Void engine allows Arkane to "push the boundaries in every corner"

We caught up with art director Sébastien Mitton to learn more about {Dishonored 2} and the work that goes into creating the visuals of the universe Arkane have created.

"To me the biggest challenge was to make the city maps really dense, really credible, that was the biggest challenge," says Mitton of creating {Dishonored}. "To make it feel like a real city you can explore everything. And {Dishonored 2} now, each level is thrice, four times bigger than in {Dishonored} 1 so it was the biggest challenge ever in my life."

How did the new Void engine help in this regard?

"When you use an engine that already exists on the market you hit some limitations," says Mitton. "With this engine based on Id Tech 6 we've rewritten quite everything that's 70% of the engine. And it allows us to push the boundaries in every corner."

Later on Mitton expanded on some of the benefits.

"We have more civilians, we have markets, we have tons of stuff happening," says Mitton who said that technical constraints as well as the theme of the plague made for a more sparsely populated {Dishonored} 1. "They live their own [lives], you just go there and discover, and they're surprised by you, or not, it depends on how you look."

{Dishonored 2} will launch on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 11.