Penrose Studios
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 1
About Penrose Studios
Penrose Studios is an independent virtual reality, augmented reality and spatial computing production studio based in San Francisco. Founded in 2015 by filmmaker and entrepreneur Eugene YK Chung, it combines animated storytelling with software development for immersive experiences. Its work spans cinematic narratives, interactive content and tools for creating and reviewing scenes inside virtual reality.
The studio develops, finances and produces animated VR and AR films and episodic experiences. Its production capabilities include narrative scripting, 3D character modeling, rigging, animation, immersive audio and real-time rendering integration. These disciplines support stories designed for immersive headsets, alongside the technical systems needed to build spatial worlds.
Immersive storytelling
Penrose’s debut animated VR short, The Rose & I, drew inspiration from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and appeared in the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier program in 2016. Its mobile preview, Rosebud, was developed specifically for Samsung Gear VR.
Allumette, also released in 2016, is a 20-minute narrative inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and reached audiences through PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. The production brought Penrose’s character animation and immersive worldbuilding to several early consumer VR platforms.
The studio continued its narrative work with Arden’s Wake: The Prologue in 2017, followed by the expanded second installment, Arden’s Wake: Tide’s Fall, in 2018. The latter features voice performances by Alicia Vikander and Richard Armitage and screened at Tribeca and Venice VR.
Production technology
Alongside its films, Penrose develops spatial computing software and collaborative creation tools. Its proprietary platform, Maestro, enables artists, animators and engineers to work together inside virtual reality, manipulate assets and review cinematic sequences. This combination of original production and tool development connects the studio’s storytelling practice with the practical challenges of creating immersive cinema.
More about Penrose Studios
Founder background
Before establishing the studio, Eugene YK Chung served as Head of Film & Media at Oculus VR and co-founded Oculus Story Studio. The supplied research establishes his founding role but does not confirm a current executive title.
Recognition
- Arden’s Wake: The Prologue won the inaugural Best VR Lion at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017.
- Maestro received the Interaction Innovation Award in 2018.
Funding milestones and operating model
Penrose raised an $8.5 million seed round in 2016 and a $10 million Series A in July 2018. TransLink Capital led the Series A, with participation from Shasta Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and 8VC.
The research describes a specialized core team supplemented by remote contributors.
Notable credits
6 creditsOffices
Where Penrose Studios is based
- San Francisco, California, United States
San Francisco offices
HeadquartersAbout this office
**Office** Status: active Headquarters Address: 548 Brannan Street, Suite 407, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA Current headquarters and direct studio address identified in the company's Terms of Use effective June 10, 2026. --- **Office** Status: inactive / historical Address: 223 Mississippi Street, Suite 3, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA Historical production office recorded during the release of Arden's Wake: Tide's Fall. The report does not establish a closure year. --- **Office** Status: inactive / historical Address: 2039 48th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116, USA Historical corporate office recorded in commercial registries. The report does not establish a closure year.
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