TATO

TATO is a boutique CGI and real-time animation studio in Poznań, Poland, focused on cinematic marketing for video games. Founded and led by cinematic director Piotr Buczkowski, the studio creates announce, reveal, launch and teaser trailers, gameplay showcases, and in-engine narrative cinematics for game developers and publishers across Europe and North America.

The studio works across the early creative and finished-production stages of a campaign, from scriptwriting, storyboarding, visual development and animatics through to asset creation, character work, animation, visual effects, editorial, colour grading, compositing and sound design. Its productions can be built natively with client game assets for real-time use or delivered as pre-rendered cinematic sequences.

Real-time cinematic production

TATO’s pipeline centres on Unreal Engine 5 and incorporates Houdini, Blender, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer and Reallusion Character Creator. Its capabilities include 3D modelling and texturing, MetaHuman integration, facial animation, motion-capture cleanup, lighting, procedural effects simulation and trailer marketing direction. For performance-driven work, the studio records bespoke facial and body motion capture with professional actors for indie and AA productions, while using external optical stages for AAA projects.

The team also develops in-engine volumetric smoke, explosions and other procedural effects using tools including ZibraVDB. This combination of real-time production, animation and post-production supports work ranging from cinematic reveals to cutscenes and gameplay-led promotional films.

Selected work

TATO’s credited game-trailer work includes:

• Ghostrunner II — announce, launch, pre-order and demo trailers
• Valor Mortis — reveal cinematic trailer
• Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement — announce trailer
• Forever Skies — cinematic trailer
• WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers — announcement and launch trailers, plus in-game intro
• Memoriapolis and STYX 3: Blades of Greed — cinematic campaign work