From Polish Museums to XBOX: Bringing the World of The End of the Sun to Life

Some of the quests in The End of the Sun began in an unusual way – with objects we discovered in small museums across Poland. Sometimes, an old tool or a fascinating piece of traditional craftsmanship inspired us so much that we decided to build part of the game’s story around it.

When we first started creating The End of the Sun, a first-person adventure inspired by Slavic folklore, we wanted to build a world that would do more than tell an engaging story. We wanted it to feel truly alive, with every building, object, and detail having its own history.

As a Slavic sorcerer investigating the mystery of an abandoned village, you enter a world inspired by Polish culture, ancient beliefs, and traditions rarely explored in video games. To bring that world to life, we decided to look beyond our computer screens and explore the real places where pieces of this history are still preserved.

From Polish Museums to a Living Game World

One of the most important techniques we used was photogrammetry, which allowed us to bring real-world objects directly into the game as detailed 3D models.

We partnered with local ethnographic museums in Poland, including the Open-Air Museum in Szymbark and the Grociarnia Ethnographic Museum in Jastrzębia. Thanks to their support, we were able to scan hundreds of historical objects, including entire buildings.

We’ve always believed that we’re surrounded by remarkable cultural heritage worth sharing, and creating The End of the Sun gave us an opportunity to introduce some of it to players around the world.

There’s also something special about preserving these objects digitally. Over time, some of the original artifacts may deteriorate or disappear, but their digital recreations can help preserve a record of them for future generations.

After taking thousands of photographs during our research trips, we began recreating these objects and buildings inside the game. Even now, when we compare our original photographs with screenshots from The End of the Sun, we’re sometimes surprised by just how closely the virtual world resembles the real one.

But creating authentic-looking environments was only the beginning. We wanted these objects to become something more than decorations.

When Historical Artifacts Inspire Gameplay

From the start, our goal was to make historical objects an integral part of the experience, rather than simply filling the environments with interesting props. We wanted you to interact with them, discover how they worked, and learn something about the everyday lives of the people who once used them.

For example, one of the game’s quests introduces you to a traditional hand mill used for grinding grain into flour. You can examine its individual parts and discover how the mechanism works. Other quests involve using traditional tools for twisting rope or sharpening a knife.

We also included optional “Learn More” points throughout the game world. When you encounter an unfamiliar object, you can discover what it was used for and learn a little about its history.

This approach helped us introduce traditional crafts, customs, and Slavic beliefs naturally, without interrupting the adventure with lengthy historical explanations.

Interestingly, the relationship between historical artifacts and gameplay sometimes worked in the opposite direction. Instead of looking for objects to fit a quest we had already designed, we occasionally discovered an artifact so fascinating that we adapted parts of the story around it.

These objects also became an important part of environmental storytelling. A carpenter’s workshop or a collection of weaving tools can tell you something about a character’s profession, personality, and everyday life.

Sometimes, the environment can tell a story more effectively than dialogue. All you need to do is slow down, look around, and pay attention to the details.

In fact, approximately 80% of the objects you encounter while exploring the game’s locations were scanned from real-world originals. Each one carries small imperfections, signs of wear, and traces of its previous use – details that would be difficult to recreate with the same authenticity when modeling everything from scratch.

Walking through one of our cottages can sometimes feel like exploring a small, interactive museum. But rather than presenting these objects behind glass, we’ve placed them in a world where you can discover their purpose and the stories behind them.

Capturing the Details of Polish Culture and Nature

Our world isn’t built exclusively from museum collections. We also wanted to capture the beauty of Poland’s natural landscapes and the richness of its traditional craftsmanship.

While exploring the village and its surroundings, you will encounter rocks of different shapes and sizes that we scanned in local nature reserves. We also paid close attention to smaller decorative details. For example, the game features intricate bobbin lace from a local gallery, while cottage interiors and everyday objects are decorated with beautiful hand-painted floral patterns inspired by the village of Zalipie, famous for its colorful painted houses.

These details might seem small individually, but together they give the world its identity. They help make the village feel like a place where people once lived, worked, and celebrated their traditions. We wanted you to experience this cultural heritage naturally, through exploration and curiosity, rather than feeling as though you were being given a history lesson.

A Village That Changes with Time

Our approach to environmental storytelling extends beyond individual objects to the buildings themselves.

The cottages we scanned in open-air museums aren’t simply static 3D models placed into the game. Because The End of the Sun unfolds across all four seasons and different points in time, we carefully modified these buildings to reflect changes throughout the story.

A cottage might show signs of damage or neglect at one point, only to appear renovated at another. We wanted you to notice these differences and experience the passage of time through the environment itself.

Nature plays an equally important role in creating that atmosphere. We made sure the vegetation reflects the character of the Central European climate, with landscapes changing naturally between the seasons.

To make the world feel even more alive, we also recorded authentic sounds of nature ourselves, visiting outdoor locations throughout all four seasons. These recordings became part of the game’s soundscape, helping us recreate not only the appearance of these places but also their atmosphere. Combining real historical objects, carefully recreated buildings, changing seasons, and authentic environmental sounds allowed us to create something that feels both rooted in history and alive with mystery.

For us, the most fascinating part of this process was discovering how much character real objects already possess. Their imperfections, signs of age, and tiny details tell stories of their own. By bringing them into The End of the Sun, we hope players will feel a connection to the people, traditions, and places that inspired our world.

We can’t wait for you to explore this mysterious Slavic village, uncover its secrets, and discover these pieces of history for yourselves when The End of the Sun is out today on XBOX Series X|S.

The End of the Sun

The End of the Sun Forge

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Become a tracker of mythical beings and supernatural forces. Wield the power of the fire of time, explore an ancient land, solve unusual riddles, and experience extraordinary adventures, all part of a greater, captivating story. Find your target, bring order to the chaos of time in the mysterious village, and uncover the secrets that lie within! You are the Ashter – a Slavic fire mage who wields time. You arrive in a village where reality has been distorted, and the villagers have left behind only smoldering hearths. Through your ability to bond with fire, you see what is hidden from others – traces, mythical beings, and spirits of past events. Will you be able to harness your powers to stop the ancient powers and change the inhabitants’ fate? The End of the Sun is a mystery-filled first-person adventure and exploration game set in a Slavic fantasy world. The core gameplay focuses on discovering an open world using a magical map and forming connections with bonfires. Each bond reveals new traces and events invisible to ordinary people. Fully kindled bonfires become gateways to time travel. 1. TRACK – Merge with fire and let it guide you Step into the role of a supernatural tracker. Follow the trail of a mythical being and uncover secrets hidden among blazing bonfires. Each hearth you connect with is a unique investigation, filled with unusual riddles and serving as a gateway to the ancient Slavic world – a realm of magic, fantastic creatures, mythology, and forgotten rituals. Every fire of time you ignite is a piece of the larger tale. 2. UNLEASH THE POWER – Use the flames to travel through time and shape human destinies Feel the might of the fire of time. Influence the paths of heroes’ fates – restore the course of events to its rightful track and discover new fragments of an epic story. Travel across four seasons, separated from each other by many years. Witness the lives of the same heroes at different stages, during the greatest Slavic festivals. Time and hearths are intertwined. Your actions affect the world around you – make changes and carefully observe the consequences. 3. INVESTIGATE – Explore a mysterious village, born from the real world and museum treasures Hundreds of museum artifacts and entire buildings, brought into the game from the real world through photogrammetry, open before you a land where every detail matters. Freely roam the ancient village and its one-of-a-kind surroundings. As you explore this open world, conduct a supernatural investigation rooted in Slavic mythology – more authentic and immersive than ever before.