The Sentinels: Keen Mart F.A.R.P. Simulator has officially been awarded an Epic MegaGrant by Epic Games.

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.

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.

Wanna stay up to date with our latest ventures? Follow our Instagram for more!

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 universe of The Sentinels 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!

XZV Studio attended LevelUp KL 2025 to connect with industry partners, learn from peers, and share our work within the gaming space.

Yizu Made recently completed a figurine of Taicho Sin-Yu, another one of the characters from The Sentinels universe.

Our collaboration partners at Yizu Made brought Amir Osman’s mech suit into physical form through a 3D-printed figurine.

“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.