Türkiye-based developer Motion Blur uses UE5 to bring photorealistic visuals to Black State
Back in July, the game’s debut trailer showcased its gorgeous graphics and visceral gameplay while setting the stage for a more extensive exhibition of the game’s core mechanics via an RTX Showcase trailer that was released in August during gamescom 2024.
To learn more about the potential-packed project, we recently caught up with Motion Blur CEO Kadir Demirden to discover how the open-source nature of Unreal Engine and key UE5 features are helping their small team achieve their goals for Black State.
Kadir Demirden, CEO, Motion Blur: Black State was an idea that had been simmering in my mind for nearly a decade. I spent years refining the elements of this project, ensuring every detail was meticulously crafted. After an extensive R&D process, I finally decided to transition into the development stage just over two and a half years ago.
Could you please summarize the story and gameplay for us?
Demirden: A secret group of scientists called the Architects summons you for a mysterious mission. Save the captives and uncover the truth behind a cataclysmic event. But none of you know what's behind the doors. Are you ready to open them? Black State opens a new door in the single-player, story-driven, action-adventure TPS genre, offering a photorealistic action experience with countless elements of surprise that gamers have been demanding for so long.
Demirden: Following the showcase, IGN highlighted Black State as featuring "Inception-inspired bullet-time action." This reflects our creative influences, which include not only Inception and The Matrix but also the rich tradition of single-player, story-driven games. Our aim is to provide gamers with an experience that combines a captivating and layered story with thrilling, action-packed gameplay, delivering an adventure that feels both innovative and deeply familiar.
Did you explore other engines before landing on UE5 for this project?
Demirden: Our core team has worked with a wide range of engines, from CryEngine to Unity, but we knew early on that Unreal Engine was the perfect choice for Black State.
Why is Unreal Engine 5 the right fit for Motion Blur and Black State?
Demirden: We began developing Black State using Unreal Engine 4, but with the launch of UE5, it became essential for us to upgrade. UE5 offers a wealth of opportunities that would have required extensive R&D before, and its open-source nature allows us to dive deep into the engine, enabling us to customize it to meet the specific needs of our project.
Can you please tell us about your use of Megascans, MetaHumans, and MetaHuman Animator on Black State?
Demirden: We're leveraging Megascan models and materials with extensive customization for rendering and optimization. This support is invaluable for indie developers like us, especially with the ability to tailor these assets to our needs. Additionally, the MetaHuman Creator and MetaHuman Animator tools have profoundly enhanced our pipeline. The high-end quality they offer, along with the speed they bring to the process, is incredible. It's astonishing that UE5 provides these powerful tools to all developers!
What other UE5 features stood out to you during development?
Demirden: We're using Niagara, Lumen, and nearly every tool UE5 offers in our project. Each of these tools plays a crucial role in bringing Black State to life, allowing us to achieve the level of quality and innovation we're aiming for.
The footage we’ve seen thus far is visually stunning. Could you please talk about any UE features you leaned on to achieve this level of photorealism?
Demirden: The most crucial feature for achieving this level of photorealism is the open-source nature of Unreal Engine, which allows us to customize many aspects of the engine. The flexibility of the shader editor is also invaluable, giving us the freedom to tailor shaders as needed. Additionally, the LOD systems, particularly the automatic LOD generator, along with advanced post-processing and volumetric effects, are key components that help us reach this high standard of photorealism.
Could you talk about the game’s portal mechanic and your experience implementing it?
Demirden: The portal is one of the most amazing elements of surprise in Black State, intricately tied to both the story and game design. What makes it unique is that it works both ways—players can enter and return through every portal in the game. To implement this kind of system, we had to dive deep into UE5’s code, making extensive modifications, particularly in rendering. Thanks to the open-source nature of UE5, we were able to build this system seamlessly, though we're still refining it to perfection. Allowing players to instantly open another level and enter it presents significant technical challenges that we're diligently working to solve. Thanks to UE5, we found a way to make it happen.
Could you talk about some of the work you’ve done to ensure the game will be performant across different hardware?
Demirden: To ensure that all gamers, regardless of their hardware, can experience Black State in its full glory, we focused not only on achieving photorealism but also on optimizing the game for a wide range of systems. We understand that some players who have seen the footage might think it looks too good to be true, but we’ve only shown what they will actually play. Quality and performance have been our top priorities, alongside gameplay.
How big is the team at Motion Blur and what do you consider the core goals of the studio to be?
Demirden: At Motion Blur, our team of around 40 developers is united by a common passion: as gamers ourselves, we’re committed to delivering the best possible experience to every player. We focus on every detail—whether it's graphic quality, performance, story, game design, music, sound, or animations. Our ultimate goal is to craft an incredible experience that we, as gamers, would be thrilled to play.
Impressively, Black State has been created by a relatively small team. In your opinion, are there any features in Unreal Engine or offerings in the broader Epic ecosystem that help smaller teams punch above their weight?
Demirden: Absolutely, UE5 is a game changer for indie teams, offering cutting-edge tools with open-source access that lets us customize exactly what we need. This flexibility gives indie developers the ability to throw that punch and make a real impact.
What were your biggest challenges in pulling off this project, and how did you tackle them?
Demirden: One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced in Turkey is the lack of projects like Black State, which made it difficult to find people who fully believed in our vision. Once we did, we had to teach them the unique experiences and specialized pipeline our core team had developed. At the start, we had no senior developers outside of our core team with Unreal Engine experience, so the first year of the project felt more like a school. However, we believe this is the true value of our company—to cultivate talent within the community so we can grow together.
Thank you for your time. Where can people go to learn more about Black State?
Demirden: You can stay updated by following us on our social media channels (@motion_blur_std) or visiting our website at blackstategame.com.
