Keywords Studios has announced the creation of FreeAnimal, a consolidated organization that brings together seven of its previously separate creative agencies into a single, streamlined entity. The purpose of this move is to provide developers, publishers, and brand owners with one clear point of contact for all their creative and marketing needs, eliminating the complexity of dealing with multiple vendors. The newly formed group is composed of the creative agencies Ichi, KWM, Fire Without Smoke, and Gnet, as well as the media production studios TrailerFarm, Maverick, and Big Farmer. Together these teams span major industry hubs including Los Angeles, London, Brighton, Montreal, and Quebec, giving FreeAnimal a truly international footprint and the ability to tap into regional talent pools while maintaining a cohesive global strategy.
Each of the seven firms announced the restructuring on LinkedIn, emphasizing that this marks the beginning of a new chapter in which they will operate as a single creative agency. Existing client contracts will remain unchanged, ensuring continuity of service, while future projects will benefit from the combined expertise, resources, and creative capacity of the unified FreeAnimal organization. "Collectively, we work with the world's most ambitious gaming brands," said John Rosenberg, Global Head of FreeAnimal. "By fusing seven agencies' perspectives, geographies, and experiences from across the games industry, we've created a wildly effective creative organisation that combines boutique strike teams with global scale." Rosenberg also highlighted the company's guiding philosophy, which he calls "The Right Team for Every Game." This approach means assembling the ideal mix of specialists at the precise moment they are needed, ensuring each client receives a tailored solution that addresses the specific challenges of their project.
FreeAnimal's formation builds on Keywords Studios' long‑term strategy of growth through acquisition. Founded in 1998 as an outsourcing firm, Keywords began expanding its portfolio in 2014 with the purchase of voice‑production studio Liquid Violet. Since that initial step, the company has acquired roughly 70 businesses, broadening its service offering to include audio production, art creation, localisation, quality assurance, functional testing, engineering, player support, trailer production, marketing, and data analytics.
Among the most recent additions to Keywords' roster are Certain Affinity, a co‑developer on the Halo franchise, and Wushu Studios, a work‑for‑hire studio that joined the group in 2024. Earlier in the year, Keywords also merged two of its public‑relations agencies—Fortyseven Communications and Indigo Pearl—following the opening of Fortyseven's new London office, further consolidating its communications capabilities. The creation of FreeAnimal reflects a broader industry trend toward integrated service models. Game developers increasingly seek partners who can handle everything from concept art and sound design to community management and global marketing campaigns.
By uniting seven specialized firms under one banner, FreeAnimal can offer end‑to‑end solutions while preserving the agility and creativity of smaller boutique teams. In practical terms, the new agency will be able to allocate resources more efficiently. For example, a studio launching a multiplayer title can draw on Ichi's expertise in brand identity, Gnet's localisation talent for multiple regions, TrailerFarm's experience producing high‑impact launch trailers, and Maverick's capabilities in live‑event production—all coordinated through a single project manager.
This reduces hand‑off friction, shortens timelines, and often results in cost savings for the client. Furthermore, the geographic spread of FreeAnimal's offices allows for near‑real‑time collaboration across time zones. A design concept can be originated in Los Angeles, refined by the London team, localized by the Montreal studio, and finally approved by the Quebec office, all within a compressed schedule that would be difficult to achieve with disparate vendors. FreeAnimal also plans to invest in emerging technologies such as real‑time rendering, AI‑driven content generation, and advanced data analytics to provide deeper insights into player behaviour and marketing performance.
By leveraging the combined R&D resources of its constituent agencies, the organization aims to stay at the cutting edge of creative production for the gaming sector. In summary, Keywords Studios' launch of FreeAnimal represents a strategic consolidation of seven complementary agencies into a unified, globally‑distributed creative powerhouse. The move promises streamlined communication, expanded service breadth, and the ability to deliver highly customised, high‑impact solutions for the most ambitious gaming brands worldwide.