What Thunder Cloud Studio does

Thunder Cloud Studio (legal entity TCS VN Trading Company Limited) is a Vietnam-headquartered game art outsourcing company founded in 2013 by Dzung Phung Dinh. The studio delivers AAA-grade 3D character design, 3D environments and assets, 3D CGI and animation, and 2D game art to game studios globally, operating with 100+ in-house artists out of Hanoi and reporting 300+ completed projects across A to AAA titles for 50+ clients. Marquee engagements include ongoing production support for Scopely's Monopoly GO!, Digital Extremes' Warframe and Soulframe franchises, MTG portfolio titles (F1 Clash, Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), and promotional content for Hoyoverse and Yoozoo.

Production runs through a five-stage asset-ready animation pipeline with multi-layer QA spanning artist self-checks, supervisors, team leads, division heads, and art director reviews, and is supported by on-site secure facilities enforcing NDAs and access control for IP protection. The studio's technology stack is centered on Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, Unreal Engine, and Unity, with output engineered for direct in-engine integration (Epic Skeleton rigs, LOD optimization, engine validation).

The business model combines three revenue streams: asset-based contracts priced per deliverable with milestone checkpoints, retainer (dedicated team) arrangements common with AAA studios, and one-time-license marketplace sales through Epic Games FAB. Distribution combines direct B2B enterprise sales (website contact form with budget tiers from $10K to $500K+), industry conference presence (XDS 2026 Silver Sponsor, TennoCon partner visibility), ArtStation portfolio scouting, and productized self-serve sales through the FAB marketplace.

Name

Thunder Cloud Studio

Legal name

TCS VN Trading Company Limited

Website

https://thundercloud-studio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Art Outsourcing Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Outsourcing Studios (Art/Animation/Audio/Engineering Support) (MPAFAAAN)

Keywords

• Game art outsourcing
• 3D character design
• 3D environment art
• Game animation services
• CGI production studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanoi

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Asset-Based Contracts: Pricing per defined deliverables (per character, environment, animation set) against agreed asset lists, typically with milestone checkpoints for batches. Suitable for high-volume production with repeatable asset types and stable art direction.
2. Retainer (Dedicated Team) Model: Ongoing capacity where Thunder Cloud allocates a stable, named team to the client over a fixed period. External art partner manages staffing, training, and QA while client directs priorities and reviews. Common in long-term collaborations with AAA game studios.
3. Marketplace Asset Sales: Pre-built asset packs sold through Epic Games FAB marketplace. Examples include Outpost Military Environment Pack (61 modular PBR assets), Desert Bandits character pack, and Battle Mage animation package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thunder Cloud Studio is a Vietnam-based game art outsourcing company providing 3D character design, 3D environment and asset production, 3D CGI/animation, and 2D game art services to game development studios worldwide. The studio operates with 100+ in-house artists on a scalable production pipeline from concept through engine integration, and additionally sells pre-built asset packs through Epic Games' FAB marketplace.

Product overview

Thunder Cloud Studio is a game art outsourcing company offering a comprehensive suite of production services spanning 3D character design, 3D environment and asset creation, 3D CGI/animation, and 2D game art. The company operates with 100+ in-house artists and maintains a full production pipeline from concept through engine integration. Alongside its service offerings, the studio produces and sells pre-built asset packs through Epic Games' FAB marketplace, including stylized character packs (Desert Bandits, Ruthless Demon Horde, Vicious Vikings), environment packs (Outpost Military, Fantasy Wicked Castle, Demon Dungeon), and animation packs (Battle Mage combat animations). All assets are engineered for compatibility with Unreal Engine and Unity, with characters rigged to Epic Skeleton standards. The studio's production pipeline emphasizes asset-readiness with QA-driven workflows, multi-layer quality checks, and direct in-engine validation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 3D Characters Service End-to-end 3D character design service encompassing stylized and realistic character creation, modular character setup, game engine shader lookdev, and fully rigged animation-ready characters for game studios.
• 3D Environment & Assets Service Full-service 3D environment and asset production including AAA game art, game-ready assets, props, weapons, vehicles, NFT art, level design, engine level assembling, shader lookdev, and LOD optimization for game development studios.
• 3D CGI & Animations Service Game trailer production, in-game cinematics, 3D cutscenes, short animations, VFX services, character rigging, and modular animation solutions for real-time engine integration for game studios.
• 2D Game Art Service 2D game art production covering concept art, 2D character design, environment and level design, and slot art for gaming applications.
• Desert Bandits - 3D Stylized Characters Pack A five-character collection of stylized 3D characters designed for Unreal Engine and Unity, featuring optimized meshes, clean materials, PBR textures, and rigs compatible with Epic Skeleton. Suitable for RPG, RTS, action shooters, and cinematic productions.
• Outpost Military - 3D Realistic Environment & Vehicles Pack Military-themed environment pack for Unreal Engine 5 featuring 61 modular PBR assets including checkpoints, watchtowers, sandbags, defensive structures, and military vehicles (armored cars, helicopters, airplanes). Designed for FPS, tactical shooters, and cinematic productions.
• Battle Mage - Game Stylized Combat Animation Pack Marketplace-ready animation pack containing 35 hand-crafted game-ready combat animations for stylized fantasy characters. Built for Unreal Engine 5.3-5.5, rigged to Epic Skeleton with IK bones, supporting Root Motion animations.
• FAB Marketplace Asset Packs Pre-built asset packs sold through Epic Games' FAB marketplace, including character packs, environment packs, and animation packs compatible with Unreal Engine and Unity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ in-game animations delivered per month
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Deep Dive StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 20262D environment design collaboration for side-scrolling game. Thunder Cloud delivered environment scenes, modular assets, and character design for clear gameplay flow and visual consistency.
• Snowprint StudiosmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration on Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus cinematic trailers. Work includes animation, rigging, and storyboarding for the mobile strategy game.
• FAB (Fantasy Animation Bundle / Epic Games)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Asset distribution partnership through Epic Games FAB marketplace. Thunder Cloud sells pre-built asset packs including Outpost Military Environment Pack (61 PBR assets), Desert Bandits character packs, and Battle Mage animation sets.
• ScopelycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ongoing collaboration since 2023 supporting Monopoly GO! continuous production. Thunder Cloud provides 2D UI visual design, 3D assets modeling, and character modelling for the globally successful mobile game.
• 3D CloudscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ongoing partnership since 2023 supporting Fast and Furious Spy Racers, Formula Legends, and Paw Patrol Grand Prix projects with 3D vehicle and character assets.
• MTG (Modern Times Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Retained partnership model contributing to projects across InnoGames, Ninja Kiwi, Hutch, and Snowprint Studios. Includes work on F1 Clash, Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus, and other MTG portfolio titles.
• Digital ExtremescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Long-term art production partnership since 2013 for Warframe and Soulframe. Thunder Cloud contributes character modeling, 3D assets, and texturing. Assets featured in TennoCon 2026 showcases. Partnership built around sustained delivery, iterative review, and alignment with project visual direction.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plastic Wax: Australia-based game art and animation outsourcing studio focused on cinematic, character, and environment production for AAA titles. Comparable production scope and AAA client orientation.
• Magic Media: Game development and art production studio offering art outsourcing, co-dev, and full-cycle services to AAA and AA publishers. Comparable service mix across 3D art, animation, and cinematic production.
• Amber: Global game services and art production company with offices in multiple regions, offering game art, animation, and full-cycle development support to AAA publishers. Closely comparable in service scope and target clients.
• Lemon Sky Studios: AAA game art outsourcing studio based in Asia delivering 3D character, environment, and animation services to major publishers. Highly comparable production model and client targeting.
• Virtuos: One of the largest independent game art and co-development studios globally, offering 3D art, animation, and full production support to AAA and AA game publishers — directly comparable to Thunder Cloud's service portfolio, just at materially larger scale.
• Room 8 Group: Game art outsourcing and co-development studio with multi-site delivery across Eastern Europe and beyond. Competes directly for AAA/AA art production contracts and offers comparable end-to-end 3D character, environment, and animation pipelines.
• GMC Mountain: Asian-based game art production house offering character, environment, and animation outsourcing services to game publishers, with comparable service mix and target client base.
• Beyond-FX: Game art and VFX outsourcing studio providing 3D character, environment, animation, and cinematic services to game and entertainment clients — direct overlap with Thunder Cloud's CGI and animation offering.

Broad incumbents

• Keywords Studios (Keywords Entertainment): Publicly listed global leader in game services spanning art production, QA, localization, and player support. Operates an enormous art services division competing head-on with Thunder Cloud for AAA publisher contracts, with a much wider service breadth.

Others

• Walt Disney Company's outsourcing partner ecosystem (e.g., outsourced art vendors serving Disney IP titles such as Disney Melee Mania): Adjacent context — Disney IP titles (Disney Melee Mania via Mighty Bear) and publisher pipelines involve multiple outsourced art vendors comparable in scope and engagement model. Indirect competitor for branded-IP art mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThunderCloudStu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Thunder Cloud Studio