Trials Rising

Trials Rising is the latest mainline entry in Ubisoft RedLynx’s long-running physics-based motorcycle franchise, a series built on precision platforming, demanding skill ceilings, and the spectacular wipeouts that come with both.

I led brand art direction across launch and post-launch as Brand Art Director, covering key art, trailers, live action, store assets, event materials, in-game visuals, and UI support, working across both external agencies and our in-house brand art team.

The brand voice was the call to get right. Trials is two things at once. It’s a precision motorcycle game with a hardcore skill ceiling, where players grind for tenths of a second on world leaderboards. It’s also a game where every failed run ends with the rider catapulting into a wall, off a cliff, or through an exploding billboard. The marketing had to honor both, because the players are there for both. Lean too far into the precision and you lose the personality. Lean too far into the slapstick and you lose the seriousness the leaderboard crowd takes the game with.

The principle I set for the brand voice was premium and cool, with the slapstick always in the room. The hero moments could be cinematic — globe-trotting backdrops, real-world landmarks, motorsport-grade action — but the work always had room for the gag, the wipeout, the absurd costume, the moment where the rider goes through the airplane instead of around it. That balance shaped key art, trailer direction, the live action work, the editor and UGC angles, and the event materials.

The other thing the brand had to carry was the editor and community side of Trials. The franchise has one of the most active track-creator communities in any racing game, and the marketing had to make space for that — UGC trailers, editor stream visuals, and assets that treated the community as part of the brand rather than a footnote.

The case study covers launch and the first wave of post-launch beats. The Seasons follow-up — six live service content drops, each with its own theme — is documented separately.

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