80 Level
80 Level is a privately held digital media platform publishing tutorials, articles, interviews, and news for game developers and 3D/digital artists, monetized via advertising, sponsored content, and partnerships with game technology vendors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What 80 Level does
80 Level is a privately held digital media company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Los Angeles. It operates a vertical content platform (80.lv) targeted at professional and aspiring game developers, 2D/3D artists, environment and character artists, VFX artists, technical artists, and animators. The platform publishes articles, technical tutorials, artist spotlights, interviews with studios, and industry news covering game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity), 3D and 2D tools (Blender, Maya, Houdini, Substance 3D, ZBrush), and adjacent workflows such as VFX, animation, and rendering.
The product surface consists of the website (the core editorial property), a weekly email newsletter, the Talent marketplace connecting artists with studios (job listings, portfolios), Events coverage and a Workshops directory, an active community discussion system, and the Round Table podcast distributed via Buzzsprout. Distribution spans an owned website plus Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and a Telegram news channel, with editorial reportedly drawing tens of thousands of engaged readers and community participants.
Monetization is advertising- and partnership-driven. Revenue is generated through display advertising, sponsored articles and content packages, media-kit partnerships with game-development technology vendors (including Adobe Substance 3D, Epic Games/Unreal Engine, NVIDIA, Unity Technologies, Houdini/SideFX, Reallusion, and others), paid promotion of independent games via a self-serve 'Promote Your Game' flow, and the Talent marketplace. The company is closely held with no disclosed institutional funding, no disclosed revenue, and limited executive bench (Head of 80 Level: David Jagneaux; Head of Content: Gloria Levine; co-founder Shurick Agapitov referenced in leadership notes).
80 Level firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 80 Level
- Legal name
- 80 Level
- Website
- https://80.lv
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 80 Level is a privately held digital media platform publishing tutorials, articles, interviews, and news for game developers and 3D/digital artists, monetized via advertising, sponsored content, and partnerships with game technology vendors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
80 Level industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Game Development and Digital Art Media
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator & Streamer Platforms (Live & VOD for Game Content) (MPAFAEAA)
Keywords
Where 80 Level is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
80 Level business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsored Content: 80 Level generates revenue through advertising placements on their website and in their newsletter. The platform features sponsored articles and content from partners including Adobe Substance 3D, Unreal Engine, NVIDIA, and other game development technology companies. They offer media kit packages for advertisers targeting the game and digital art industry.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
80 Level product offering
Product offeringCore offering
80 Level operates a web-based media and content publishing platform serving the game development and digital art industries. It publishes articles, tutorials, interviews, and breaking news covering topics such as Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Houdini, Maya, Substance 3D, environment art, character art, VFX, and animation. The platform is supplemented by a curated weekly newsletter, a talent/job marketplace, podcast content, and event coverage for the game art community.
Product overview
80 Level is a media and publishing platform for the game development and digital art industries. The core offering is the 80 Level Website, which publishes articles, tutorials, and news covering game development, 3D art, environment art, character art, VFX, animation, and industry tools. The platform is supplemented by a weekly Newsletter for curated content delivery, a Talent Platform connecting artists with opportunities, Events coverage for industry conferences and workshops, and Podcasts including the Round Table series. The portfolio focuses on educational and news content for professionals and enthusiasts in game development, 3D modeling, and digital art.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 80 Level Website A media and publishing platform for game developers and digital artists, providing articles, tutorials, news, and industry insights covering topics such as game development, 3D art, environment art, character art, VFX, animation, and industry tools like Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Houdini, Maya, and Substance 3D.
- 80 Level Newsletter
Companies that use 80 Level
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
80 Level technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
80 Level partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.
- Adobe Substance 3DmajorAdobe Substance 3D is a partner/sponsor of 80 Level content. The partnership involves sponsored articles and promotional content featuring Adobe's 3D design tools ecosystem including Substance 3D Painter, Substance 3D Designer, and related applications.
- Unreal Engine / Epic GamesmajorEpic Games' Unreal Engine is featured as a partner on 80 Level, with sponsored content and articles covering Unreal Engine development, tutorials, and news updates.
- NVIDIAmajorNVIDIA is listed as a partner of 80 Level, featuring content related to GPU technology, rendering, and game development solutions.
- Houdini / SideFXminorHoudini procedural 3D animation software is featured as a partner on 80 Level, with content covering Houdini workflows for game development and VFX.
- ReallusionminorReallusion is a partner of 80 Level, featuring content about character animation tools and digital human creation technology.
- Unity TechnologiesmajorUnity Technologies is a partner featured on 80 Level, with coverage of Unity game engine development, tutorials, and industry news.
- CGMAminorCGMA (CG Master Academy) is an online education partner offering courses for careers in Art, Games & VFX industries.
- Vertex SchoolminorVertex School is an online Game Design school partner offering intensive bootcamps based on the needs of the gaming industry.
- UModelerminorUModeler is a Unity3D editor extension partner offering level and mesh design tools.
- VirtuosmajorVirtuos, a major game development studio and co-development partner, has published sponsored articles on 80 Level about environment art co-development, world-building, and production workflows. Virtuos is one of the largest independent video game development companies, working with 23 of the top 25 gaming companies worldwide.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
80 Level competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PC Gamer (Future plc): Established gaming publication covering PC gaming news, reviews, and features. Comparable as a digital gaming media brand monetized through advertising and vendor partnerships, though skewed toward consumer reviews rather than developer/artist education.
- Kotaku (G/O Media): Major consumer gaming media outlet with broad audience reach. Comparable as a digital gaming publication monetized through advertising, but operates at much larger scale and serves consumers broadly rather than focusing on the developer/artist niche.
- GameSpot (Fandom): Long-running digital gaming media brand. Comparable in advertising-driven gaming publishing, but oriented toward consumer reviews and news rather than the developer/artist professional audience 80 Level targets.
- IGN Entertainment (Ziff Davis): One of the largest gaming and entertainment media properties. Comparable in business model (digital gaming content + advertising), but with significantly broader audience, multi-format content, and institutional scale.
- Polygon (Vox Media): Major digital gaming and entertainment publisher. Comparable as a multi-channel gaming media brand (site, video, podcast), but part of a larger media portfolio (Vox) and with a broader consumer audience than 80 Level's artist/developer focus.
Direct peers
- Game Developer (Informa Tech / GameIndustry.biz): Long-running B2B media outlet covering the game development industry. Directly comparable as a content-led platform serving professional game developers and studios, monetized through advertising, events, and vendor sponsorship.
- CG Society (CGSociety): Online community and resource hub for digital artists working in games, VFX, and film. Closely comparable to 80 Level's community-and-content model for digital artists, though with a stronger CGI/film skew and smaller audience reach.
- ArtStation: Portfolio and job marketplace for game and entertainment artists. Closely comparable because it overlaps with 80 Level's Talent platform and artist-audience focus, and is owned by Epic Games — a key 80 Level partner.
- The Gnomon Workshop: Premium tutorial and training platform for entertainment artists covering tools like Maya, Houdini, ZBrush, and Unreal Engine. Comparable as a high-quality educational content business for the same artist demographic 80 Level serves, but monetizes via paid courses rather than advertising.
Emerging players
- 80.lv competitors in digital-art education — CGMA: Online education provider for art, games, and VFX careers — already a listed 80 Level partner. Comparable because it targets the same upskilling use case for the same artist audience, but operates on a paid-course model rather than free ad-supported content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
80 Level social profiles
Digital presence80 Level financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
80 Level leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
80 Level funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
80 Level 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 80 Level
What does 80 Level do?
80 Level operates a web-based media and content publishing platform serving the game development and digital art industries. It publishes articles, tutorials, interviews, and breaking news covering topics such as Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Houdini, Maya, Substance 3D, environment art, character art, VFX, and animation. The platform is supplemented by a curated weekly newsletter, a talent/job marketplace, podcast content, and event coverage for the game art community.
Is 80 Level a public or private company?
80 Level is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 80 Level founded?
80 Level was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 80 Level based?
80 Level is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does 80 Level make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising and Sponsored Content.
Who are 80 Level's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PC Gamer (Future plc), Kotaku (G/O Media), GameSpot (Fandom), IGN Entertainment (Ziff Davis) and Polygon (Vox Media). Direct peers are Game Developer (Informa Tech / GameIndustry.biz), CG Society (CGSociety), ArtStation and The Gnomon Workshop. 80.lv competitors in digital-art education — CGMA is listed as an emerging player.
Does 80 Level have an API?
No public API is recorded for 80 Level.
What industry is 80 Level in?
80 Level's product category is Game Development and Digital Art Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAEAA, Creator & Streamer Platforms (Live & VOD for Game Content). Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 2741.