Behind the Scenes with Eleni

As part of NetEnt's 30 Year anniversary we're jumping behind the scenes with some of the people who have made NetEnt what it is today. From sound design to artists, to the people spearheading the products, from the golden ages to the ones bringing on the next chapter.

Today we're having a chat with Eleni, Lead Animator, who has been with NetEnt for 10 years in both the Stockholm and Gothenburg, and is behind the animation of some amazing characters.

Who is someone from your early days at NetEnt who genuinely changed the trajectory of your career or helped shape who you are today?

If I had to choose one person, it would definitely be Matt Butler!

When I asked to make the switch from being a programmer to becoming an artist, he gave me the opportunity to join his art team and really took me under his wing. He taught me so much and, even though he has always been very demanding when it comes to the quality of the artwork (as he should be!), he was also incredibly patient with me and invested a lot of time in helping me learn.

What I appreciated most was that he trusted me enough to let me try things, make mistakes, learn, and challenge myself. That opportunity completely changed the direction of my career. I went from being a developer who wanted to become an artist to eventually becoming Lead Animator at NetEnt, so I will always be grateful that he gave me that chance.

Walk us through your animation process, where does it start, and where do you say this is ready for the world?

For me, animation actually starts before you animate anything.

First you need to understand the game: what is happening, why it is happening, what the player needs to understand, and how you can present a feature in a way that feels clear, fun and exciting. That’s usually when the ideas start coming.

Then I make quick animations or rough tests just to see if the idea actually works in motion. You try it, get feedback, change the timing, exaggerate something, add effects, remove things, or sometimes throw away the whole idea because you suddenly come up with something much better. Then you put it into the game, see how it feels in context, and once the direction works, you start polishing it properly and adding all those little details that bring it to life.

As for when an artist decides something is ready for the world... never! There is always one more thing you could improve.

At some point you just have to let it go. For me, a good sign is seeing someone else’s reaction. If I made something funny and somebody laughs when they see it, I’m happy. If they’re surprised, impressed or simply enjoy watching it, then I feel like I’ve done my job.

Who is your art inspiration?

I don’t think I have one specific person who inspires me. Sometimes inspiration comes from a really good movie or animated film, I love good storytelling and characters with personality.

But strangely enough, I think I get most inspired when I’m not sitting in front of my computer trying to be creative.

Travelling is probably my biggest source of inspiration. Being somewhere completely different from my normal routine, exploring another culture, seeing its architecture, landscapes, traditions, history and art makes my brain work differently. You notice new shapes, colours, personalities and little details, and somehow those experiences always find their way back into your work later.

What’s your favourite animated movie?

It has always been The Little Mermaid!

I think part of the reason is that I have loved the sea since I was a little kid. I grew up on an island with our house close to the beach, so I was constantly in the water, exploring and pretending I was a mermaid.

Apparently that part of me never really disappeared, because I still spend as much of my summers as possible swimming, snorkelling and free-diving. So yes... The Little Mermaid was probably inevitable.

What is the easter egg that took the most effort to animate, just to be a hidden bonus for the players?

One that immediately comes to mind is Gonzo in Superstars.

Most of our character animation is 2D, but for this one I was animating Gonzo in 3D and made a fairly complicated sequence where he rolls, jumps around and fights a golden Aztec treasure chest with his sword.

It took me so much time to make, including recording myself rolling around and pretending to sword-fight so I could use it as animation reference. And after all of that, I think the sequence is quite difficult to trigger, so many players probably never even saw it!

There was also a little Finn animation hidden in the bonus background where he runs around the buildings and disappears again. That took quite a bit of work too for something that is very easy to miss.

That’s the funny thing about game animation: sometimes you spend days making something that a player might see for three seconds... or never see at all. :joy:

Which is your favourite NetEnt game?

This is a very unfair question after almost ten years. I have a few favourites for completely different reasons.

I will probably always have a soft spot for Superstars. It was one of the rare projects where almost the whole studio worked together on the same game, and we had a lot of freedom to experiment, try new techniques and come up with ideas. I was also trusted with animating Gonzo in 3D and designing his features, which was a big opportunity for me at that point in my career.

I also loved working on Jumanji. It was such an ambitious game, especially for a slot, with so many ideas and features. It was complicated, but I tend to enjoy projects that make me think, “Okay... how are we actually going to make this work?“

More recently, Monopoly Money Line was another favourite. Working with Mr. Monopoly was a really fun challenge because everybody knows that character. You have to respect his personality and keep him instantly recognizable, while still finding ways to make him funny, expressive and fit naturally into our game. I also got to work on the 3D environment and help build the world around him, which I really enjoyed.

And I have to mention Gonzo’s Quest II: Return to El Dorado as well. The original Gonzo’s Quest was actually one of my favourite NetEnt games when I first joined the company, so years later getting the opportunity to work on a new version of Gonzo and contribute ideas to his next adventure felt very special.

So... apparently I cannot choose just one.

Which animation was most fun and experimental to work on which you still look back on with love?

Definitely the dogs from Buster’s Bones!

At the time, I was experimenting a lot with how far I could push a 2D character so that the movement and facial animation almost felt three-dimensional. Buster’s Bones was the perfect playground for that because the characters were these wonderfully designed, ridiculous dogs with completely different personalities.

I could really exaggerate their faces, expressions and reactions and make them as silly as possible. Because the art style was so cartoony and playful, I had a lot of freedom to experiment.

The funny thing is that some of the techniques I learned while animating those dogs are techniques I still use today when I’m working with 2D character faces. So whenever I use them, somewhere in the back of my mind I still think about those crazy dogs.

What is a skill or piece of wisdom you picked up along the way that you would give to someone starting at NetEnt on day one?

Hmm... I would probably say: don’t be afraid to talk to people and don’t be afraid to say you don’t know something.

When you start somewhere new, it’s very easy to think you’re supposed to already know everything. So instead of asking, you sit there trying to figure something out alone, getting stressed and wasting three hours on something somebody next to you could have explained in ten minutes.

Just ask.

I’ve learned so much throughout my career simply by talking to people who knew something I didn’t. Most people are genuinely happy to help, and you learn much faster when you allow yourself to ask questions and listen to people with more experience.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know how to do this yet, but I want to learn.” In fact, I think that’s one of the best attitudes you can have.

You can play the games Eleni has worked on here!