I directed this proof-of-concept to explore the central idea in the "Welcome to the Empire" music video for the metal band Firewind, on which I was VFX supervisor. The story is set in a post-AI world, during which AI factions create alliances and rule over territories. The two leading AI syndicates compete over the dominion of Earth by playing an old human strategy game.

All of the CG for this film was created in six weeks using novel 3D techniques. The procedural city featured 3D "aerial highways" and building destruction. The pre-built cyborg models were custom-rigged and textured. Their cavernous space is a pre-built model I repurposed from a project 16 years before.

Keeping the gameplay authentic to chess was important; the one featured is a 6-move checkmate. A test of cunning, I wondered if AI would fare the same with this sequence of moves as humans. This piece features my favorite sci-fi influences, including Ghost in the Shell, Metropolis, Blade Runner, and others.