ITSALIVE

What ITSALIVE does

ITSALIVE is a Russian creative studio founded in 2019 and headquartered in the Skolkovo Innovation Center in Moscow, specializing in 3D mascot and digital avatar development, virtual production, and branded media content for large Russian enterprises and government entities. The studio operates a vertically integrated pipeline combining traditional 3D computer graphics with Unreal Engine real-time rendering, an in-house motion capture laboratory equipped with Xsens suits, Facegood/Faceware helmets, StretchSense/Manus gloves, and an Antilatency floor capable of producing up to 500 minutes of animation per day. Proprietary technology components include custom Unreal Engine scripts and plugins that deliver a threefold production speed improvement, a parallelized character creation pipeline that compresses typical industry timelines from four months to one month, a proprietary AR platform optimized for ARCore and ARKit, and a real-time broadcasting pipeline based on Unreal Engine Blueprints.

The studio generates revenue primarily through project-based professional services contracts covering mascot development, digital character creation, advertising production, AI-powered content, and event experiences, with potential licensing of original IP properties (Istok, Kukuzyby, Kotofony, Ann Tenn). Its named client base spans Sber, VK, M-Video, Gazprombank, Alfa-Bank, Megafon, Skyeng, Gosuslugi, KLJUCHAVTO, Soyuzmultfilm, Sferum, FeniSmart, and World 2040, with documented outcomes including 350,000 Telegram sticker installations for SberCat, 8.6 million views for the M-Video EM.VI avatar stream, and 1 million first-week views for Soyuzmultfilm shorts. The studio is accredited as an IT organization under Russian Ministry of Digital Development Order No. 449 (May 11, 2023) and operates three sub-brands — ITSCOOL (Unreal Engine training), ITSMOcap (motion capture rental), and ITSCHOOL (educational programming) — alongside a Holobox hardware product line for holographic character display in physical spaces. The company is privately held, has no disclosed external funding, and is recognized with more than 50 Russian and international industry awards.

Name

ITSALIVE

Legal name

Общество с ограниченной ответственностью «Итсэлайв»

Website

https://itsalive.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ITSALIVE is a Russian creative studio founded in 2019 that builds 3D mascots, digital avatars, and branded content for large Russian enterprises using proprietary Unreal Engine pipelines and an in-house motion capture studio, serving clients including Sber, VK, and M-Video.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Content Production / 3D Animation Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

3D Character Animation (MPAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

CG Asset Creation (Modeling, Texturing, Lookdev, Rigging) (MPAHABAE), Real-Time Compositing, Keying & On-Set Playback (MPAHADAG), Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN), Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM), XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)

Keywords

• 3D character animation
• Virtual production services
• Brand mascot development
• AI content production
• Motion capture services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-based Character Development: Custom 3D mascot, avatar, and character creation services for brands. Includes concept development, modeling, animation, and implementation.
2. Content Production Services: Video advertising, cinematic content, and brand media production featuring characters. Includes AI-powered content and real-time productions.
3. IP/Character Licensing: Possibility for character licensing based on owned IP properties (Kukuzyby, Kotofony, Istok, etc.) for merchandise and extended use.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ITSALIVE is a creative CGI and virtual production studio that develops custom 3D mascots, digital avatars, and brand characters for enterprise clients, alongside producing video advertising, AI-powered content, AR/XR experiences, and full CG cinematic series. The studio delivers end-to-end character lifecycles from concept to deployment, leveraging proprietary Unreal Engine scripts, in-house motion capture, and neural network image generation, and additionally operates an educational arm (ITSCOOL) and holographic display hardware (Holoboxes).

Product overview

ITSALIVE is a digital content production studio offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on 3D mascot and avatar creation for brands. The core offering consists of six service lines: Mascot Development (маскоты), Digital Characters (цифровые персонажи), Classic Advertising (классическая реклама), AI Content (ИИ контент), Events (ивент), and Entertainment/Educational Content. Supporting these are proprietary technology platforms including Motion Capture Studio, AR Platform, and Real-time/Vtubes streaming. The company also operates ITSCOOL, an educational program teaching Unreal Engine pipelines. ITSALIVE has developed original IP including the Slavic fantasy universe Истокъ (Istok), edutainment project Кукузябы (Kukuzaby), animated series Котофоны (Kotofony), and competition show format Ан Тенна (Ann Tenn). The studio also produces hardware products (Голобоксы/Holoboxes) for holographic character display.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ITSCOOL: Educational school for training in Unreal Engine and new production pipelines based on the studio's expertise
• ITSMOcap
• ITSCHOOL

Products and services

• Mascots (Маскоты) Development of 3D and 2D commercial mascots and brand characters, positioned as the fastest mascot creation service in Russia (1 month versus 4-month industry standard). Includes concept, modeling, animation, and implementation for use across advertising, social media, events, and merchandise.
• Digital Characters (Цифровые персонажи) Development of 3D and 2D commercial characters for brands, including products, merchandise, and outdoor advertising. Includes digital ambassadors and brand representatives usable across multiple platforms.
• Classic Advertising (Классическая реклама) Traditional advertising content production including SMM content, AI characters, video ads, and automation services for brand marketing campaigns.
• AI Content (ИИ Контент) AI-powered video and character development including AI assistants, neuro-avatars, real-time streaming technologies, touch design, AR/XR experiences, and motion capture. Leverages proprietary neural networks for consistent image and video generation.
• Events (Ивент) Event content production including cinematics, AR/XR experiences, SM formats, series, games, and shows for live and hybrid events.
• Entertainment and Educational Content (Развлекательный и образовательный контент) Production of cinematics, series, mini-dramas, shows, and games using 3D or AI technology designed for engaging, viral, and interactive content distribution.
• Holoboxes (Голобоксы) Holographic display boxes for showcasing virtual characters in physical spaces.
• ITSCOOL School of new pipelines teaching Unreal Engine fundamentals in 2 months using ready-made scenes, assets, and animation. Educational program operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITSALIVE.
• Istok (Истокъ) Cinematic project dedicated to Slavic folklore character origins, made entirely on Unreal Engine. Fantasy universe based on Slavic myths and fairy tales, available for character licensing.
• Kukuzaby (Кукузябы) Edutainment project using Mixed Reality technology placing real children in 3D environments for emotional immersion, targeting quality children's content. Owned IP available for licensing.
• Kotofony (Котофоны) Animated series about two cat radio hosts Dzynka and Klats, where characters live real lives and share on social media as real bloggers. Owned IP available for licensing.
• Ann Tenn (Ан Тенна) Competition show format with tournament table where random characters compete in games hosted by a narcissistic host. Produced in 2 weeks per episode. Owned IP format available for licensing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350,000 Telegram sticker pack installations in first weeks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DNEG: Global VFX and animation services company with strong character and virtual production capabilities. Comparable on the CG/character creation service offering but operates at a vastly larger scale and global footprint.
• The Mill: Global creative technology and VFX studio with strong virtual production, real-time, and brand content capabilities. Comparable on real-time character work and brand-customer overlap, though at much larger enterprise scale.
• Framestore: Global VFX and creative studio with extensive experience in CG characters, virtual production, and immersive content. Comparable on the character/real-time production stack but as part of a much broader Hollywood-focused services portfolio.
• Industrial Light & Magic: Legendary VFX and entertainment studio with deep CG character, virtual production, and immersive media capabilities. Comparable technology stack and real-time/virtual production expertise, though serving primarily film and global brand clients at top-of-market scale.

Direct peers

• Parovoz Animation Studio: Russian animation studio producing 3D character content for entertainment and brands. Comparable on 3D character pipeline, Russian market, and IP ownership, though with stronger consumer entertainment focus.
• Avatarica: Russian animation and 3D content studio with comparable focus on character-driven content and brand engagement. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography, customer type (Russian enterprises), and character animation capability.
• Wizart Animation: Russian 3D animation studio producing feature films and series. Comparable geography and 3D character focus, with overlap in serving entertainment and family/kids content verticals.
• Melnitsa Animation Studio: One of Russia's largest animation studios producing 3D animated feature films and series. Comparable on 3D character creation, Russian market focus, and entertainment IP development, though primarily feature-film oriented rather than brand mascot services.

Emerging players

• Synthesia: AI video avatar platform widely used by enterprises for branded communications. Comparable in brand-avatar-as-service use case and enterprise customer segment, but competes via generative AI rather than custom 3D character pipelines.
• Soul Machines: AI-driven digital avatar and digital human platform for brands and enterprises. Comparable in the brand-digital-ambassador use case ITSALIVE serves (e.g., EM.VI for M-Video), but with a software/AI-platform delivery model rather than custom 3D production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@itsalive.studio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itsalive-studio

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 ITSALIVE