Studio229
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2012
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Studio229
Studio229 was an independent video game, virtual reality and visual effects studio based in Los Angeles County, California. Founded in August 2012, it combined commercial production work with original interactive entertainment, operating until November 2017. Its work spanned film and television post-production, advertising, music videos, animated explainers and immersive experiences.
The studio’s early projects emphasized visual effects and animation. Its capabilities included compositing, keying, matte painting, digital clean-up and rig removal, alongside 3D modeling, rigging and animation. It also offered storyboarding, visual development and previsualization, connecting early production planning with finished imagery. Motion graphics work ranged from title sequences and animated logos to 2D, 2.5D and 3D commercial content.
From commercial imagery to virtual reality
An early credit was the visual effects for Rhett & Link’s Spot the Differences, also known as Sleep Tight, produced for SleepBetter.org in 2012. The project included compositing and a 3D dollhouse environment. Other commercial and animation work included a General Electric Aviation sequence, the Cheeriocraft commercial, the Metropolis animated logo sequence and a WorkMarket explainer.
In 2015, Studio229 expanded into virtual reality and stereoscopic 360-degree production. Its immersive credits included Morgan Page’s Open Heart music video and Octonauts: VR Great Barrier Reef Adventure. These projects extended its computer-generated imagery and animation work into experiences designed for viewing in VR.
Original interactive releases
The studio subsequently developed standalone PC VR titles. Released in August 2017, Hangry Bunnies From Mars was a room-scale arcade first-person shooter co-developed with Hammer-On. DreamTank, released in October 2017, took a quieter approach: an ambient science-fiction experience built around procedural environments and light interaction.
Studio229’s production history therefore encompassed both commissioned visual work and games released under its own developer and publisher identity. Following its final VR releases, the founders concluded studio operations in November 2017 and moved into other creative roles.
More about Studio229
Founders and origins
Joel Gerlach was the studio’s co-founder and creative director; Cobalt Cox was its co-owner and technical artist. These are historical studio roles.
The name came from dorm room 229 at East Tennessee State University, where Gerlach and Cox lived as students beginning in August 2008. That student-era conception preceded the commercial launch. ETSU later donated the original dorm room door to the studio.
Production model and tools
The report describes a remote-first boutique operation in which the founders collaborated with project-based freelance artists, animators and software contractors. Its toolset included Blender, Maya and Nuke, with Unreal Engine 4 used for procedural VR development. The Metropolis animated sequence was rendered in Blender.
Collaborative production
Its immersive production partnerships included Silvergate Media for the Octonauts experience and Secret Location for the Morgan Page project. The latter used an all-CG, 6K stereoscopic 360-degree format.
Notable credits
11 creditsOffices
Current and former locations of Studio229
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
- 1601 W 168th St., Gardena, CA 90247, USAGardena, California, United States
Gardena office
Former officeClosed 2017
Historical primary registered office within the studio’s Los Angeles County operation, which concluded in November 2017.
- 3551 Voyager Street, Torrance, CA 90503, USATorrance, California, United States
Torrance office
Former officeClosed 2017
Historical secondary production premises within the studio’s Los Angeles County operation, which concluded in November 2017.
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