Visceral Games

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Visceral Games was a subsidiary development studio of Electronic Arts, which was focused on more mature games. Originally "Electronic Arts Redwood Shores Studio", located at EA's corporate headquarters, the studio was reformed on May 4, 2009, with several other studios under the Visceral name opening in Los Angeles, Montreal, Melbourne and Shanghai. Visceral Games was shuttered by EA on October 17, 2017. While mostly serving as a support team for other projects, the studio was best known for the Dead Space series. The final game by Visceral Games was Battlefield: Hardline, released on March 17, 2015.

1st Logo (September 24, 2009-February 5, 2013)

Visuals: There are several shots of a human skull, viewed through an X-ray, rapidly flash on and off; several film scratches and splotches of white ink are also seen throughout. The name "VISCERAL" can be seen for a brief moment, before we focus on the forehead of the skull, which has a letter "V" imprinted onto it. The skull stops at the top of the screen, with the text "VISCERAL GAMES" stacked below. The drop-shadow behind the "VISCERAL" text and the skull flicker around.

Variants:

  • Starting with Dante's Inferno, the logo is seen without the skull, and a trademark "TM" symbol is seen beside the "GAMES" text.
  • Dante's Inferno (2010): The logo is stitched onto Dante's red wrappings, which fly by the screen.
  • Dead Space 2 (2011): On a scrolling starfield background, the logo flashes onto the screen with glow emitting from it, with several glitch artifacts appearing behind it. The logo slowly moves toward the camera before flashing out.
  • Dead Space 3 (2013): The logo wipes in on a futuristic, rusted monitor (where the game's opening screen and main menu are also seen), with the skull flashing in and out behind it as the logo backs away.

Technique: CGI.

Trivia: Despite not appearing on the game itself, the skull makes a cameo in Dead Space 2 on the wall of a hospital room during Chapter 1.

Audio: Electricity noises, as well as strange, beastly grunts and screams while the skull and text flash around, with a menacing voice saying the name "Visceral" when the logo is formed.

Audio Variants:

  • Dante's Inferno: Dramatic orchestral music.
  • Dead Space 2: An unintelligable audio transmission cutting in and out.
  • Dead Space 3: The opening theme of the game, with cracking noises as the logo appears.

Availability: Seen on the studio's games from the period, starting with Dead Space: Extraction.


2nd Logo (March 17, 2015)

Visuals: On a black background with floating blue sparks, there is a white design consisting of an abstract skull in a hexagonal, banner-like shape. The name "VISCERAL" in what appears to be a modified Impact font appears to the right, with a trademark "TM" symbol to the top right.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A distorted gunshot sound.

Availability: Seen only on their last game, Battlefield: Hardline.