Vitaly Bulgarov’s career is a testament to the power of cross-disciplinary design, blending elements of sci-fi, gaming, and advanced robotics into a cohesive and visionary portfolio. Known for his intricate work on films like Alita: Battle Angel and Ghost in the Shell, Vitaly has also been instrumental in developing the distinct visual style of Mortal Shell as the co-founder of Cold Symmetry. His designs aren’t just limited to the screen—he has also contributed to groundbreaking projects in robotics, such as the development of mecha suits and advanced robotics with Boston Dynamics. As a judge for our Secrets of the Luminara challenge, Vitaly brings his expert eye for innovation, pushing the boundaries of creative expression and inspiring the next generation of digital artists.
In our conversation, we explored Vitaly’s journey through diverse creative fields, from the challenges of designing iconic sci-fi characters to his hands-on role in shaping Cold Symmetry’s latest projects. He shares his insights into the qualities that make artwork memorable, his advice for aspiring artists, and his excitement as a judge for the challenge.
You’re known for your incredibly intricate and memorable designs across film, gaming, and robotics. How did you first get into concept design, and what inspired you to pursue such a diverse range of creative projects?
From a young age, I thought I had an “infinite patience.” I noticed when other kids gave up or got bored, I could just keep going. It felt like a superpower that I needed to put to a good use. My parents recognized this early on and encouraged it, which I'll be always grateful for.
It paired up nicely with another trait. And as long as I remember myself, freedom was always the most important thing in life for me. Growing up in a post-Soviet republic with a struggling economy, I quickly realized that freedom—especially creative freedom—was tied to financial independence.
So I started selling my art in my early teens, and found out I enjoyed the business side of things just as much as the art itself. Whether it was charging other kids for sharpie tattoos in a summer camp, or turning old Soviet plastic soldier toys into cool ninjas with a wood burning kit, it seemed like there were always ways to have fun, do art and make some money along the way. Selling part was something that I think came naturally because of my passion and conviction. I never had to fake it. I genuinely believed the stuff I was doing was pretty cool, and hence it was not hard to talk about it to other people. Whether when it was my own arm covered with sharpie drawings of skulls, swords and 90’s bands logos, or me playing with the first set of plastic ninjas in a local playground before I made my first sale.
While still in high school I got a job at a videogame club and became an avid gamer myself. All that naturally led me first into game modding and 3D modeling. Then, pursuing more creative freedom, I got into concept design where I could innovate by using 3D kits rather than traditional 2D. My patience came in handy as much as my ability to articulate ideas and “sell” on them to a director or a picky client.
Looking back, those same traits have driven me to eventually start a company and apply that approach to everything—from designing a crazy boss enemy to pitching projects to publishers and investors.
(Mortal Shell Release trailer Available on PS4 / PlayStation)
As co-director and co-founder of Cold Symmetry, you’re responsible for creating the critically acclaimed, award-winning game "Mortal Shell." How do you balance your roles in creative direction, narrative development, and art direction to bring new, groundbreaking experiences to the gaming world?
I think I just got extremely lucky with my friends / business partners :D
On the founding team level there is enough overlap in our core competences to get each other’s backs and keep each other accountable, while there is plenty of space in-between to have creative freedom to allow everyone’s individual talents shine.
The secret sauce here is a collaborative style of our development, and recognizing your individual limits, both in terms of how many hours in a day you got as well as limits of your own competence. The kind of games we’re making benefit greatly from building off each other’s work rather than requiring a rigid top-down coordination. We constantly sell each other ideas and find ways to surprise ourselves with how those ideas evolve in unique ways throughout development, which is one of the most exciting parts.
When we founded Cold Symmetry we were just a few friends trying to make a cool game we’d enjoy both making and playing. So from day one a flat leadership structure emerged where everyone had to wear many hats and would get their hands dirty doing the actual work no matter their position. Its very fortunate that we can still preserve that culture on a bigger, more ambitious projects, while being able to hire some incredible talent to fill more specialized roles.
Lastly, its important to stay disciplined about which day is for what. You must be diligent about accomplishing a specific day’s goal. This helps to stay both fresh and focused as you get to change activities quite a lot throughout the week. We use few strategies for protecting team’s time. For example, just like we have a day packed with meetings, we also have a “no calls on Thursday” rule, which allows me and others to have a proper deep dive into whatever difficult task that requires a prolonged uninterrupted work session.
Working on Alita: Battle Angel brought together major creative forces like James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, and Weta Digital. How did collaborating on Alita’s iconic character designs push you artistically, and what did you find most rewarding about the project?
I think, from a ratio of “fun I had vs fulfilled potential” Alita is my top film project I worked on.
On one side, I felt this exhilarating pressure to deliver on expectations of James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, Jon Landau, Ben Procter, Dylan Cole, and build on the legacy of Yukito Kishiro’s original manga series, as well as the artists who had already done incredible work on the film adaptation before me.
On the other hand, I had never been more prepared for something like this in my life. My pipeline was rock solid and already battle-tested on few high caliber projects under stress of high demands and short deadlines. I was flying between CAD in Moi3D, Subd modeling in XSI, or sculpting in ZBrush as if it was one software. I had an exact plan how to pull it off, and I worked with the same team on Transformers before, so I didn’t have to sell anyone on my workflow. All that gave me a lot of confidence. Which in return became that extra boost I used to push things further artistically.
After creating the initial ZBrush sketch of Alita’s "doll" body, I fully detailed the hand as if it were the final 3D design. This workflow, developed over years, involved: sculpting in ZBrush, converting the sculpt to a clean quad-based mesh for manual refinement in Softimage XSI, then into CAD Nurbs for intricate details, and finally rendering it in Keyshot to present it like an industrial design product.
Since the art team at Lightstorm had already done extensive explorations before I joined, the goal was crystal clear, and I knew exactly what would work for the final design direction. That hand design became the DNA of the entire concept and was met with flying colors.
I think that initial review set the tone for the entire collaboration and earned me a lot of trust moving forward, especially when designing Alita’s 'Berserker' combat body. I remember James Cameron asking about the metal strings inside the soft translucent tissues of Alita’s body. When I explained they served as structural reinforcements—acting as both ligaments and scaffoldings for the cybernetic muscles, he seemed pleased. That moment meant the world to me and gave me huge satisfaction.
Alita: Battle Angel
You’ve contributed to iconic games like World of Warcraft, which has a massive fanbase and a distinctive art style. How did your experience working on such a well-established franchise influence your approach to game design and character creation?
I think the biggest insight I gained from working on World of Warcraft and other Blizzard titles like Diablo and Starcraft was understanding what it really means for something to have 'global appeal.' Before that, like many creatives with strong opinions, I tended to think too narrowly about styles or the goals of a particular design within a big franchise. Working in an established world with a clear art direction helped me appreciate why these universes had such a worldwide fan base. It also pushed me to research why certain designs resonate with so many people.
That experience led me to study symbolism and myths that transcend cultures, which in turn strengthened my own design sense. At Cold Symmetry, I like to think we’re rebellious in our artistic approach, but before you can break the rules or add your own twist to things, you need to know why those rules work in the first place. And that’s exactly why my time with Blizzard was so valuable—it taught me how to think beyond my own perspective and create designs that resonate on a broader scale.
As a Secrets of the Luminara judge, when evaluating submissions for a challenge, what qualities do you believe make a piece stand out, especially in terms of capturing an artist’s unique voice?
The dream would be to see a piece that makes you actually feel something inside. In 2024, it’s not enough to “just” create polished, detailed art or to simply add cool lighting to a cool composition. I want to look at an artwork and be able to say, “AI couldn’t do that.”(Or at least not yet). What I mean is, I’d love to feel a sense of humanity, someone’s distinct voice. Whether that means a certain style or presentation, or a story to it, however quirky and strange. There’s gotta be a hook to it. Whether it’s a clever idea, or an audacious, striving, but ultimately flawed human mind behind a human design.
What’s a piece of advice you wish you had gotten when you started out on your journey as an artist?
Follow your gut. Listen, but also don’t listen to anyone’s advice — including this one :D
In your experience, what qualities should artists cultivate to keep pushing their craft, especially in the face of constant evolution in technology and technique?
Any artist serious about their craft should be relentless in their approach and obsessive about getting better.
Concept Design for Ghost In The Shell
You have a unique role that combines artistic freedom with leadership. What aspects of this role do you find most fulfilling, especially as you guide the creative vision of Cold Symmetry?
The ability to creatively express myself freely, from the initial concept idea to final art, without having to report to anyone. I’d be lying if I said that being my own boss and creating my own tasks isn’t my favorite part of the job. My second favorite thing would be collaborating with amazingly talented people from all around the world.
What skills or perspectives do you believe are most essential for artists today, especially as they work in increasingly complex, collaborative environments?
Observation. If you can learn to truly “see” what you're looking at, both on the surface and at the deeper levels, everything else will follow.
Our deepest thanks to Vitaly Bulgarov for sharing his journey and creative insights. His contributions to both the sci-fi and gaming worlds have been nothing short of visionary, and his passion for pushing artistic boundaries continues to inspire. We look forward to seeing how he shapes the future of digital design and the exciting projects he will bring to life. Until then, happy KitBashing!
Interview conducted and article written by Carmen Moreno.
