ABOUT
DANNY ZABBAL
I am a Toronto-based professional artist and award-winning game developer with 20 years of experience in the video game and entertainment industry. My career has been defined by a passion for character design, storytelling, and bringing distinct visual identities to life across digital and physical mediums.
In the gaming space, I've had the privilege of contributing to massive cultural touchstones. A major highlight of my career was my work as an Art Director for the hit mobile game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood ($600 million+ bookings). I handled extensive artistic development for the title, helping to craft the glamorous, engaging world that kept tens of millions of players invested throughout its decade-long run. Building scalable, high-quality art for a game with such a massive daily active user base taught me how to balance creative vision with the rigorous demands of live-ops development.
For the last four years, I’ve served as the Creative Director for the vinyl toy department at Youtooz. It has been an incredible journey helping steer the brand through a period of explosive growth. We've transformed internet culture, beloved IP, and gaming icons into highly sought-after collectibles. Overseeing the translation of 2D concepts into 3D vinyl figures requires a sharp eye for the details fans care about most—the exact pose, expression, and attitude that makes a drop instantly sell out.
Beyond my corporate roles, I’ve been a prolific independent illustrator and comic creator since 2005. I'm perhaps best known for my comic series Obsolete Heroes, alongside visual development work for animated series, murals, and album art. My personal artistic practice is rooted in a deep love for foundational figure drawing and character design, frequently exploring aesthetics that range from 1950s pulp painting to '90s grunge.
Whether I'm pitching a new game project, directing a toy line, or illustrating a graphic novel, I love collaborating on projects large and small. And I love every minute of it.
SELECTED CORPORATE PARTNERS & STUDIOS
The Walt Disney Company /
Paramount Global / NBCUniversal / Sony Pictures / PlayStation / Microsoft / Xbox Game / Warner Bros. Discovery / Crunchyroll / Bethesda / Bandai Namco Entertainment / CD Projekt Red
SELECTED BRANDS & FRANCHISES
Minecraft Five Nights at Freddy's / Marvel Comics / Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul / Avatar: The Last Airbender / SpongeBob SquarePants / Baldur's Gate 3 / Elden Ring / Godzilla / Transformers
PRESS & FEATURES
Polygon - Kim Kardashian: Hollywood feature
Multiverse Magazine - F1rst Hero - review
Reading with a Flight Ring - F1rst Hero - review
Bleedingcool - Profile
Broken Frontier - Life Death & Sorcery - review
Comic Book Invest - Interview
For the love of Indie - Life Death & Sorcery - review
The Archivist - Life Death & Sorcery - review
An Elegant Weapon - Interview
Radio Free Krypton - Interview
Issue Zero - Interview
Rogues Portal - Life Death & Sorcery - review
Comics Beat - Wizard of Pop - Profile