Project Details
- Project & Client Name: Dungeon Crawler Carl TTRPG + Unstoppable by Renegade Game Studios
- Industry: RPG/Tabletop Games
- Project Type: Promo teaser video for crowdfunding campaign
- Timeline: 5 months
- Deliverables: Art specs and direction, Custom Animated Teaser Video, Marketing Package with Short Edits delivered in: 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 aspect ratios. Closed captioning for accessibility.
The Objective
Renegade Game Studios hired We Make Treasure (formerly We Make Teasers) to create a promo video for their newest RPG release, Dungeon Crawler Carl + Unstoppable on BackerKit. Both games are fully licensed adaptations of Matt Dinniman's best-selling novel series, Dungeon Crawler Carl, so the goal for the teaser and the campaign was to tap into a well-recognized story to drive backer engagement and conversions.
The Challenge
This project required more than a visually engaging teaser; it needed to translate a rich, story-driven world into a compelling narrative that could convert viewers into invested backers. Our team aimed to strike a balance between honoring the established visual identity and elevating it through animation and motion.
Our Strategy
We approached this project with a clear focus: use storytelling as the primary driver to convert viewers into invested backers. Rather than relying solely on visuals, we built the teaser around a strong narrative arc, using the voiceover performance from the official audiobook narrator, Jeff Hays, as the central anchor. His tone, pacing and energy informed every creative decision from edit timing to scene progression, ensuring the story carried momentum and emotional impact from start to finish.
We also prioritized authenticity to the DCC world by closely collaborating with the client’s artists. Our team provided detailed instructions on how we needed the art formatted and layered so we could translate the 2D illustrations into animation in 3D space. This allowed us to align the visual direction with the established aesthetic while enhancing it through motion, atmosphere and cinematic pacing. Every choice was made to resonate with tabletop audiences, balancing familiarity with a polished, high-impact presentation.
The Execution
Execution required both creative precision and technical depth. We developed custom character rigs to bring the source material’s personality to life, animating them in a way that felt dynamic while staying true to their original design. Environments and assets were carefully integrated using client-provided artwork, ensuring a cohesive and immersive world without compromising authenticity.
In addition to the GM screen, game box and game components, a standout element was the digitally painted miniatures, an essential visual to grab the attention of tabletop enthusiasts. These were crafted to feel tangible and true to life, serving as a key bridge between the physical gameplay experience and the digital teaser. Throughout the edit, pacing was tightly synced to the voiceover, resulting in a final piece that felt intentional, engaging and built to drive action.
The Final Product
Beyond managing art specs, we digitally painted and textured the custom miniatures for use in 3D animation. The final product package covered the entire campaign’s video needs: in addition to the main 3:17 animated teaser video, we produced three different shortened edits, each in 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 aspect ratios to be used for ads, social media and other purposes beyond the BackerKit crowdfunding page. All this was delivered on time to help make the first 24–48 hours of the crowdfunding campaign a success!
Results & Impact
The campaign significantly outperformed expectations, raising $13,298,059 against an initial goal of $250,000. It attracted a highly engaged audience of 55,972 backers, or “crawlers,” demonstrating strong traction, sustained interest and exceptional conversion power.
After the project, Renegade Game Studios’ Senior Marketing Manager, Jordan Gaeta, wrote, “We’ve loved working with the We Make Treasure team over the past few years. They’ve become my go-to for crowdfunding trailers and animation because they just get how to take artwork from a game and turn it into something that feels dynamic, elevated, and true to the brand. They’re also genuinely great to work with. Always collaborative, responsive, and willing to dig in with us creatively, which is a big part of why we keep coming back.”
Key Takeaways
As an experienced team of videographers and designers, we love learning something new from every project we complete. This one was especially valuable, not just because we’re all not-so-secretly gamers who love a good RPG narrative, but because it allowed us to flex our creative muscles by:
- Working with artists to produce artwork that was highly optimized and layered for animating characters and producing a 3D environment from 2D art.
- Animating expressive custom-illustrated characters in 2D.
- Painting and animating complex models like the miniatures.
- Creating a series of social media videos to be used for sharing and in conversion funnels.
