The dev blog on Carbine Studios' site has become increasingly active as the team prepares to unveil its new MMO at Gamescom next week. In today's entry, Art Director Matt Mocarski talk about the visual direction of the game. He also confirms that the teaser image that was released yesterday (seen above) is a still from the debut trailer that will be shown at Gamescom.

Mocarski says that Carbine's goal from the start was to pull off an illustrated look both technically and artistically. He then lists off the team's influences for the game's sci-fi/fantasy setting:

"We knew we were a future fantasy game - players will see both fantasy and sci-fi elements in our world and our gameplay. We also knew we'd need to be able to tell a huge variety of stories, everything from intense drama to mind-blowing action to humorous tales. There were a few influences that we really focused on. Animated films such as Atlantis, The Secret of Nimh, and Princess Mononoke really nailed the overall look of the style. We know that our game was for adults so we studied shows like Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist to see how they balanced a unique visual style with stories that had both humor and drama. Lastly we looked at comics such as Hellboy, Battle Chasers, and Tank Girl to influence our balance of technology and fantasy."

Carbine's been working on this MMO for four years, and it's clear from their recent dev blogs that they're excited to finally unveil the title. Expect to hear much more about this game next week.