Escapee Jack Anderson VFX Artist at Rebellion

Escapee Jack Anderson VFX Artist at Rebellion

Many congratulations to Escapee Jack Anderson who has started a new position working as VFX Artist at Rebellion. 

Rebellion is is a British video game company based in Oxford. Founded in December 1992, Rebellion is best known for Sniper Elite and multiple games in the Alien vs. Predator series.

Introducing "Anarchy"

"Anarchy"

Introducing "Anarchy", the trailer for a combat video game created by our graduating class of Escape Studios' students, studying The Art of Video Games.  

"Anarchy" is inspired by the style of early 2000s video games. 

James McGinty was the Lead Game Designer  and Yousif Abdullah was the Art Director and Animation Lead. 

Introducing "Project Umbrae"

Project Umbrae

Introducing "Project Umbrae", a first person psychological horror experience created by our graduating students at Escape Studios. 

Project Umbrae was a collaboration between students studying the Art of Video Games and the Art of Computer Animation. 

You can find the Project Umbrae trailer at Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1190412394

Escapee Samuel Baker Joins Sports Interactive

Escapee Samuel Baker has joined Sports Interactive

Many congratulations to Escapee Samuel Baker has joined Sports Interactive as a digital artist.  Samuel Baker took our MA in 3D Animation, learning the art and craft of animation with tutor Lee Caller.

Sports Interactive is a games studio founded in 1994, creating immersive gaming worlds "that let players live and breathe their passions". 

Cutting an Animation Reel For Games

Spidey Animation by Giorgos Konstantinos

What should go into a games animation reel? An animation reel for the games industry is essentially a stunt reel - it should include a variety of physical actions - games animators need to be very proficient in body mechanics.  

Games animators are not (for the most part) actors, rather they are "stunt co-ordinators".  It takes a while to break into the games industry so you need to be uploading your work to games sites and showing your progress over time; recruiters and industry folks will watch your progress and keep an eye on you.

Anand Shukla Wins Emmy Award for Graphic Design

Many congratulations to Escapee and Studio Assistant Anand Shukla who has won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Graphic Design for his work on "For Mexico, For All Time", broadcast on ESPN. 

Anand studied the Art of Video Games at Escape Studios, and has been working at Escape Studios as a Studio Assistant since November 2023. 

In addition to his work at Escape, Anand tackles freelance projects outside Escape Studios, such as the Emmy award-winning "For Mexico, For All Time". 

Anand said "I’m so happy to have received an Emmy Award! Huge thanks to Krygon Studios' Bradley Harris for bringing me on board for this incredible project and giving me the chance to be part of something so special". 

Escapee Lucia Caccavale Animator at Lab Sessions

Lucia Caccavale

Many congratulations to Escapee Lucia Caccavale who has joined the games co Lab Sessions as a game animator.  

Lucia Caccavale studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, graduating in the summer of 2024 with first class honours. 

While at Escape Studios, Lucia contributed to many award-winning short films, including The Descent, Wake Up!, Game Heist and When Life Gives You Lemons.  

Free "Gamebridge" is Back on 28 June 2025

Gamebridge 2025 is free on 28 June 

Calling all games students at Escape Studios - "Gamebridge" is back, and it's completely free! On Saturday 28th June 2025 the annual Gamebridge Student Games Festival will be held at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge,. This free event is aimed at further (17yrs+) and higher education students / graduates looking for a career in the games industry. If you're studying games at Escape Studios - that includes you. 

"Power Up" at The Science Museum

One of the great advantages of studying at Escape Studios is access to central London and the industry networking opportunities that exist here, as well as the chance to take advantage of the cultural landscape of the capital.   

The Science Museum's "Power Up" exhibition currently on display in South Kensington is a must-visit for anyone interested in the evolution of video games.  It's a great chance to see where the games industry has come from - and where it is going.

How Animators Get Hired For Games - Today at 1pm

Into Games is hosting a free live-streamed talk today Wednesday 22nd May at 1pm UK time for animators seeking a career as an animator in the Games Industry. 

The title of the talk is "Animation: Communicating the fundamentals. How to Prove You've Got The Experience".

Today's talk is for animators who are either "pre-games or very early in their games industry career". 

The talk will be delivered by Hannah Kravets a Gameplay Animator currently working with Climax Studios. 

"Portfolios That Pack a Punch" Monday 13 May

We're hosting a new portfolio review clinic titled "Portfolios That Pack a Punch" on Monday 13 May at 3.30pm.

This event is aimed at our games students but is also very relevant to animators looking to break into the games industry.  The games industry needs animators too. 

The creative industries are in a constant state of flux - events like this help us keep abreast of the latest changes, and in particular help us identify where the entry-level jobs are, and what is needed to get them. 

Who is hiring, for what jobs, and what skills do you need?

To sign up for this event, follow this link to the official website.

2023 Escape Studios Games Reel

The 2023 Escape Studios' Games Reel is a selection of the very best work created by our talented games students over the past year.  As always, the games dept at Escape Studios continues to raise the bar in terms of the quality of their work, winning industry recognition and continuing to steer our graduates into the expanding games industry. 

Tsveti Kumanova Animator at Fire Without Smoke

Tsvetelina Kumanova joins Fire Without Smoke

Many congratulations to Escapee Tsvetelina Kumanova who has joined Fire Without Smoke, one of the UK's leading games companies, as a junior animator.

Tsvetelina Kumanova studied the Art of Computer Animation at Escape Studios, and went on to complete an MA in Character and Creature Creation. 

While at Escape Studios, Tsveti contributed to a number of award-winning projects, including Burger Royale,  Pet Shop, and Candlewick.  Tsveti has personally won two festival awards for her work.

A number of Escapees have started their careers at Fire Without Smoke, including VFX students Fabrizio Bergamo and Gioia Varago. 

Welcome to Gamebridge! 1 July 2023

£5,000 of prizes to be won by student contestants

We're recommending the free live event "Gamebridge" to all our games and animation students, especially our recent graduates. 

"Gamebridge" takes place on Saturday 1 July 2023 at Anglia Ruskin University; you can find out more at the official site here.

Technical Art & Game Design Reel 2023

Our just-launched BSc/MSci in Technical Art for Games & VFX is now recruiting for September 2023; to see the kind of work being done, take a look at the demo reel above.  This new course aims to bridge the gap between technology and art in the VFX and Games industries, teaching students to embrace the technical architecture that underpins games and VFX work, as well as the artistic side. If you are good at coding and also have an artistic eye - this course could be right for you.

2022 Art of Games Reel at Escape Studios

Above is our 2022 Games Reel, our latest edit of the best work done by our talented students studying the Art of Games at Escape Studios.  Like animation, games has grown enormously at Escape Studios over the last few years, and the quality of the work done by our students speaks for itself.  The games industry itself has expanded rapidly in recent years, overtaking the film industry to be one of the biggest employers in the UK, offering excellent career opportunities for those with the right skillset.

How AI is Changing Animation, Games & VFX

 Potion by Simeon Fenton with Midjourney

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the face of the creative industries.  

This image on the left of a fantasy potion bottle was created by Simon Fenton, our Dean of Interactive and Real Time, using Midjourney.

The brief was to create a potion bottle that had "an angelic and/or demonic feel to it".

The whole process, including multiple iterations of the potion bottle, took just a tiny fraction of the time that a traditional concept artist would take using digital tools - let alone old school pens and brushes.

 

AI is changing the face of the creative industries, but how should artists respond to the challenge? 

Escape Studios Brings Alexander the Great to Life

Escape Studios is delighted to announce a new collaboration with the British Library as part of their new exhibition on Alexander the Great.

Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth explores how the Macedonian conqueror's legacy was transformed into legend.

Escape Studios students created an interactive version of the Ebstorf Map - the largest medieval world map - as part of the exhibition.

Introducing "Novem"

Meet "Novem", the video game produced by students on our Integrated MArt at Escape Studios, who collaborated over the course of a year to create this original game.  "Novem" was supervised by veteran animator and 3D generalist Amedeo Beretta, who oversaw the project from the initial pitch through to final completion. "Novem" was directed by Erin Harrison, now working as a level designer at Media Molecule, and produced by Callum Walters, currently a production co-ordinator at DNEG in London.  

Aaron Hopwood Animator at Chinese Room

Aaron Hopwood

Many congratulations to Escapee Aaron Hopwood, who has started work as a Games Animator at Chinese Room, a games animation studio based in Brighton, Sussex.

Aaron graduated from Escape Studios with a first-class degree in the Art of 3D animation, and later became a Studio Assistant at Escape Studios, helping to train and guide the next  generation of animators.

at Escape Studios, Aaron was the animation lead on Jericho, and co-directed the short film Minuet. Both films have won multiple festival awards.