I run Kotaku’s daily Fine Art feature, which is about highlighting the work of artists working in the video game business. Which means I’ve showcased thousands of images over the course of 2015, and this time of year—when I’m asked to pick the best of it—is always tough.
For two reasons! Firstly because there’s just so much amazing art out there being produced by supremely-talented individuals. And secondly because, thanks to the vagaries of video game development, it’s tough nailing down exactly when an image was produced.
The sketches and paintings being done today, for the games of the future, may not be seen for years. The images released this year (like these) for games not yet out might have been done in 2014, or 2013, or even earlier.
So what I’ve done to make things easier is to follow the same rule I’ve followed with these roundups for the past few years: namely, include pieces of art made for games that were released in the 2015 calendar year. It may not be entirely accurate, given the nature of this being a “best of 2015” roundup, but when it comes to this side of the business it’s the best we can do.
Enjoy!