Trending at #1: Clash Royale's Card Evolution Update

What we set out to do

The main objective of the project was to generate excitement within the Clash Royale community about the Card Evolution update. The goal was to raise awareness and provide clarity on how the update would work.

Our role

As Supercell’s creative partner, we took on a comprehensive role in bringing the Card Evolution update to life. Our offering included strategy, creative ideation, and production — all geared up to craft an engaging 3D animated film that effectively showcased the new update's features. We also composed an original track, which made the video that much more engaging; it was also a hell of a lot of fun.

Our production process

1. Conceptualisation:

Waste began the process by creating 2D animated storyboards to lay out the concept and guide the subsequent 3D animation.

2. 3D Animation:

The agency produced a 3D animated film with a total duration of just under 2 minutes, half of which were dedicated to 3D animation. This portion involved the depiction of evolved forms of hero characters such as Barb, Royal Giant, Firecracker, and Larry.

3. Character Revamping:

To create the evolved forms of the hero characters, Waste's skilled team partially re-modeled, re-textured, and re-rigged the existing characters, ensuring a seamless transition to their new versions.

4. Visual Effects (VFX):

Waste employed its VFX expertise to create stunning visual effects. For instance, we used particle simulation to make the Dark Elixir drip, ooze, and smear on Barb's cheeks. Additionally, we produced 2D Frame By Frame and 3D VFX for the transformation process, incorporating elements like lightning, explosions, smoke, and shockwaves.

5. Stadium Environment:

We also designed the look and feel of the stadium environment, including bespoke lighting setups to enhance the overall visual experience.

6. Motion Capture and Crowd Animation:

To add realism to the animation, Waste motion-captured cheering animations of the crowd, carefully cleaned up the data, and then strategically scattered the animation throughout the stadium scenes.

7. Music Production:

Yes, we went there. Our multi-talented team wrote the lyrics for the customised music, working with our friends at Lyris to create the theme tune that complemented the animated film perfectly. We even managed the music production to ensure synchronisation with the visual elements.

8. Editing and End Cards:

Waste handled the overall editing of the film, expertly timing it to the bespoke music track. Additionally, we produced end cards to enhance viewer engagement.

"Waste turned round a complex, high-craft 3D production to a tight time-scale, creating a high-impact animation from the very first second. Not only that, but they also managed to make Evolved Barbarian say his very first word. A huge thanks to the team at Waste for pulling out all the stops for a truly epic film!" — Erol Tekkanat, Brand & Content Marketing at Supercell

Results and Success

The collaboration between Supercell and Waste yielded exceptional results. The creative perspective, quality of 3D animation, and ingenuity displayed in the bespoke soundtrack received high praise from the clients.

The Community’s Response

Upon release, the animated film immediately resonated with the Clash Royale community. The video trended as the #1 topic in several countries, and its popularity on YouTube soared with over 16 million views and counting.