What Unit9 does

Unit9 is a privately held global innovation production studio founded in 1997 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in Los Angeles, New York and Łódź, Poland. The studio operates across six core service lines — Films, Digital, Games, VR/AR, Experiential and Real Time VFX — supplemented by specialized verticals including Attractions by UNIT9 (visitor experiences for museums, theme parks and cultural institutions), UNIT9 Co:Lab (in-house innovation sprints and product incubation) and the Hoxton Window Project under its Presents division. Its core technology stack spans generative AI (notably Stable Diffusion-based avatar pipelines), computer vision for AR, IoT integrations, real-time VFX, interactive installations using C++ (openFrameworks), Python and Raspberry Pi, projection mapping, and voice-activated systems such as Amazon Alexa skill integrations.

The company serves enterprise clients across automotive, entertainment, sports, consumer electronics, FMCG, gaming, financial services, cultural institutions and nonprofits. Its business model is project-based professional services with custom-scoped, fee-for-service engagements secured through direct brand relationships, agency partnerships, and a U.S. sales representative network covering the West Coast, Mid-West and East Coast. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marquee clients include Nike, Coca-Cola, Amazon, Xbox, Netflix, Disney, Google, Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Lotus, Aston Martin F1, Adidas, Lionsgate, EA, Ubisoft, Delta Air Lines and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Name

Unit9

Legal name

UNIT9

Website

https://unit9.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Unit9 is a privately held global innovation production studio, founded in 1997 and headquartered in London, that designs and builds films, digital experiences, games, VR/AR, experiential activations and real-time VFX for enterprise brands and cultural institutions across multiple offices worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real-Time Content & Engine Services (Unreal/Unity, Real-Time Rendering Pipelines) (MPADAHAH), XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)

Keywords

• Innovation production studio
• Experiential brand activations
• Immersive VR AR experiences
• Interactive installation design
• Creative content production

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Project-based Production Services: UNIT9 generates revenue through fee-for-service production projects for brands and agencies. Projects include film production, digital experiences, experiential activations, AR/VR experiences, and games. Revenue is project-based with each engagement scoped and priced individually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UNIT9 is an innovation production studio that designs, develops, and delivers immersive brand experiences, films, digital products, games, VR/AR content, and real-time VFX for major brands and entertainment companies. Engagements are scoped as project-based productions that combine creativity, software engineering, gaming expertise, and emerging technology such as AI, XR, Web3, and IoT. The studio also operates a specialized Attractions vertical for visitor-centric installations in museums, theme parks, and retail, plus an in-house innovation lab (Co:Lab) for rapid prototyping and product incubation.

Product overview

UNIT9 is an innovation production studio offering a multi-disciplinary portfolio of services across Films, Digital, Games, VR/AR, Experiential, and Real Time VFX. The studio operates through distinct divisions including Films (live action content), Digital (web/mobile development, data visualization, IoT), Games (console, mobile, wearable gaming), VR/AR (immersive experiences), Experiential (live brand activations), and Real Time VFX. Attractions by UNIT9 is their specialized vertical for visitor-centric projects spanning museums, cultural institutions, theme parks, and retail environments, while UNIT9 Co:Lab drives internal innovation through rapid prototyping and product incubation. The Hoxton Window Project showcases rotating artist installations as part of their Presents division.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Films Live-action and content production practice; a roster of film and interactive directors shoots content for TV, social web, mobile, installations, and everything in between, serving major brands and entertainment franchises.
• Digital Web and mobile design and development service covering data visualization, UX/UI, big data, and Internet of Things solutions, delivered to brands and entertainment clients.
• Games Game ideation and development for web, mobile, consoles, and wearables, including the creation of gamification platforms and ecosystems for brands.
• VR/AR Immersive content creation service spanning virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed-reality experiences for entertainment and branded applications.
• Experiential Experiential and live advertising service using architecture, VR, motion graphics, and motion sensors for innovative brand activations and events.
• Real Time VFX Real-time visual effects service for live events, broadcasts, and interactive experiences requiring immediate rendering and display, such as volumetric light beams and holographic displays.
• Attractions by UNIT9 Specialized vertical for visitor-centric immersive experiences serving museums, cultural institutions, theme parks, retail, hospitality, and location-based entertainment venues, combining digital, creative/design, physical, strategy, and project management capabilities.
• UNIT9 Co:Lab In-house innovation sprints, rapid prototyping, grants, IP development, digital acceleration, and product incubator services for emerging technology exploration within UNIT9.

Quantifiable outcome

• She Can STEM achieved 100% player retention with average playtime of 3 hours 30 minutes
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tool of North America: Multidisciplinary innovation production studio producing films, digital experiences, AR/VR, games and experiential work for global brands. Closely mirrors UNIT9's offering and client roster across entertainment and consumer brands.
• B-Reel: Creative technology studio with capabilities across film, digital, games, AR/VR and interactive experiences for major brands. Operates a similar end-to-end model combining creativity, design and engineering under one roof.
• Jam3: Digital production and design studio building interactive experiences, films, games, AR/VR and immersive campaigns for global brands and entertainment clients — directly comparable in scope and category.
• North Kingdom: Swedish-Norwegian creative studio specialising in interactive digital experiences, AR/VR and immersive brand storytelling — overlapping UNIT9's experiential and XR work for enterprise clients.
• Nexus Studios: Independent production studio combining film direction, interactive storytelling, AR/VR and experiential work for global brands and entertainment IPs — a close functional analogue to UNIT9.
• Resn: New Zealand-based creative technology studio producing award-winning interactive, immersive and brand experiences across web, AR/VR and installations — comparable multidisciplinary creative-tech profile.
• Buck: Design and creative production studio with deep motion, real-time VFX, AR/VR and experiential capabilities for global brands — directly comparable on the real-time VFX and brand-experience axis.

Broad incumbents

• MPC (Moving Picture Company): Global VFX, animation and post-production powerhouse within Technicolor. Overlaps with UNIT9 on film production, real-time VFX and immersive brand work but operates at significantly larger scale across film, episodic and advertising.
• Digital Domain: Hollywood VFX and immersive experience studio spanning feature films, episodic, advertising and virtual humans. Overlaps with UNIT9 on real-time VFX, AI-driven avatar work and brand experiences, but at far broader scale.
• Hogarth Worldwide: WPP-owned global production partner delivering film, digital, content and localisation services to enterprise brands. Comparable B2B production-services model for global advertisers, though less specialised in XR/AI experimentation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNIT9
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/unit9
• Facebookfacebook.com/unit9.london
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unit9
• Instagraminstagram.com/unit9ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unit9