Waterproof Studios

What Waterproof Studios does

Waterproof Studios is a private, full-service animation and VFX production studio headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (Vancouver area), founded in 2012 and staffed by 11–50 professionals with backgrounds in gaming, animation, and visual effects. The studio produces pre-rendered and real-time cinematics, cut-scenes, game launch and marketing trailers, animated series, and CG short films for AAA game publishers, film and television studios, animation houses, and brand clients. Its core technology stack is built around Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5) for both real-time in-engine delivery and pre-rendered cinematic pipelines, supplemented by body and facial motion/performance capture, look development, lighting, FX simulation, and compositing.

The studio serves primarily as a B2B co-development and outsourcing partner. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts (cinematics production, trailers, animated series, commercial content) with no public pricing or subscription model disclosed; deal flow is sourced via direct enterprise outreach and a portfolio-driven website that showcases high-profile gaming and entertainment franchises. Marquee client engagements include Mortal Kombat 1 (Warner Bros./NetherRealm), Gears of War (Microsoft/Splash Damage/The Coalition), Sid Meier's Civilization VII (2K/Firaxis), Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche/Warner Bros.), Gotham Knights, Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Mario Strikers Battle League (Nintendo), Star Wars Battlefront II (LucasFilm), Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive (Sony Pictures), and advertising work for Nike and NHL.

Waterproof is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, funding rounds, leadership changes, mergers, or restructuring events. Its operating geographies are North America (Canada and the United States), though clients span North America, EMEA, and APAC. The studio's strategic posture emphasizes end-to-end creative-to-final-frame delivery, stylistic versatility across stylised and photorealistic work, and trusted-vendor positioning across recurring AAA franchises.

Name

Waterproof Studios

Legal name

Waterproof Studios

Website

https://waterproofstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Waterproof Studios is a Burnaby, Canada-based animation and VFX production studio founded in 2012 that delivers pre-rendered and real-time cinematics, trailers, and animated content for AAA game publishers, film/TV studios, and brand clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cinematics and Cut-Scene Production: Project-based production contracts for game cinematics, cut-scenes, and real-time/pre-rendered content for AAA gaming titles.
2. Launch and Marketing Trailers: Production of game launch trailers, teaser content, and game capture trailers for major gaming publishers.
3. Film and TV Visual Development: Visual development, short film production, and VFX services for film and television projects.
4. Animated Series Production: Television and animated series production including style development, animation, and full post-production support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Waterproof Studios is a full-service cinematic animation and visual effects production studio that produces AAA-quality integrated cinematics, real-time in-engine cutscenes, pre-rendered CGI cinematics, game launch and marketing trailers, animated series, CG short films, and CG/VFX for film and advertising. The studio also provides body and facial motion capture and performance capture services, operating a complete production pipeline from concept and pre-production through to final engine or rendered output for gaming publishers, film studios, television networks, and entertainment brands.

Product overview

Waterproof Studios is a full-service cinematic animation and visual effects production studio founded in 2012 and based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The company operates a unified production platform delivering a broad portfolio of services that span the full animation and VFX pipeline — from creative development and pre-production through to final rendered or engine output. The core offering combines multiple service lines: pre-rendered cinematics (high-fidelity CGI produced via traditional rendering pipelines), real-time in-engine cinematics (delivered within Unreal Engine for immediate game integration), game launch and marketing trailers, animated series and television production, CG short film creation, and full CG/VFX production for feature films and advertising. Supporting these core outputs are specialised capabilities including motion capture and performance capture (body and facial), character rigging, look development, lighting, VFX simulation, and compositing. The studio works across stylised and photorealistic visual styles, serving clients in the gaming, entertainment, film, and advertising sectors. Key productions include Sid Meier's Civilization VII, the Mortal Kombat franchise, Gears of War, Hogwarts Legacy, Star Wars Battlefront II, and Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive, among many others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AAA Integrated Cinematic and Trailers Production

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 4 hours of story mode cinematics for Mortal Kombat 1
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Keyword Studios: Publicly-traded game services platform with extensive art, cinematics, and outsourced production capabilities serving the same AAA publisher clients as Waterproof; broader and more diversified but competes for similar co-development and cinematic scopes.
• Digital Domain: Academy Award-winning VFX studio with active game and entertainment cinematic work including Unreal Engine-based productions; competes for the same AAA publisher work as Waterproof but as a much larger full-service player.
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): Lucasfilm-owned VFX and immersive entertainment studio with substantial game cinematic and trailer work (e.g., Star Wars titles overlapping Waterproof's Lucasfilm credit); competes for premium cinematic scopes at a global scale.
• Weta FX: New Zealand-based VFX powerhouse producing cinematics and game-related content; comparable in cinematic execution capability but operates at enterprise scale with much wider IP ownership than a boutique vendor.
• Framestore: Global VFX and immersive content studio with a games/entertainment division producing high-end cinematics and trailers; overlaps directly with Waterproof on AAA game and film VFX, but operates at vastly greater scale across many verticals.
• Sperasoft: Game development and art services provider (Striker Entertainment / Keywords-adjacent) producing cinematics, game art, and full co-development work for AAA publishers; adjacent B2B game services competitor at larger scale.

Direct peers

• Axis Studios: Glasgow-based animation and VFX studio producing cinematics, trailers, and game content for AAA gaming and entertainment clients; matches Waterproof in scale, project-based delivery, and franchise-style work.
• Unit Image: French motion capture and cinematic production studio serving AAA game publishers (e.g., work on Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed); highly comparable as a boutique specialist in game cinematics, mocap, and animation with similar client base and delivery model.
• Goodbye Kansas: Swedish VFX and game cinematics studio delivering performance capture, CG, and in-game trailers for AAA titles; near-identical offering to Waterproof including Unreal Engine real-time cinematics and trailer production for major publishers.
• Genuine Studios: Boutique creative studio producing trailers, cinematics, and marketing content for games and entertainment; comparable in scale and service mix including AAA game trailer and launch asset production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wpstudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Waterproof Studios