THE MAKING OF XIII

The first thing that strikes you about XIII is its style. Even today, 16 years after its original release, the game looks great; at the time, its cel-shaded comic book style was stunning, garnering it plenty of attention. That comic-like aesthetic is now an established style that many popular videogames have employed, but XIII came not only at time when the aesthetic was far less established but, as we’ll come to explain, implemented it with a flair and consistency that meant it showcased a commitment to comic book visuals beyond just picking something that looked cool.

XIII was based on the first five volumes of a popular Belgian graphic novel of the same name. The comic was created by Jean Van Hamme and tells the story of an amnesiac whose only clue to his past is the Roman numeral XIII, tattooed on his collarbone. He finds himself accused of the murder of the US President and must fight to clear his name and uncover his own past. Ubisoft bought the rights to the comic and tasked a team that included the game’s director and writer, Elisabeth Pellen, and art director Nathalie Moschetti-Nogard, to create a first-person shooter videogame version of Van Hamme’s tale. “My official role was script writer but I was also in charge of the scripted events, and I created a few levels as well,” says Elisabeth. “In 2003 the dev teams were