Synty
Synty Studios is a New Zealand-based digital art studio that designs and licenses 80+ themed low-poly 3D asset packs for game developers, studios, and metaverse projects, sold through its direct Shopify store and Unity Asset Store via perpetual licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Synty does
Synty Studios is a New Zealand-based digital art studio founded in 2014 by Mike Clephane (ex-Weta Digital) and Andrew Stairs (ex-PikPok), operating as a distributed team across New Zealand, Australia, and France. The company designs and licenses a library of 80+ themed low-poly 3D asset packs — covering genres from fantasy and dungeon to sci-fi, apocalypse, horror, and nightclub environments — targeted at indie and AAA game developers, enterprise studios, educational institutions, and metaverse/NFT projects. Assets are delivered in Unity Packages, Unreal Engine formats, and source files compatible with Godot, enabling direct integration into the dominant real-time 3D pipelines.
The business runs on a perpetual, one-time license model with three tiers: Small Studio (5 seats, commercial use, own forever), Enterprise (unlimited seats with premium support and full library access), and NFT & Metaverse (specialized rights for blockchain-enabled games and UGC). Distribution is dual-channel — direct via a Shopify-powered storefront (syntystore.com) and through the Unity Asset Store marketplace — supplemented by an enterprise direct-sales motion. The company has earned six Unity Awards between 2017 and 2021, including the 2020 Best Asset Publisher designation, and publicly claims to be the world leader in low-poly asset packs.
Synty has remained founder-owned and bootstrapped through most of its history, with the only disclosed external capital being an $88,111 Callaghan Innovation grant in June 2022. The leadership team has been expanded with senior hires across Business Development, People & Culture, and Marketing — a build-out consistent with a company transitioning from founder-led operations to scaled studio. The company is actively hiring, maintains an investment inquiry channel, and has no disclosed VC, PE, or parent-company affiliation.
Synty firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Synty
- Legal name
- Synty Studios
- Website
- https://syntystudios.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Synty Studios is a New Zealand-based digital art studio that designs and licenses 80+ themed low-poly 3D asset packs for game developers, studios, and metaverse projects, sold through its direct Shopify store and Unity Asset Store via perpetual licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Synty industry classification
Industry- Product category
- 3D Asset Packs for Game Development
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Modding Platforms & Tooling (mods, maps, servers, script hubs) (MPAFAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- On-Chain Game Engines & Developer Tooling (SDKs, APIs, Unity/Unreal plugins) (FSAPAGAB), In-Game Asset Standards & Infrastructure (NFT items, marketplaces, royalties, asset registries) (FSAPAGAE)
Keywords
Where Synty is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Synty business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Asset Pack Sales (One-Time License): Customers purchase individual asset packs with a one-time payment, gaining a perpetual license to use the assets in their projects. Each pack can be licensed individually, allowing customers to pay only for what they need. Three licensing tiers are offered: Small Studio (5 seats, pay once per pack, own forever), Enterprise (unlimited seats, premium support), and NFT & Metaverse (for blockchain, NFT, and metaverse projects).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Small Studio: 5 seats, pay once per pack, commercial use, own forever |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Enterprise: Unlimited seats, ideal for large studios, premium support, massive library access |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | NFT & Metaverse: For NFT/metaverse projects, marketing media, and user-created content |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Synty product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Synty Studios produces and sells an extensive library of 80+ themed low-poly 3D asset packs for use in game development, film/TV production, virtual production, metaverse, and NFT projects. Each pack contains ready-to-use stylized 3D characters, environments, props, and vehicles delivered in Unity Package format, with Unreal Engine support and source files for Godot and other 3D software. Packs are licensed individually via one-time perpetual purchases through the Synty Store and Unity Asset Store, with tiered licensing (Small Studio, Enterprise, NFT & Metaverse) accommodating customers from indie developers to large studios.
Product overview
Synty Studios operates as a digital asset marketplace centered around a library of 80+ themed low-poly 3D art packs. The core product is the Synty Store, an e-commerce platform where customers purchase individual asset packs. The portfolio spans themed packs including Dungeon Realms, Ancient Empire, Fantasy Kingdom, Horror Mansion, Sci-Fi themed packs (Space, Worlds, City), Nightclubs, and Apocalypse. Assets are sold in multiple formats supporting Unity and Unreal Engine. Licensing is tiered with Small Studio (5 seats, pay-once), Enterprise (unlimited seats, premium support), and NFT/Metaverse options for specialized use cases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Synty Store: The company's e-commerce platform for purchasing asset packs
Products and services
- Synty Store The company's direct e-commerce platform where customers browse, purchase, and download individual low-poly 3D asset packs with one-time perpetual licensing. Offers 80+ themed packs and serves as the primary distribution channel.
- Low Poly 3D Asset Packs Library An extensive library of 80+ themed low-poly 3D art asset packs including characters, environments, props, vehicles, and modular world-building assets. Each pack is sold individually with a one-time perpetual license and delivered in Unity Package format with Unreal Engine support and source files for Godot and other 3D software.
- Polygon Ancient Empire Pack Ancient empire-themed low-poly 3D assets including structures, characters, and props for game development and digital content creation.
- Polygon Dungeon Pack Dungeon-themed low-poly 3D assets for creating underground environments and fantasy game levels.
- Polygon Fantasy Kingdom Pack Fantasy kingdom-themed low-poly 3D assets including castles, characters, and decorative elements; Unity Award 2020 Best Artistic Content winner.
- Polygon Dungeon Realms Pack Fantasy dungeon realms-themed low-poly 3D assets; Unity Award 2021 Best Artistic Content winner.
- Polygon Horror Mansion Pack Horror-themed mansion low-poly 3D assets for creating spooky game environments.
- Polygon Nightclubs Pack Nightclub-themed low-poly 3D assets for creating entertainment venue environments in games and digital content.
- Polygon Sci-Fi Worlds Pack Sci-fi world-themed low-poly 3D assets for creating futuristic game environments.
- Polygon Sci-Fi Space Pack Sci-fi space-themed low-poly 3D assets including spacecraft and space environment elements.
- Polygon Sci-Fi City Pack Sci-fi city-themed low-poly assets for creating futuristic urban environments.
- Polygon Apocalypse Pack Post-apocalyptic themed low-poly 3D assets; Unity Award 2019 Best Artistic Content winner.
Companies that use Synty
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Synty technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature1 record
Synty partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- Unity TechnologiescoreSynty assets are natively optimized for Unity with Unity Package files included. Synty distributes through the Unity Asset Store and has won multiple Unity Awards (2017, 2019, 2020, 2021) for artistic content.
- Epic Games (Unreal Engine)coreMany Synty asset packs support Unreal Engine with clear labeling on product pages. Some packs have specific Unreal support noted in product listings.
- Crey GamesnotableSynty assets are used for user-created content in Crey Games' platform. Testimonial indicates assets are 'the best for user created content' and beloved by both team and users.
- Procedural WorldsnotableEnterprise collaboration with Procedural Worlds, a company specializing in modular asset packs for games. CEO Adam Goodrich provided testimonial about working with Synty Studios.
- PavianotableMetaverse platform partnership where Synty assets were used to help Pavia's 70,000+ community create unique land plots using a metaverse builder tool.
- ShopifycoreSynty Store (syntystore.com) is powered by Shopify for e-commerce functionality, order processing, and payment management.
- StripecoreStripe is used for processing credit card purchases on the Synty online store.
- PayPalcorePayPal is used for processing purchases on the Synty online store, providing additional payment options for customers.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Synty competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kenney: Kenney is a leading creator of free and paid low-poly 3D game assets, sprites, and UI packs. Directly comparable to Synty in style, target customer (indie game developers), and product category (themed low-poly asset packs for Unity and other engines).
- Quaternius: Quaternius produces stylized low-poly 3D asset packs and characters, with a significant free-tier offering and premium packs. Competes head-to-head with Synty in the stylized low-poly space and is distributed across Unity Asset Store and Unreal marketplaces.
- Unity Asset Store publishers (e.g., POLYGON assets): Synty's POLYGON packs compete with other top Unity Asset Store publishers offering themed stylized asset packs. They share the same primary distribution channel and target the same indie game developer customer base on Unity.
- GameDev Market: GameDev Market is a marketplace for game art, music, and assets targeting independent game developers. A direct peer to Synty in customer base and product category, with a broader multi-media asset offering.
Broad incumbents
- TurboSquid: TurboSquid is one of the largest 3D model marketplaces globally, operated by Shutterstock. A broad incumbent serving game developers, film/TV, and architectural visualization with a much larger and more diverse catalog than Synty, including realistic and stylized assets.
- CGTrader: CGTrader is a global 3D model marketplace serving game developers, AR/VR, and 3D printing use cases. A broad incumbent comparable to Synty on the marketplace/distribution side, though CGTrader is much larger and serves a more diverse buyer base.
- Sketchfab (Epic Games): Sketchfab is a 3D model publishing and discovery platform, owned by Epic Games. Comparable to Synty as a 3D asset distribution and discovery platform serving game developers, with strong Unreal Engine ecosystem ties.
- Mixamo (Adobe): Mixamo, owned by Adobe, provides a 3D character animation and asset library with strong Unity and Unreal Engine integrations. A broad incumbent serving game developers with ready-to-use characters, overlapping with Synty's character-focused packs.
Emerging players
- BrashMonkey: BrashMonkey produces stylized 3D character and animation tools (e.g., Spriter), serving indie game developers. An emerging player in the stylized game asset space with partial overlap to Synty's customer base and engine integrations.
Regional players
- itch.io: itch.io is an open marketplace for indie games and game assets, serving a strong indie and creator community. While it spans games, assets, and tools globally, it has particularly strong traction with indie developers - the same primary customer segment as Synty.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Synty social profiles
Digital presenceSynty financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Synty leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Synty funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Synty M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Synty
What does Synty do?
Synty Studios produces and sells an extensive library of 80+ themed low-poly 3D asset packs for use in game development, film/TV production, virtual production, metaverse, and NFT projects. Each pack contains ready-to-use stylized 3D characters, environments, props, and vehicles delivered in Unity Package format, with Unreal Engine support and source files for Godot and other 3D software. Packs are licensed individually via one-time perpetual purchases through the Synty Store and Unity Asset Store, with tiered licensing (Small Studio, Enterprise, NFT & Metaverse) accommodating customers from indie developers to large studios.
Is Synty a public or private company?
Synty is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Synty founded?
Synty was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Synty based?
Synty is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Synty make money?
One revenue line is on record: asset Pack Sales (One-Time License).
Who are Synty's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kenney, Quaternius, Unity Asset Store publishers (e.g., POLYGON assets) and GameDev Market. Broad incumbents are TurboSquid, CGTrader, Sketchfab (Epic Games) and Mixamo (Adobe). BrashMonkey is listed as an emerging player. itch.io is listed as a regional player.
Does Synty have an API?
No public API is recorded for Synty.
What industry is Synty in?
Synty's product category is 3D Asset Packs for Game Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAIAB, Modding Platforms & Tooling (mods, maps, servers, script hubs), with a secondary code of FSAPAGAB, On-Chain Game Engines & Developer Tooling (SDKs, APIs, Unity/Unreal plugins). Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 7372.