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=== Early work at Supergiant Games ===
=== Early work at Supergiant Games ===
Zee was inspired to become an artist by [[Tetsuya Nomura]]'s character art for ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' at an early age.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=Kimberley |date=2023-04-16 |title=The Story Behind Supergiant Games’ Bastion |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/04/16/the-story-behind-supergiant-games-bastion |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Game Informer |language=en}}</ref> Before moving to work at [[Supergiant Games]], Zee worked for [[Gaia Online]] in her first job and made isometric environmental designs.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo7TcJ2E0-I |title=The Making of Bastion – Documentary |date=2023-12-19 |type=Documentary |publisher=Noclip |time=11:13 |access-date=2023-03-16 |via=YouTube |people=Jayne, Jeremy}}</ref> She joined Supergiant in March 2010 as the company's third employee, initially as a temporary contractor, to work on Supergiant's first game, ''[[Bastion (video game)|Bastion]]''.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sarkar |first=Samit |date=2012-04-13 |title=A 4-week-old Bastion looked ugly but played beautifully |url=https://www.destructoid.com/a-4-week-old-bastion-looked-ugly-but-played-beautifully/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Destructoid |language=en-US}}</ref> After seeing Zee's work where she drew "The Bastion" for the game, the two co-founders at Supergiant immediately asked her to join the project full time.<ref name=":0" /> Zee later called it "serendipitous" as she was considering a career change anyways, and took the position as Supergiant's art director.<ref name=":0" /> Her artwork for ''Bastion'' often went straight into the game, and she later described the work as "super empowering" because of the ownership she was given.<ref name=":0" /> Reviews for ''Bastion'' repeatedly praised the game's striking visuals.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Dyce |first=Andrew |date=2011-07-20 |title='Bastion' Review |url=https://gamerant.com/bastion-reviews/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Greg |date=2011-08-22 |title=Bastion Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/08/22/bastion-review |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McGee |first=Maxwell |date=2011-07-19 |title=Bastion Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bastion-review/1900-6323664/#:~:text=It%27s%20a%20beautifully%20detailed%20action,for%20what%27s%20coming%20up%20next. |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[GameRant]]''<nowiki/>'s Andrew Dyce said, "The hand-painted artwork of Jen Zee certainly doesn't disappoint, breathing into the game a style that may immediately conjure up images of a childhood fairy tale."<ref name=":1" />
Zee was inspired to become an artist by [[Tetsuya Nomura]]'s character art for ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' at an early age.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=Kimberley |date=2023-04-16 |title=The Story Behind Supergiant Games’ Bastion |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/04/16/the-story-behind-supergiant-games-bastion |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Game Informer |language=en}}</ref> Before moving to work at [[Supergiant Games]], Zee worked for [[Gaia Online]] in her first job and made isometric environmental designs.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo7TcJ2E0-I |title=The Making of Bastion – Documentary |date=2023-12-19 |type=Documentary |publisher=Noclip |time=11:13 |access-date=2023-03-16 |via=YouTube |people=Jayne, Jeremy}}</ref> She joined Supergiant in March 2010 as the company's third employee, initially as a temporary contractor, to work on Supergiant's first game, ''[[Bastion (video game)|Bastion]]''.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sarkar |first=Samit |date=2012-04-13 |title=A 4-week-old Bastion looked ugly but played beautifully |url=https://www.destructoid.com/a-4-week-old-bastion-looked-ugly-but-played-beautifully/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Destructoid |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dreskin |first=Joel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5ZACwAAQBAJ&pg=PT51&dq=jen+zee&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL18rukub9AhVqD1kFHe1QDfkQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=jen%20zee&f=false |title=A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing |date=2015-12-22 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-317-62550-6 |language=en}}</ref> After seeing Zee's work where she drew "The Bastion" for the game, the two co-founders at Supergiant immediately asked her to join the project full time.<ref name=":0" /> Zee later called it "serendipitous" as she was considering a career change anyways, and took the position as Supergiant's art director.<ref name=":0" /> Her artwork for ''Bastion'' often went straight into the game, and she later described the work as "super empowering" because of the ownership she was given.<ref name=":0" /> Reviews for ''Bastion'' repeatedly praised the game's striking visuals.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Dyce |first=Andrew |date=2011-07-20 |title='Bastion' Review |url=https://gamerant.com/bastion-reviews/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Greg |date=2011-08-22 |title=Bastion Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/08/22/bastion-review |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McGee |first=Maxwell |date=2011-07-19 |title=Bastion Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bastion-review/1900-6323664/#:~:text=It%27s%20a%20beautifully%20detailed%20action,for%20what%27s%20coming%20up%20next. |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[GameRant]]''<nowiki/>'s Andrew Dyce said, "The hand-painted artwork of Jen Zee certainly doesn't disappoint, breathing into the game a style that may immediately conjure up images of a childhood fairy tale."<ref name=":1" />


Zee described her work on Supergiant's next game, ''[[Transistor (video game)|Transistor]]'', as a love-letter to [[John William Waterhouse|William Waterhouse]] and [[Gustav Klimt]] along with other classical work, while intentionally eschewing [[Cyberpunk]] aesthetics despite the game's storyline and content.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Hansen |first=Steven |date=2014-05-22 |title=Transistor's sword was a briefcase at one point |url=https://www.destructoid.com/transistors-sword-was-a-briefcase-at-one-point/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Destructoid |language=en-US}}</ref> Her work on designing the main character Red took time and coordination with the story team, which landed on having Red's companion be a sentient sword.<ref name=":2" /> Again, critical reception praised the game's visuals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sliva |first=Marty |date=2014-05-20 |title=Transistor Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/20/transistor-review |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Donlan |first=Christian |date=2014-05-20 |title=Transistor review |language=en-gb |work=Eurogamer.net |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/transistor-review |access-date=2023-03-16}}</ref> ''The Mary Sue''<nowiki/>'s Becky Chambers singled out Zee and the game's composer [[Darren Korb]], saying, "Art director Jen Zee and composer Darren Korb deserve heaps of praise for the world they conjured here."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Becky |date=2014-05-23 |title=Video Game Review: Transistor Supergiant Games |url=https://www.themarysue.com/transistor-review/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=The Mary Sue |language=en}}</ref>
Zee described her work on Supergiant's next game, ''[[Transistor (video game)|Transistor]]'', as a love-letter to [[John William Waterhouse|William Waterhouse]] and [[Gustav Klimt]] along with other classical work, while intentionally eschewing [[Cyberpunk]] aesthetics despite the game's storyline and content.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Hansen |first=Steven |date=2014-05-22 |title=Transistor's sword was a briefcase at one point |url=https://www.destructoid.com/transistors-sword-was-a-briefcase-at-one-point/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Destructoid |language=en-US}}</ref> Her work on designing the main character Red took time and coordination with the story team, which landed on having Red's companion be a sentient sword.<ref name=":2" /> Again, critical reception praised the game's visuals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sliva |first=Marty |date=2014-05-20 |title=Transistor Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/20/transistor-review |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Donlan |first=Christian |date=2014-05-20 |title=Transistor review |language=en-gb |work=Eurogamer.net |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/transistor-review |access-date=2023-03-16}}</ref> ''The Mary Sue''<nowiki/>'s Becky Chambers singled out Zee and the game's composer [[Darren Korb]], saying, "Art director Jen Zee and composer Darren Korb deserve heaps of praise for the world they conjured here."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Becky |date=2014-05-23 |title=Video Game Review: Transistor Supergiant Games |url=https://www.themarysue.com/transistor-review/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=The Mary Sue |language=en}}</ref>

Revision as of 18:54, 18 March 2023

Jen Zee
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArtist
Known forArt director for Supergiant Games

Jen Zee is an American artist and the art director for Supergiant Games. She joined Supergiant Games in March 2010 as a contractor on Bastion and was quickly brought on as the full time art director for the company. Her art has received positive accolades from critics, and for her work on Hades, she received numerous awards, including the 2020 BAFTA Games Award for Artistic Achievement.

Career

Early work at Supergiant Games

Zee was inspired to become an artist by Tetsuya Nomura's character art for Final Fantasy VII at an early age.[1] Before moving to work at Supergiant Games, Zee worked for Gaia Online in her first job and made isometric environmental designs.[1][2] She joined Supergiant in March 2010 as the company's third employee, initially as a temporary contractor, to work on Supergiant's first game, Bastion.[1][3][4] After seeing Zee's work where she drew "The Bastion" for the game, the two co-founders at Supergiant immediately asked her to join the project full time.[1] Zee later called it "serendipitous" as she was considering a career change anyways, and took the position as Supergiant's art director.[1] Her artwork for Bastion often went straight into the game, and she later described the work as "super empowering" because of the ownership she was given.[1] Reviews for Bastion repeatedly praised the game's striking visuals.[5][6][7] GameRant's Andrew Dyce said, "The hand-painted artwork of Jen Zee certainly doesn't disappoint, breathing into the game a style that may immediately conjure up images of a childhood fairy tale."[5]

Zee described her work on Supergiant's next game, Transistor, as a love-letter to William Waterhouse and Gustav Klimt along with other classical work, while intentionally eschewing Cyberpunk aesthetics despite the game's storyline and content.[8] Her work on designing the main character Red took time and coordination with the story team, which landed on having Red's companion be a sentient sword.[8] Again, critical reception praised the game's visuals.[9][10] The Mary Sue's Becky Chambers singled out Zee and the game's composer Darren Korb, saying, "Art director Jen Zee and composer Darren Korb deserve heaps of praise for the world they conjured here."[11]

For SuperGiant's third game, Pyre, Zee noted that was inspired by pen-and-ink artists at the time of the game, but wasn't able to incorporate them into the design.[12] Zee noted that they were "sick of doing worlds where there was only one person" in the inspiration for her work on the game.[13] Reviews again reacted positively to Pyre's art, and in an article for Gamasutra, Cherish Socro called Zee "one of the major stars of the company" when describing Pyre.[14][15][16]

Hades

In her artwork for Hades, Zee said she was inspired by the work of Mike Mignola and Fred Taylor, a 19th century poster artist.[12] With a larger team than she previously had on earlier games, Zee oversaw the artistic concept for the game, along with its character and environmental designs, while members of her team handled other pieces.[12] They originally made the game with a painterly aesthetic, but changed to a pen-and-ink look after the narrative changed in post-production.[12] The Guardian's Keza MacDonald noted that "social media has gone mad" for Zee's character portraits which he described as "beautiful."[17] Game Designer Greg Kasavin said that the reason the characters in the game were so attractive in the game was "Because Jen Zee" and credited Zee's respect for the classical tradition as being key to honoring the source material and the expression of Zee as an artist.[18]

On top of the awards that the game itself has garnered, Zee has been nominated for and received numerous accolades for her own work on the game. Zee received the 2020 BAFTA Games Award for Artistic Achievement for the work of her and her art team.[19][20] At the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, Zee was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" and received awards in four other categories where she was specifically credited as part of the larger development team, including for Best Game.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wallace, Kimberley (April 16, 2023). "The Story Behind Supergiant Games' Bastion". Game Informer. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Jayne, Jeremy (December 19, 2023). The Making of Bastion – Documentary (Documentary). Noclip. Event occurs at 11:13. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Sarkar, Samit (April 13, 2012). "A 4-week-old Bastion looked ugly but played beautifully". Destructoid. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Dreskin, Joel (December 22, 2015). A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-317-62550-6.
  5. ^ a b Dyce, Andrew (July 20, 2011). "'Bastion' Review". Game Rant. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Miller, Greg (August 22, 2011). "Bastion Review". IGN. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  7. ^ McGee, Maxwell (July 19, 2011). "Bastion Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Hansen, Steven (May 22, 2014). "Transistor's sword was a briefcase at one point". Destructoid. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  9. ^ Sliva, Marty (May 20, 2014). "Transistor Review". IGN. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  10. ^ Donlan, Christian (May 20, 2014). "Transistor review". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Chambers, Becky (May 23, 2014). "Video Game Review: Transistor Supergiant Games". The Mary Sue. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d MCV Editors (June 9, 2021). "Behind the art of Hades: "We value artistic integrity and excellence in artistic craft at Supergiant, however we're first and foremost a game design-led team."". MCV. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  13. ^ Wallace, Kimberley (April 30, 2021). "The Story Behind Supergiant Games' Pyre". Game Informer. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Socro, Cherish (December 21, 2017). "A Detailed Look into Pyre". Game Developer. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Hafer, Leana (July 25, 2017). "Pyre Review". IGN. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Khaw, Cassandra (July 24, 2017). "Pyre review". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  17. ^ MacDonald, Keza (October 1, 2020). "Hades review: a sexy, scintillating sojourn in the Greek underworld". The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  18. ^ Parrish, Ash (October 1, 2020). "Why Everyone's Horny For Hades". Kotaku. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "Hades - Artistic Achievement". BAFTA. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  20. ^ Rosario, Alexandra Del (March 25, 2021). "BAFTA Games Awards: Supergiant Games' 'Hades' Takes Home Top Prize – Complete Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Rousseau, Jeffrey (April 22, 2021). "Hades wins Game of the Year at DICE Awards 2021". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
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