated content services. In the next couple of years, we're going to see a push for custom content once the big players get on board.

The next big trend is big companies creating big experiences for these user-generated platforms. I've already seen concerts within Roblox and UEFN. With Disney's investment in Epic Games, I think they're going to announce virtual Disney Parks so people can explore it digitally before they go there.

I hope that it will also spur on the education market as a way of sharing information that might not be available to people. Put a museum within Roblox or Fortnite and have players walk around the Louvre. You can't travel? Go check it out in this 3D world that you could download on your phone. It's not the same thing but you get a similar experience, you get to see the artwork and statues.

Michal Kozluk, Founder & Lead Developer at KoZLabs