What Squint/Opera does

Squint/Opera is a London-headquartered creative studio, founded in 2001, that designs and produces story-driven immersive experiences across physical, digital, and virtual worlds. The studio operates as a founding member of Journey, a global design and innovation agency with a 400+ person team across nine locations (London, New York, Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Birmingham, Dubai, Hong Kong, Miami, Riyadh), and serves cultural institutions, national governments, leading architecture firms (Foster + Partners, BIG, Casson Mann), sovereign mega-project developers (Qiddiya Investment Company, NEOM, ROSHN, New Murabba), and entertainment operators (F1, Six Flags, Tottenham Hotspur).

Its core offers are organised around five interlocking service lines: film and campaign production (including virtual production filmmaking for sovereign launches such as the Qiddiya City campaign), immersive and interactive experience design for museums and exhibitions, real-time digital twin creation using Unreal Engine 5 (e.g., the Here East campus twin), AR/VR and spatial-computing experiences (e.g., the Davidson Prize-winning HomeForest with Haptic Architects), and accessible museum and exhibition design (e.g., Le Musée national de la Marine's 19 bespoke accessible installations). The technology stack centres on Unreal Engine 5 (with Lumen, Nanite, PCG), virtual production pipelines, LED/projection mapping, smart-glass displays, multispectral imaging, 4D scanning, Pepper's Ghost techniques, and AI-assisted archival and content tools.

Revenue is generated exclusively through bespoke, project-based professional services — multi-year commissions won through competitive tender, direct invitation, or long-standing client relationships — with no standard pricing tiers, no productised offering, and no self-serve channel. Pricing is project-specific and not publicly disclosed; contracts tend to span the multi-year design and delivery arc of landmark cultural and real-estate assets. Geographic exposure is heavily weighted toward the United Kingdom and the Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), with additional commission-level reach into the United States, France, Hong Kong, Oman, Bhutan, and Japan.

Name

Squint/Opera

Legal name

Squint/Opera

Website

https://squintopera.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Squint/Opera is a London-based creative studio (founded 2001, now a founding studio of Journey) that designs and produces bespoke immersive films, exhibitions, digital twins, and spatial-computing experiences for governments, cultural institutions, sovereign mega-projects, and leading architecture firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive Experience Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D Product/Explainer Animation (MPAHACAD), Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)

Keywords

• Immersive experience design
• Museum exhibition design
• Virtual production filmmaking
• Digital twin development
• Creative storytelling studio

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bespoke Experience Design & Production Services: Custom-designed immersive experiences, films, digital installations, and multimedia content for cultural institutions, government entities, and real estate developers. Projects are bespoke, large-scale, and typically won through competitive tender or direct commission, with revenue generated through project fees for strategy, design, technology, and delivery services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Squint/Opera is a creative studio that designs and produces bespoke, story-driven experiences across physical, digital, and immersive worlds. Its work spans film and campaign production, museum and exhibition design, immersive interactive installations, real-time digital twins built in Unreal Engine 5, and AR/VR/spatial computing applications. The studio delivers end-to-end services (strategy, story, design, technology, and delivery) for cultural institutions, government ministries, leading architecture studios, and entertainment operators on landmark international projects.

Product overview

Squint/Opera is a creative studio that creates story-driven experiences across physical, digital, and immersive worlds as part of Journey's global design and innovation agency. The studio offers a portfolio of interconnected services: Film and Campaign Production (creating multidimensional films using virtual production techniques), Immersive and Interactive Experiences (spatial design, sound, film, interactivity), Digital Twin Creation (real-time 3D using Unreal Engine 5), Museum and Exhibition Design (galleries, narrative environments, accessible installations), and AR/VR/Spatial Computing Experiences. The studio does not offer a single unified software product but rather delivers project-based creative services for cultural institutions, destination developers, museums, and attractions worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film and Campaign Production
• Immersive and Interactive Experiences
• Digital Twin Creation
• Museum and Exhibition Design
• AR/VR and Spatial Computing Experiences

Quantifiable outcome

• Zayed National Museum achieved +40% surge in US travellers since opening and +14% increase in visitors to all Saadiyat Island cultural landmarks across 2025.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Foster + PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership on major architecture projects including the Zayed National Museum (Abu Dhabi) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion at World Expo 2025. Foster + Partners designs the architecture while Squint/Opera integrates immersive digital content within the built environment, creating a holistic visitor experience.
• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive collaboration on multiple projects including Mindfulness City (Bhutan), National Juneteenth Museum, and National Museum of the United States Navy. Squint/Opera creates films and exhibition concepts to communicate BIG's architectural visions, working closely with BIG's design teams.
• Casson ManncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibition design partnership on Showtown Blackpool and Le Musée national de la Marine. Casson Mann provides spatial exhibition design while Squint/Opera delivers bespoke digital installations, interactive exhibits, and immersive media content.
• Droga5coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Qiddiya City campaign — Droga5 led the broader campaign strategy while Squint/Opera delivered the virtual production filmmaking and multidimensional campaign films for Qiddiya Investment Company's launch.
• DimensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a founding studio of Journey alongside Squint/Opera and other studios, collaborating on the global Journey network's integrated offer and cross-studio projects.
• CharcoalblueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharcoalblue Experience collaborated with Squint/Opera on F1 DRIVE – London, providing experience design expertise alongside Squint's digital and media content for the immersive karting attraction.
• Groundworks ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm for the AIRSIDE development in Hong Kong. Squint/Opera worked closely with Groundworks to integrate interior design and AV into the overall experience, collaborating with local experts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Haptic ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on HomeForest — a Davidson Prize-winning spatial computing ecosystem. Haptic Architects led the design vision while Squint/Opera created the immersive AR/reality experience that bridges physical and virtual worlds for wellness applications.
• ArupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on the Circular Economy film. Squint/Opera developed an animated film communicating Arup's Circular Building Design Toolkit and its principles for achieving net zero in the built environment.
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Arup and Squint/Opera on the Circular Economy film communicating the foundations' principles for achieving net zero in the built environment, based on the Circular Building Design Toolkit.
• MGACminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject management and consultancy partner on the National Museum of the United States Navy, providing development and delivery expertise alongside Squint/Opera and BIG.
• Olin StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner alongside BIG and Squint/Opera on the National Museum of the United States Navy project, contributing to the overall campus and public realm design.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pixomondo: Global visual effects and virtual production company operating at Hollywood scale with Unreal Engine / LED volume capabilities for film, episodic, and location-based experiences. Comparable virtual production technology stack but at much broader entertainment-industry scale.
• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: Long-established, large-scale museum and exhibition design firm with a global footprint (e.g., National Museum of African American History, UK Houses of Parliament, Statue of Liberty). Competes for major museum commissions in a similar institutional buyer segment.

Direct peers

• ESI Design: New York-based experience design firm creating interactive museum exhibits, brand environments, and visitor experiences (e.g., National September 11 Memorial Museum, Whitney Museum). Direct peer in cultural-institution design with strong North American museum footprint.
• teamLab: Japan-based interdisciplinary art collective producing large-scale immersive digital art installations for museums, exhibitions, and destination venues globally. Comparable in combining real-time technology, narrative, and high-traffic cultural visitor experiences.
• BRC Imagination Arts: Los Angeles-based experience design and brand agency producing visitor centers, museums, theme park attractions, and destination storytelling for global cultural and corporate clients (e.g., World of Coca-Cola, Heineken Experience). Strong direct overlap in culture and heritage commissions.
• Ideum: New Mexico-based design firm developing interactive digital exhibits, multitouch tables, and immersive installations for museums and cultural institutions (e.g., Smithsonian, National WWI Museum). Comparable technology stack and cultural-vertical focus.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based independent studio creating immersive multimedia experiences for museums, public spaces, airports, and cultural institutions (e.g., Harry Potter exhibitions, JFK airport, National Geographic Encounter). Closest direct peer to Squint/Opera in immersive cultural/architectural storytelling at scale.
• Unified Field: New York experiential design agency producing immersive installations, branded environments, and interactive experiences for cultural institutions and corporate clients. Direct peer in delivering technology-driven narrative environments.
• Tellart: Providence-based experience design studio working at the intersection of physical and digital storytelling for cultural, civic, and brand clients. Comparable craft in bespoke immersive installations and experiential design.

Emerging players

• Casson Mann: UK-based exhibition and interior design studio with strong cultural-institution portfolio (e.g., First World War Galleries at IWM, Le Musée national de la Marine with Squint/Opera, Showtown Blackpool). Active collaborator, but with overlapping capabilities in spatial design and shows adjacency in exhibition design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Squint/Opera