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.

NCsoft's Carbine Studios released a teaser image today to give fans a sneak peek at its upcoming MMO, which will officially be announced next week at Gamescom after four years in development. According to Twitter, this view is the destination of the Ark Ship, which is apparently full of passengers.

In addition the the new screenshot, Senior Producer Eric DeMilthas has written a dev blog entry that discusses Carbine's focus on usability testing. The team has a lab on site that allows them to watch groups of players in the game and learn from their reactions. He even touches briefly on the game's world:

"One of the best parts of all the testing we've been doing lately is finally getting the opportunity to see the game we have been working on come together and watching people react to it the way we hoped they would! We've got a unique art style that has allowed us to build an epic world filled with technology and magic. We love it! We've worked hard to create a world we want to be in, and so far, the people who have seen it have really enjoyed it."

As mentioned, the game will be revealed at Gamescom from August 17-21. Carbine will then bring the project to PAX Prime from August 26-28.

NCSoft's Carbine Studios has been working on a new MMO with an original IP for the past four years, and they're finally ready to officially announce the project in a couple weeks at Gamescom! If you can't make to Cologne, Germany, they'll be bringing the title with them to PAX Prime in Seattle at the end of the month.

Carbine Studios Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney has written a new dev blog entry to get players pumped up for the big Gamescom reveal. While he doesn't give any hints about the game, he does discuss the team's philosophy behind MMOs:

"We have a number of ideas we've developed over time about what we think is important in gaming - we think it's about letting players play how they want, when they want, and with whom they want. We're gamers that want MORE out of online gaming, and we're all ready for the Next Big MMO. Don't get us wrong - we're not dissing existing games. We can't; like we said, most of us have helped make them. But we think we've learned enough to make some dramatic steps forward. We have developed some new ways of making online games; games that can adapt to you instead of the other way 'round."

Gamescom will be held from August 17-21, followed by PAX Prime from August 26-28.