Announced live at TennoCon 2024, we're beyond excited to reveal that we have partnered with the peerless animation studio, The Line, to create an animated short for Warframe: 1999!

Get ready to see more of Arthur and the Protoframes in a whole new medium!

The short will be directed by veteran animation director Venla Linna, who first made her directorial debut with the beautiful "Heavenly Vessel" last year, which you can watch on Vimeo (NSFW)!

Venla originally hails from Oulu, Finland before moving to the UK in 2015 where she started working as an Animation Assistant. She joined The Line in 2018 as a 2D Animator. Since then, Venla has worked on a vast variety of projects, including the music video for "Humility" by Gorillaz, and Marvel Snap.

You can see more of Venla's work on her Instagram account as well as on IMDB!

Stay tuned for more details as we hurtle towards the release of Warframe: 1999!

Production Diary #1

It’s time to give you a sneak peek at what The Line is cooking with our first-ever production diary entry! Let’s take a look at Lettie, the reluctant healer of our mysterious Protoframes in The Hex.

Layout by: Venla Linna

Character design: Masha Moran, Venla Linna

The Line is taking cues from traditional anime while incorporating coloured shadow and highlight passes with the character layout work in Warframe: 1999’s animated short. Director Venla Linna came up with the layout for Lettie seen above, drawing inspiration from classics like Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1995 animated feature Magnetic Rose — incorporating depth and detail similar to that of the film.

Production Diary #2

The Line is hard at work bringing Warframe:1999 to (animated) life, Tenno! They've just reached an important milestone in the production process and are excited to show off some of the line drawings for each of the Protoframes you'll come to meet in 1999.

Check out the latest update from The Line below and get ready for the full release of the animated short later this year!

Introducing the six Protoframes from our upcoming collaboration with Warframe! We just wrapped on animation last week and are now moving into clean-up & 2D FX. The film is looking sick already and we can’t wait to share it with you in December. But without further ado, meet our heroes…

First up, Arthur—the de facto leader of the group. Responsibility weighs heavily on his shoulders as he navigates the challenges the group face. With an unwavering sense of duty, Arthur's steadfast commitment makes him the pillar that everyone relies upon for leadership.

Aoi - Arthur's right hand and most trusted ally. Outwardly peppy and full of enthusiasm, she infuses the group with energy. But beneath her cheerful exterior lies a core of steel; Aoi is tough as nails, both mentally and physically.

Eleanor - Arthur's sister. Having lost her voice, she communicates with her mind. Her silent presence and telepathic abilities make her an enigmatic and invaluable member of the group.

Lettie - the medic of the group. Sworn never to turn aside those in need, she stayed behind in Hӧllvania despite her growing pessimism, out of a sense of duty to its abandoned people. Suspicious of Eleanor, Lettie carries the weight of her experiences while tending to those in need.

Quincy—the arrogant and self-assured marksman. Forced to abandon his future plans when Hӧllvania went under lockdown, he remains fiercely independent, which makes him withdrawn and hard to get to know. He's the ladies' favourite on the project.

Last but not least is Amir - The youngest member of the team and an ex-military technician turned electric superhero (in his mind, at least). Though he has trouble focusing on tasks he's not passionate about, he brings an eternally positive charge to the group. As the complete polar opposite of Quincy, their interactions often spark a bit of tension. Amir doubts himself sometimes, but his energy is indispensable to the team. And yes, we couldn't resist all the electricity puns— Sorry if you had a negative response to them or found them shocking.

Character Design: Simon Takerkart, @masha.moran_, Venla Linna @venlarvae_
Modelsheets & Cleanup: @masha.moran_, @jacobmatthess_

Production Diary #3

As the clock ticks closer to midnight, and 1999 approaches faster than a speeding Atomicycle, we check in with The Line on the latest updates from their production of the Warframe: 1999 animated short!

We are in our FINAL week of production for our short film we're making in collaboration with Warframe: 1999!!! We absolutely cannot wait to share the final result with you all but as a little teaser - this mammoth background is something you'll see in several shots.
We created multiple layers of ground, switching the layers in and out being led by the needs of each shot and distorting it for shots where the speed needed enhancing. We were able to achieve the really specific goals we had for each shot, just using this BG.
Background layout: Simon Masse
Background paint: Paul Sabado, Simon Dumonceau
Layout camera: Natasha Z Francis

Production Diary #4

We're back with another update on the Warframe: 1999 animated prologue, Tenno! Just like New Year's Eve in 1999, the countdown to launch is ticking ever closer. At this time, our collaboration with The Line is counting down to release and we share their excitement about getting to show you the finished product very soon!

We think the team has totally outdone themselves this time. The finished animated short comes in at an action-packed 99 seconds (fitting don't you think, Tenno?)

Read more from The Line below:

This is the final production diary entry for our collaboration with Warframe: 1999! But fear not, friends, because the next Warframe: 1999 post will be the final film! It turned out rad, and we cannot wait to share it with you all.

We’re going to give you a sneak peek at some of the animation in the film. This sequence focuses on Eleanor as she battles inner turmoil. Now transformed into a Protoframe, Eleanor communicates telepathically, having lost her voice due to the spread of the virus. She’s kept close by her protective brother, Arthur, who can also be seen in this sequence.
Get ready to see these siblings in a whole lot more action!

That's not all though, Tenno! We're excited to share this brief teaser of the finished animated prologue to give you a taste of what you can expect from the full release on December 5!