The year didn’t end with a neat full stop. It rolled into the next one. Somewhere between wrapping up work, catching our breath, and welcoming 2026, we realised 2025 left us with more lessons than milestones. This isn’t a victory lap — it’s a pause to take stock of what actually mattered.

Progress Is Built in Conversations, Not Announcements

Some of the most meaningful moments this year didn’t happen on launch days. They happened over dinners, briefings, charity events, and long conversations with people across the industry. Whether it was reconnecting with peers, meeting students for the first time, or explaining what a project really stands for, we were reminded that work moves forward through alignment, not noise.

Purpose Has to Show Up in the Process

Projects like The Sentinels: Siege of Qu-1 and Kappa pushed us to think beyond outputs. Marketing reach, impressions, and showcases matter — but only when they’re backed by intention. From tying Kappa to autism awareness and animal welfare, to making space for students to truly understand what they’re designing for, we learned that purpose can’t be an afterthought. It has to live inside the work itself.

Community Isn’t a Buzzword — It’s Time Spent

Volunteering at a charity event. Hosting Friendsgiving. Opening our doors instead of sending emails. These moments reminded us that community isn’t something you declare — it’s something you show up for. Slowing down to spend time with people outside of deliverables made the year feel fuller, not less productive.

Growth Doesn’t Always Look Loud

Reaching new audiences, launching a game, signing partnerships — these were big moments. But growth also showed up quietly: in refining how we communicate, learning what didn’t land, and adjusting expectations. Not everything needs to scale immediately to be valuable.

Building Together Beats Building Fast

Partnering with Dasein Academy of Art for Kappa reinforced something important for us: the future of the industry depends on how we bring new voices into the process. Teaching, learning, and creating alongside students slowed things down in the best way. It reminded us that sustainability comes from shared ownership, not speed.

2026 doesn’t feel like a reset button. It feels like a continuation — with clearer priorities and fewer distractions. We’re carrying forward what 2025 taught us: to stay grounded, to keep listening, and to build things that mean something to the people involved.

Here’s to continuing the work — one thoughtful step at a time.

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2025 was a year of movement for XZV Studio — across events, partnerships, launches, and quieter moments that reminded us why we do this in the first place. It wasn’t about one single milestone, but the accumulation of conversations, experiments, and steady progress.

Starting the Year With Industry Connections

We kicked off the year by spending time with industry peers. In February, the team attended a social dinner with Epic Games alongside other partners in the gaming space. It was an opportunity to connect outside of production, exchange experiences, and build relationships that go beyond project timelines.

Giving Back While Sharing Our Work

Later that month, we took part in Hungry Sam Is MAD, a charity food event supporting orphans and the elderly. We joined as volunteers and set up a booth to introduce The Sentinels: Siege of Qu-1 to the public ahead of its launch. Through simple activities like a memory card game and a lucky draw, we shared the Sentinels universe while contributing to a cause rooted in care and community.

Launching The Sentinels: Siege of Qu-1

From March to May, our focus shifted fully to the launch of The Sentinels: Siege of Qu-1. We ran a targeted marketing campaign that reached players globally, particularly in Brazil and Japan. On 15 April, the game launched on Fortnite UEFN, generating over 500,000 impressions over the following months. Post-launch, we continued refining how we spoke to players through gameplay highlights and practical content.

Partnering with the Next Generation

November also marked a meaningful step forward for “Kappa“. During Dasein Academy of Art’s 30th Anniversary celebration at Millerz Square on 3 October 2025, XZV Studio officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the academy. Through this partnership, Dasein students will contribute concept art, character design, and visual development for the film, becoming part of its pre-production journey. For us, the collaboration goes beyond a project milestone — it’s about connecting industry and education, giving young creatives real-world experience while building something together from the ground up.

Slowing Down With Friends and Partners

As the year wound down, we made space to slow things down. In November, we hosted two Friendsgiving gatherings at the studio — one larger, one more intimate — to spend time with partners, friends, and collaborators outside of work. It was a reminder that the industry moves forward because of people, not just projects.

Looking Ahead With Kappa

We closed the year by announcing Kappa, our upcoming animated film. With no government grants or institutional funding, the project moves forward through sponsorships and public support. The campaign, running into early 2026, reflects a shift toward building things together with the community that believes in them.

Looking back, 2025 wasn’t about perfection. It was about showing up, learning, connecting, and continuing to build — step by step.

A new adventure awaits us in 2026, so follow our Instagram to stay up to date with us!

XZV Studio hosted two Thanksgiving gatherings at our office on 27 and 28 November, bringing together different groups of partners and friends for a simple reason: to slow down, reconnect, and spend time together outside of work in a Friendsgiving party.

The first evening, held on 27 November, welcomed over 30 production partners from across the industry, including teams from Vmagery Studio, Yizu Made, Setyo Film Colors, PIXLJAYA, and many others. It was an easygoing night — people meeting each other, catching up, and exchanging stories over familiar comfort food like nasi lemak, mee siam, mutton rendang, and more.

The following day was intentionally smaller. On 28 November, we hosted a quieter Friendsgiving with a close circle of friends and partners, keeping things intimate and relaxed. The menu shifted to a casual Italian spread, featuring ragu pasta, fried chicken strips, and two cakes — one celebrating a colleague’s birthday, and the other marking the birthday of one of our office dogs.

What mattered most across both evenings wasn’t the scale or the menu, but the atmosphere. These gatherings gave us the chance to step away from timelines and deliverables, and to appreciate the relationships that make the work possible in the first place.

As the year comes to a close, Friendsgiving felt like a good reminder: the industry moves forward because of people, and those connections are worth making time for.

To keep up to date with what our studio has been up to, follow our Instagram!

XZV Studio recently visited Dasein Academy of Art to brief students who will be contributing character and environment concept art for “Kappa”. During the session, we shared what the project is about, why it matters, and how the students will be involved as the collaboration moves forward.

The briefing wasn’t about handing out tasks or dumping reference folders. It was about alignment. We walked the students through what “Kappa” stands for, the goals behind it, and what we expect from their work. This isn’t a purely visual exercise. “Kappa” carries themes of autism awareness and animal welfare, and those ideas need to be understood before any design work begins.

To ground the work in real understanding, we shared plans to bring in a speaker from an autism center to Dasein. This gives students the chance to learn from lived experience, not assumptions. We’re also arranging visits to an animal shelter, where students can observe animals, spaces, and behavior up close. These details are hard to capture through images alone.

We also outlined how the collaboration will stay structured. Students were introduced to our dedicated pre-production site, which houses clear references for characters, environments, and props. The platform also includes a direct channel for questions to the XZV Studio team and our partners. All submissions will go through the same system, keeping communication clear and expectations aligned.

This session marks the starting point of a collaboration built on clarity, learning, and purpose. By setting expectations early and grounding creativity in real-world context, we’re creating space for work that’s thoughtful, responsible, and meaningful.

Want to see more updates on “Kappa“? Follow our journey in bringing this animated film to life on our Instagram, and you can find out more about the movie here!

On 7 October, XZV Studio attended LevelUp KL 2025 at CCEC Connexion Nexus to connect with industry partners, learn from peers in the gaming space, and introduce our work within a broader industry conversation.

LevelUp KL brought together a wide range of studios and companies from across the gaming industry, including familiar names like PlayStation Malaysia, Bandai Namco, Epic Games, and many others. The event served as a snapshot of where the industry is heading — from new ventures to works in progress.

We were also glad to see our academy partner, Dasein Academy of Art, present at the event with a booth showcasing student work. The character and environment designs on display reflected the effort and growth of emerging artists entering the industry, and it was encouraging to see their work in a professional setting.

Throughout the day, several studio executives took the stage to share insights into the realities of working in games — from production challenges to career journeys and lessons learned along the way. These sessions offered practical perspectives rather than polished soundbites, which made the conversations worthwhile.

For us, LevelUp KL served a similar purpose to events like Immerse KL. It was less about promotion and more about connection — meeting people, exchanging ideas, and building relationships within the gaming ecosystem. These conversations help shape how we move forward and how we introduce our projects in a space that values collaboration as much as creativity.

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Yizu Made recently completed a figurine of Taicho Sin-Yu, another one of the characters from The Sentinels universe. For this piece, we deliberately gave Yizu Made the space to lead creatively, allowing their instincts and craftsmanship to guide the final result.

Rather than directing how the figurine should look, we trusted Yizu Made to interpret the character in their own way. The goal wasn’t to step away from the process, but to let their creativity take centre stage — and the outcome reflects that trust.

The figurine captures Taicho Sin-Yu with a strong, grounded presence, framed within an environment that adds weight to the character rather than distracting from them. The pose feels purposeful, and the details — from the textures to the overall composition — shows a strong understanding of balance and storytelling.

What stands out most is how cohesive the piece feels. Every element works together naturally, as if the character belongs exactly where they are. It’s the kind of result that comes from creative clarity, not over-direction.

This collaboration reminded us that sometimes the best outcomes happen when you resist the urge to over-direct. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is create space for an artist to do what they do best.

Taicho Sin-Yu’s figurine is a reflection of Yizu Made’s vision and skill, and we’re proud to see the character brought to life through their lens.

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A few months ago, our collaboration partners at Yizu Made brought Amir Osman’s mech suit into physical form through a 3D-printed figurine, marking an important checkpoint in how the character translates from concept into something tangible.

For those who have been following us, Yizu Made also previously built Amir Osman’s figurine: the version of him without the mech suit. That sculpture helped us understand what worked and what didn’t when transitioning from 3D to reality. However, this new figurine pushes everything a step further with its intricate details, translating concept into something real.

Bringing this figurine to life through 3D printing and having both versions of the Amir Osman figurine, with and without his mech suit, gives us a clearer sense of who Amir is physically, not just visually. His silhouette, mobility, armor plates, and personality all had to read clearly once they left the screen. Yizu Made focused first on the stance, before refining the helmet, plate design, and the other details that define him.

What matters most is that this piece gives The Sentinels universe something tangible. When a character exists as an object you can hold, it changes how the world feels. It makes everything we’re building more concrete.

Like to see more content like these? Follow our Instagram for updates!

There’s a story we’ve been building with a lot of heart — one inspired by real families, real challenges, and the quiet bravery found in children who see the world a little differently. And soon, we finally get to share with you the world of “Kappa“, our upcoming animated film.

“Kappa” is a family adventure animated film being built with a collaboration of over 50 creators, blending 2D and 3D animation to tell the journey of Ajax Xavier Leif, a 7-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who becomes lost when his Assisted Living AI Wearable suddenly malfunctions. Guided by his AI device and meeting a stray dog along the way, Ajax must navigate a fast-paced, overstimulating world through his unique sensory experiences to find his way home.

At its core, “Kappa” is a story with a purpose. The film shines a light on autism awareness, offering a gentle and humanized perspective for families, carers, and anyone wanting to understand the signs of ASD through a child’s eyes. It also raises conversations about animal welfare, celebrating the bond between pets and people, and drawing attention to the issues faced by animals within the pet trade. And through Ajax’s AI companion, we explore the growing role of AI in healthcare, imagining how assistive technology could evolve to support neurodivergent communities in meaningful ways.

As we continue developing “Kappa“, we are also seeking sponsorship partners who believe in the film’s mission and want to support its advocacy across autism awareness, animal welfare, and assistive AI development. Your partnership can help us amplify the impact of this story and bring meaningful representation to the communities at its heart. If you want to donate and support “Kappa“, you can do so here.

“Kappa” has a long road ahead. And we can’t wait for you to meet Ajax.

Want to see more updates on “Kappa“? Follow our journey in bringing this animated film to life on our Instagram, and you can find out more about the movie here!

During the 30th Anniversary celebration of Dasein Academy of Art at Millerz Square, Kuala Lumpur on 3 October 2025, we at XZV Studio were proud to officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the academy for our upcoming animated film, “Kappa“.

This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting pre-production journey. Through this collaboration, students from Dasein will have the opportunity to contribute their creativity and passion in concept art, character design, and visual development for “Kappa“.

For us, this is a chance to bridge industry and education, empowering young creatives to gain real-world experience while shaping the future of Malaysian animation.

We’re truly grateful to Dasein Academy of Art for joining us on this journey, and we look forward to bringing “Kappa” to life together.

Follow the official Instagram page of “Kappa” for exclusive looks into the making of our animated film!