Skillbard

Name

Skillbard

Legal name

Skillbard

Website

https://skillbard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Audio Production Services

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Creative audio production
• Music composition services
• Sound design studio
• Game audio production
• Audio post-production

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Audio Services: Project-based professional services revenue from original music composition, sound design, foley, orchestral recording, audio post-production, and audio direction for games, films, advertising, and branded content. Revenue is generated through bespoke client engagements rather than recurring subscriptions or product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Skillbard is a London-based creative audio studio that produces original music (scoring, songwriting, recording, production), bespoke sound (sound design, editing, foley, field recording), audio post-production (mix, master, 3D/spatial audio), and audio direction for games and interactive media. It serves animation studios, game developers, consumer brands, broadcasters, and immersive/AR creators with project-based engagements.

Product overview

Skillbard is a creative audio studio based in London, UK, specializing in music composition, sound design, and audio direction for visual media. The company operates as a service-based studio rather than a product company, offering original music (scoring, songwriting, recording & production), bespoke sound (sound design, editing, foley & field recording), audio post (mix & master, 3D & spatial), and audio direction services for games, interactive media, and branded content. The studio works with a diverse range of clients including major brands like Spotify, MTV, Hermès, Verizon, and Samsung, as well as independent filmmakers and animation studios. Notable projects include the BAFTA-nominated Genesis Noir video game soundtrack, Spotify Wrapped campaigns, and various branded content for global advertisers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Composition & Scoring

Quantifiable outcome

• Spotify Wrapped campaign reached 574 million users in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Liquid CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing creative partnership with design studio founded by Keiichi Matsuda. Skillbard is described as 'de facto audio partner' having collaborated on Hyper-Reality, Merger, Agents, Overbeast, and Wisp projects. Matsuda states: 'Skillbard's work made the world feel alive and created an experience that people love to spend time in.'
• Feral Cat DencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopers of Genesis Noir who invited Skillbard for full audio production. The partnership produced a BAFTA-nominated, IGF award-winning game with four years of collaboration. Currently working on sequel Nirvana Noir.
• Chop StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProduction company for Shiseido x Hunter Schafer project. Skillbard collaborated with Chop Studio on this branded content project.
• Nexus StudiosminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Nexus Studios on Dallas Cowboys AR experience at AT&T Stadium using Samsung S10 5G phones. Skillbard provided dynamic soundtrack and sound design.
• Non-FormatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio collaboration on KDDI/iida phone project. Non-Format developed animated chronographic themes and invited Skillbard to contribute musical and playful audio components.
• Snap Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Snap Spectacles version of Wisp experience, expanding the AR world to new platforms beyond Apple Vision Pro.
• Fellow TravellerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher of Genesis Noir, distributing the game on Mac, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch platforms.
• iam8bitminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLicensed vinyl soundtrack release of 'Big Bang: Music From the Universe of Genesis Noir' through gaming merchandise retailer iam8bit.
• Budapest Art OrchestraminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOrchestra used for orchestral recording sessions on multiple projects including Genesis Noir and Drone, with arrangements by Finn McNicholas and conducted by Peter Pejtsik.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Spitfire Audio: London-based music technology company producing high-end sample libraries and compositional tools used in film, TV, and game scoring. Adjacent peer sharing geography and creative-audio customer base, though primarily a product company rather than bespoke services.

Direct peers

• MassiveMusic: Amsterdam-headquartered global music and sound agency offering bespoke music composition, sonic branding, and audio production for brands, games, and film. Closely comparable to Skillbard in service mix (branded audio + game/film scoring) and target client profile (Spotify, Nike, Google-tier brands).
• Barking Owl: LA/NYC-based creative audio studio specializing in music, sound design, and sonic branding for advertising, film, and games. Mirrors Skillbard's discipline-agnostic, storytelling-led approach and enterprise brand client roster.
• Antfood: Creative audio studio delivering original music, sound design, and sonic branding for advertising, film, and interactive media. Highly comparable to Skillbard as a project-based, award-winning boutique audio studio serving global brands and animation/game clients.
• Jamestown Music: London music composition and sound design studio for advertising, television, and games. Comparable boutique UK audio house serving similar enterprise brand and broadcast clients.
• String and Tins: London-based sound design and music studio for advertising, film, and branded content. Geographic peer to Skillbard with overlapping client categories (global brands, agencies) and similar bespoke creative-audio service model.
• Q Department: Sonic branding and original music studio for global brands, agencies, and entertainment. Overlaps with Skillbard in sonic identity work (MTV, Hermès-equivalent brand assignments) and bespoke scoring.

Emerging players

• Suno: Generative AI music platform producing short-form songs and branded audio. Emerging player with partial overlap in branded and explainer audio categories where Skillbard also competes (e.g., Instagram explainer music, KDDI ringtones).

Broad incumbents

• Audio Network: Larger music licensing and original composition platform supplying pre-cleared music to film, TV, advertising, and games. Broader incumbent offering music as a catalog/scale play versus Skillbard's bespoke studio model, but serving the same end-buyer segments.
• Warner Chappell Music: Major music publisher with sync, custom composition, and sonic branding services for advertising and entertainment. Broad incumbent with overlapping branded-audio capabilities, though operating at much larger scale with a portfolio-model approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skillbard
• Instagraminstagram.com/skillbard
• Facebookfacebook.com/skillbard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skillbard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Skillbard