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Blogs and case studies from my time in the Magic Media group.

Written content from Magic Media, Igloo Creative House, Starloop Studios, and more.

Magic Media •

Essential Tools for Mobile Game Development in 2025

2025 has arrived, and as far as the mobile game development scene is concerned, developers and players alike can expect a continued influx of mobile titles, exciting new technology, and refinements to existing mobile game development tools.
Looking at the year ahead, there are a couple of standout tools that any mobile game dev professionals, both new and experienced, should consider using for their projects in 2025.
Unity game engine continues to be a popular and well-supported choice for games...
Magic Media •

The Fundamentals of In-Game Animation

In-game animation is a crucially important part of games of any genre, visual style, or scale. From 2D-animated mobile games to complex AAA gaming experiences, in-game animation is critical to believable character movements and actions. For realistic character and world interactions, in-game animation needs to be created and refined with a keen eye for detail, as any mistakes will be easy to spot.
Magic Media views creating in-game animation as a different practice compared to the longer animati...
Magic Media •

Behind the Magic: Sword Strike

Among the Magic Media team’s extensive portfolio of game VFX scenes, Sword Strike stands out as one of our most visually stunning pieces. Action games have never gone out of fashion, and combined with the progressively more striking possibilities of video game visual effects, an action sequence like this one would fit right in with any modern action title.
Our game VFX artists collaborated to bring Sword Strike to life not for any one particular project, but as an exercise in exploring new ideas...
Magic Media •

Differences in Console and PC Game Development

Though they follow similar processes, console and PC game development have many distinct differences. Rather than one platform being necessarily more challenging to develop games for than the other, each has unique intricacies that can become obstacles for unprepared development teams.
From technical and hardware differences to different approaches to UI and input design, console and PC game development have more specific development considerations than it seems on the surface. At Magic Media, w...
Magic Media •

What are Live Service Games?

Live service games are a contemporary and growing sensation in the gaming industry, with several popular titles across all platforms elevating the business model to something that numerous game development studios and publishers have widely adopted. Though far from guaranteed success, live service games can thrive when received well and provide large amounts of content for players.
But what exactly are live service games? Though popular and , the term might be unfamiliar to some gamers. Live ser...
Magic Media •

Day in the Life: Game Producer

For our newest entry in Magic Media’s Day in the Life series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Yuliya Korn, one of the Magic Media group’s talented Game Producers. As with many members of the Magic Media team, Yuliya’s work is varied and largely dependent on the project at hand. Speaking with Yuliya was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the varied world of game production for all platforms, including mobile games.
A Game Producer helps oversee game development projects. Though exac...
Magic Media •

What to Know About Console Game Development

On the surface level, it might seem as though there are few differences between developing games for console and PC, but the deeper you look into the process, it’s easier to understand the differences and unique challenges of console game development.
There are aspects of console game development that are growing closer to PC, such as coding and the sheer power of modern consoles, but differences remain. Consoles offer several distinct advantages over other platforms that make them an appealing...
Magic Media •

Developing Mobile Casino Video Games

One of the most popular styles of mobile games is casino video games. Casino games replicate the real-life experience of playing games like slots, blackjack, and poker in an easy-to-use way for mobile devices. Developing casino games requires certain considerations specific to this niche and features that must be considered to make it a compelling experience for players.
The Magic Media approach to mobile game development encompasses all genres of mobile games. However, certain genres, such as c...
Magic Media •

What is Full-Cycle Game Development?

Full-cycle game development is a holistic term that relates to the entire process of developing a game from start to finish. This includes early ideation stages to post-release support. The game development pipeline is lengthy and intricate, requiring ample experience to fully understand and master.
Though no two full-cycle game development projects are the same, every project tends to follow the same game development pipeline roughly, albeit with some potential differences depending on the proj...
Magic Media •

The 7 Stages of the Game Development Pipeline

Game development is a challenging and involved process. It takes the combined efforts of countless people skilled in different disciplines to get games completed. Unforeseen circumstances can arise, and games can get delayed, but fortunately, there is a time-tested process that, once adhered to, can help development move along swimmingly.
Though some projects might necessitate extra steps, at Magic Media, we’ve seen the success that working within the established seven stages of game development...
Magic Media •

Porting UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER to Nintendo Switch

UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of Wolves is an action-adventure title based on the beloved franchise of Goldorak. After enjoying a positive reception during its initial release on platforms such as PC, our client was interested in a game porting project to bring it to the Nintendo Switch platform.
Game porting projects to Nintendo Switch aren’t typical game ports, as extra care is required in several critical areas. With Magic Media’s experience with game porting, however, our team was already...
Igloo Creative House •

Developing a New Visual Language for Holiday Finder

Igloo Creative House had the opportunity to lend our video production services to Holiday Finder, a preeminent holiday booking business that needed a new visual language for its TV commercials. We previously had the pleasure of working with Holiday Finder, so it was a no-brainer for us to collaborate with them again for this significant project.
 
Developing a new visual language for a brand is a challenging creative endeavor, but one that Igloo Creative House was more than prepared for. Our onl...
Igloo Creative House •

Creating Video Content for The Goombles

Magic Media had the pleasure of providing several services for The Goombles, a confectionary-themed tower defense game. We provided several services, including full-cycle game development, marketing material, and, critically, video production services. With Igloo’s experience crafting video game trailers, we were a natural fit to lend our expert services.
 
We were delighted for this opportunity to craft video content for The Goombles and also to work closely with our client and develop a market...
Igloo Creative House •

Explainer Videos - Explained

Explainer videos are useful marketing videos that explain products and services in simple, easy-to-understand terms. The best and most effective explainer videos help your target audience gain an understanding of even the most complex products, services, and information.
 
At Igloo Creative House and the wider Magic Media group, we endeavor to create effective explainer videos exactly to our client’s requirements, whether they’re 3D animation, 2D animation, live-action, or hybrid videos in vario...
Igloo Creative House •

Video Production Strategy for Marketing Gaming Projects

As part of Igloo Gaming’s wide range of video production services for gaming projects, we offer our experience and expertize to clients who need assistance developing their video production strategy to market their gaming projects to the world. Games, like any other product or service, require a concentrated video marketing effort to gain exposure and increase their chances of success.
 
Regardless of your game’s unique style, budget, or time constraints, we endeavor to create a bespoke video pr...
Igloo Creative House •

Crafting High-Quality Hybrid Animation Video Content

Hybrid animation, also known as mixed media animation, implements animated or CGI assets into live-action footage. This can be a highly effective style of video content that has an immediate ‘wow’ factor, making it perfect for promoting brands, showcasing products, or acquiring new users.
 
There are many levels of execution for this style of video production, even within the Magic Media group, from big-budget work seen in movies like what Magic Media VFX & Cinematics provides with their service...
Igloo Creative House •

Capturing the Essence of Games with Game Trailers

In a brief period, game trailers have the power to encapsulate what a game is about, its mechanics, stories, and characters. Game trailers offer valuable glimpses into what games are, informing a viewer’s interest levels and their purchasing decisions. Much like a movie trailer, game trailers are an essential part of the game’s marketing campaign and aim to faithfully condense a game into a brief clip to garner interest and build anticipation.
 
Though this all sounds easy on paper, there is a m...
Igloo Creative House •

Using Motion Design to Elevate Your Visuals

Motion design is a visually impressive discipline that bears some similarities to other animation styles, and has its distinct purpose and unique visual qualities. At Igloo Creative House, as part of Magic Media, we offer high-quality motion design services to help elevate the visual experience of our client work.
 
With the experience we’ve cultivated working on various motion design projects, we’ve developed a deep understanding of how they’re best used and, importantly, when to use this visua...
Igloo Creative House •

Working with Igloo Creative House

Working with Igloo Creative House isn’t a simple matter of a contract between us and our clients to complete project work. Our process is defined, intricate, and geared towards us providing the best work possible while our client is along for every step of the journey.

We have spoken extensively about our work in the past, but we wanted to provide some insight into our process and answer the question: What is it like to work with Igloo Creative House?
 
Our First Steps
 
The first objective for...
Magic Media •

Case Study: Cyberpunk 2077 - Phantom Liberty

Phantom Liberty is the critically acclaimed expansion to CD Projekt Red’s expansive sci-fi role-playing experience, Cyberpunk 2077. Cyberpunk 2077’s world expanded with Phantom Liberty, which introduced new locations, missions, and weapons for players to enjoy. Magic Media is delighted we could lend our expert services to the project to ensure it was ready for players to experience.
For Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, our client required us to leverage our game art talents to work on the level...
Magic Media •

Case Study: UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER - The Feast of the Wolves

UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of the Wolves is an action-adventure title based on the beloved anime and manga, Goldorak, or as it’s also known, Grendizer. This exciting adaptation captures the heart of what made the original Grendizer so appealing and faithfully adapts its original creator’s vision, Go Nagai. Fans have been waiting decades for such a well-thought-out game adaptation, and if the fan reception is anything to go by, this has been a resounding success.
Having originally been relea...
Magic Media •

Case Study: Nightingale

Nightingale is a unique survival game set in a shared, Victorian-inspired fantasy world where players craft and navigate its dangerous world with friends. This gaslamp fantasy world boasts procedurally generated realms, role-playing game elements, and fascinating lore. The Magic Media group was delighted with the opportunity to contribute our security expertize to the project, ensuring a safeguarded experience for everyone involved.
The Magic Media team was brought on board due to our extensive...
Magic Media •

Case Study: REVENGE

REVENGE is a unique cooperative first-person extraction shooter for which Magic Media is providing various services in collaboration with Everreach Labs. Apart from its distinct cyberpunk-inspired visual direction and tight gunplay, REVENGE boasts a groundbreaking spectator experience where viewers can fulfill the role of Oracles, onlookers who can directly engage in gameplay sessions and affect outcomes. There is plenty more work to complete on the REVENGE project, but we couldn’t be more excit...
Igloo Creative House •

The Challenges of 3D In-Game Animation

In-game animation is central to creating believable characters through believable actions and movements. An eye for detail and a thorough work ethic are essential to creating the best in-game animation possible. When it comes to 3D in-game animation, the added dimension of depth adds a layer of challenge.
 
Working on 3D in-game animation naturally means that it will be part of a three-dimensional game, meaning that players will be able to view characters from every angle imaginable, opening up...
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