Windows Media Player Design Showcase
LIGHT YEARS BEYOND THE COMPETITION
The Skins Factory was widely considered to be the world's best designer + developer of Windows Media Player Skins - in fact, Microsoft, their partners & other brands considered us the provider to go to. Our releases continuously broke download records while raising the bar and setting the standards. The Skins Factory designed Windows Media Player skins that shipped on Windows OS, while media companies like Disney, Alienware, Warner Bros. Entertainment and others, harnessed our talent to digitally promote their most valuable assets. The tactile nature of the designs we created, coupled with our boundless imagination, dynamic animations, is still to this day, perfect for modern, in-game user interface design.
We have created over 120+ WMP skins. Here’s a look at a few…
UPDATE: We have decided to offer some of these classic Windows Media Player skins for download again. Please read the Disclaimer at the bottom of this page before downloading. The Windows Media Player skins that are available can be downloaded by clicking on their portfolio image. Select Download when you get to the Google Drive download page.
Feel free to spread the word and link to this page. We love seeing our legacy work appreciated!
Half-Life 2
Client: Valve + Microsoft
Contracted by Microsoft and Valve, we set out to create a skin that lead character Gordon might use if he was walking around the Half-Life 2 universe listening/viewing his favorite media files. Complete with a double shutter that the end-user can open and close with a click of the mouse, ripe with introduction animation sound effects and more images than you could shake a crowbar at.
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth
Client: Electronic Arts
One skin to rule them all… Electronic Arts contracted The Skins Factory to design and develop the Official The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth Windows Media Player 10 skin. As huge fans of the series, this was a total blast to design.
World of Warcraft
Client: Blizzard Entertainment / Microsoft Game Studios
It got a little chilly at The Skins Factory in 2005 when a Blizzard blew in with Microsoft and contracted us to create the Official World of Warcraft Windows Media Player skin.
Alienware Aurora Star Wars Edition
Client: Alienware Corporation
The Skins Factory was contracted by Alienware Corporation to create an entire Windows desktop theme, including this custom Windows Media Player skin based on the style of the Rebellion's ships. Available only when you purchased the Alienware Aurora Star Wars Edition computers. The suite Included a custom Windows Media Player skin, set of 35 Star Wars inspired icons, custom desktop and wallpapers designed around custom images created by Alienware's in-house design team.
Journey to the World of Tomorrow
Reimagining the Design & Technology of the American Mid-Century
A 3-PART GENERATIVE AI ARTWORK SCIENCE FICTION SERIES
From the imagination of The Skins Factory's Founder, comes an exciting 3-part Generative AI Art Sci-Fi Series called “Journey to the World of Tomorrow”.
It asks and answers the question: What if the science fiction writers, futurists, and artists of the American mid-century actually saw their dreams materialize into reality? It’s an alternate American reality, where technology advanced quicker and farther than our own reality. Created over a 7-month time period, with over 11,000 pieces of art generated using Midjourney with only the best artwork selected for the series. He then spent hundreds of hours post-processing the artwork in Adobe Photoshop where he removed all of the imperfections, rebuilt parts of the images using Adobe’s generative fill tool, corrected both lighting & color and more. This is a huge collection of imagery spanning 3 decades and featuring robots, rockets, hover cars, stunning interior & exterior architecture, life on the moon and more! When you see the word RELEASED below, click on the image to view the series.
Need for Speed: Underground
Client: Electronic Arts + Microsoft
The Official Need For Speed Underground skin sports 7 custom paint jobs, full sound events, open/close shutter, custom intro animation and many other features. Interested in reading about the game or seeing some screen shots? Engage the "iMode" by clicking the button marked with an "i". Presented by Windows XP, Electronic Arts and The Skins Factory. Part of the Windows XP Extras Program.
RAVE MP
Client: Go Video
Like its real world counterpart the RAVE-MP Windows Media Player skin is long on ergonomic design and ripe with intuitive construction. With 4 distinct color schemes, RAVE-MP is the new name in cool when it comes to player skins. Sporting sleek tribal patterns and colors that could only have been plucked from the slickest paint palette, we guarantee to make even the most square user - hip.
Disney Pixar's EVE
Client: Under License from The Walt Disney Company
Designed and created for the Official Disney/Pixar EVE Windows XP desktop theme kit powered by The Skins Factory's Hyperdesk Windows theme application. Styled after EVE's high-gloss white body and blue LEDs. We also included a special Buy n Large variant edition of the skin. The Windows Media Player skin is no longer available. Images Copyright. Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Lost Planet
Client: Capcom
Capcom and The Skins Factory delivered the sub-zero, hyper-cool Windows Media Player 10 skin for the hit video game, Lost Planet. This exciting Windows Media Player 10 skin includes features like dual shutters, a retractable button compartment, sound FX, animations, a searchable playlist and many exciting stills and information from the upcoming game release of -- Lost Planet.
Alienware ALXMorph
Client: Alienware Corporation
The Skins Factory began skin construction with an unknown, interstellar alloy and deep onyx blacks. We then constructed an introduction animation that is not only rich in genre sound effects, but contains two bi-directional, gyroscopic ring rotations. The animation utilizes over 135 individual animation frames. Pushing the creative envelope that other studios can only hope to keep up with? You betcha. Part of a complete Windows desktop theme.
Alienware ALXMorph
Client: Alienware Corporation
The Skins Factory began skin construction with a palette of lab whites and deep onyx blacks. We then constructed an introduction animation that is not only rich in genre sound effects, but contains two bi-directional, gyroscopic ring rotations. The animation utilizes over 135 individual animation frames. Part of a complete Windows desktop theme.
MechAssault
Client: XBOX
Transform your Windows Media Player into a 31st century Mech! Microsoft's XBOX division contracted The Skins Factory to bring the look and fury of the MechAssault universe to Windows Media Player. What resulted, was one of our most intriguing animated skins yet - fully animated with sonic boom speakers. If a 48-ton Mech carried an 800-pound boom box to a death match, it might very well look like this.
Alienware: Superman Special Edition
Client: Alienware Corporation
Alienware released limited-edition desktop & notebook systems inspired by DC Comics iconic Super Hero, Superman. Each system also includes a specially-designed Superman Windows desktop theme, custom icon set, wallpaper and an incredibly cool Windows Media Player skin. It is not available for download. SUPERMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and DC Comics. (s06)
The Bionic Dot
Client: Microsoft Corporation
An outstanding example as to why The Skins Factory is considered the best in the business, this was a limited Edition version of one of the Windows Media Player 9 Series skins shipping with Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition. This skin came originally in 4 distinct, high-glossy vibrant colors. The full version of The Bionic Dot (only found in Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition) contains many more colors and variants to choose from.
Age of Mythology
Client: Microsoft Game Studios
The Skins Factory was selected by Microsoft Game Studios to create a custom branded Windows Media Player skin to help digitally promote this highly anticipated sequel to the Age of Empires game series. This was part of an entire Age of Mythology themed Windows desktop theme. Special Thanks to the folks at Ensemble Studios and of course our friends at Microsoft Game Studios.
The Professional
Client: Microsoft Corporation
The Professional was first made available when you purchased Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition. Microsoft commissioned The Skins Factory to create a series of Windows Media Player 9 skins for the Media Edition pack. For The Professional, we opted for a clean and elegant look. The skin has two distinct textures available within the one skin - a highly-polished slate and a soft, blond wood.
Disclaimer
There are inherent dangers in the use of any software available for download on the Internet, and we caution you to make sure that you completely understand the potential risks before downloading any of the Windows Media Player skins provided here.
The Windows Media Player skins available on this website are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Use at your own risk.
The use of the Windows Media Player skins downloaded on this site is done at your own discretion and risk and with agreement that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from such activities. You are solely responsible for adequate protection and backup of the data and equipment used in connection with any of the software, and we will not be liable for any damages that you may suffer in connection with using, modifying or distributing any of this software. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from us or from this website shall create any warranty for the Windows Media Player skins.
We make no warranty that
the Windows Media Player skins will meet your requirements
the Windows Media Player skins will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free
the results that may be obtained from the use of the Windows Media Player skins will be effective, accurate or reliable
the quality of the Windows Media Player skins will meet your expectations
any errors in the software obtained from us will be corrected.
We assume no responsibility for errors or omissions in the Windows Media Player skins or documentation available from this web site.
In no event shall we be liable to you or any third parties for any special, punitive, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, including, without limitation, those resulting from loss of use, data or profits, and on any theory of liability, arising out of or in connection with the use of these Windows Media Player skins.
In Part 3 of The Journey to the World of Tomorrow, a 3-Part Generative AI Artwork Science Fiction Series, we explore an alternate timeline, mid-century American space program and colonization of the Moon including rockets, robots, lunar structures and more.