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View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by day, pass type, topic, and format. With this Session Viewer, you can view GDC 2023 session details and speakers, and share your favorites via social media. You will be able to build your schedule and access it during the show via export or Mobile App, once live. Sessions do fill up and seating is first come, first serve, so arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend.

Level Design Summit: Designing Cauldrons for 'Horizon Forbidden West'

Dennis Micka  (Senior Game Designer, Guerrilla Games)

Location: Room 303, South Hall

Date: Tuesday, March 21

Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass

Topic: Design

Format: Lecture

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: All

Dennis Micka, Senior World Designer at Guerrilla, will discuss the creation and iteration process of Horizon Forbidden West's Cauldrons, from concept to finish. The talk will zoom in on the fan-favorite Cauldron IOTA, which features a huge Tallneck.

Providing examples detailing the change in the level design during each stage of development, Dennis demonstrates how Cauldron IOTA grabs what made the Cauldrons in Horizon Zero Dawn so engaging and tries to build upon that, lifting IOTA and the other Cauldrons into the next phase of Horizon's sci-fi dungeon experience.

Takeaway

Attendees will learn some of the bigger differences between the World Activity Designer and the Quest Designer—two disciplines at Guerrilla that contributed to the creation of the Cauldrons—while talking attendees through the game's five-year development.

Intended Audience

This is for anyone interested in Guerrilla's design process for Horizon Forbidden West's "World Activities."