The Blackstone Fortress is a mysterious construction of unknown origin, its brooding presence offering both a source of opportunity for those with the courage to venture within and a promise of death to those that dare. Studio artist Paul Dainton was tasked with bringing the dark, foreboding setting of the game to life in the artwork, so we spoke with him about how he achieved it:
Paul: The artwork for the game had to feel mysterious and alien, yet grounded within the wider imagery of Warhammer 40,000. Stylistically, I wanted the artwork to feel like stills from a movie, so I sought to capture a cinematic feel in each piece, as if they were key shots that were pictured in widescreen. I focused on developing a sense of isolation and a feeling of being lost, using desaturated colours to create the right mood.
Let’s take a look at some of the key pieces of artwork found in the Blackstone Fortress game:
This piece offers an incredible sense of the sheer scale of the Blackstone Fortress, its dominating presence looming over the outpost of Precipice and the flotilla of spacecraft surrounding it. The grandeur of the scene is instantly striking and offers a real sense of astrophobia and loneliness.
In this scene, an unlikely alliance of Janus Draik, UR-025 and Amallyn Shadowguide begin their exploration of the Blackstone Fortress’ interior. The Rogue Trader’s drawn blade and solemn expression are all you need to know about the gravity of their situation, as his accompanying servo-skull lights the way further into the foreboding darkness.
By quirk of fate, Impaler, the vessel of the Servants of the Abyss, became fused with the Blackstone Fortress and was eventually fully absorbed into its infrastructure. This scene captures what was once the bridge of the Hades-class heavy cruiser, now bound somewhere in the fortress’ vast interior. At its centre, the Chaos Lord Obsidius Mallex sits atop an ornate throne like a dark king, surrounded by the sycophantic followers of his warband and an honour guard of fearsome Chaos Space Marines.
This piece depicts the ad-hoc, wild frontier nature of the outpost that has swiftly developed in the shadow of the Blackstone Fortress. At its centre, Taddeus the Purifier, UR-025 and Amallyn Shadowguide are deep in conversation – in itself a scene very much at odds with the zealous nature of the Ecclesiarchy’s preachers who would normally purge any xenos or perceived techno-abominations on sight without hesitation. In the distance, a variety of ships are approaching or have docked with the station, and the vastness of the Blackstone Fortress behind is an ever-present reminder of what has drawn them all there.
If you’ve been suitably inspired by this atmospheric artwork, why not pre-order the game now, then head over to the Blackstone Fortress website and check out the fantastic wallpapers you can download for free?
