Studio Bo, merging animation, gaming and brand stories

Cape Town’s creative landscape is home to many rising studios, but Studio Bo stands out for its unique blend of animation and game development. For over a decade, the studio has helped brands tell their stories through vibrant visuals, interactive experiences, and a strong commitment to craft. We caught up with co-founders Richard Bolland and Simon van Wyk to learn more about what Studio Bo does, how they work, and why Cape Town remains such an inspiring base for their growing team. 

Q. For those who may not know Studio Bo yet, can you introduce the studio and the kind of work you specialise in? 
Simon: Sure thing! We’re an animation and games company who specialise in helping companies explain and market their business through engaging videos and interactive experiences. 
 
Q. How would you describe Studio Bo in three words? 
Simon and Richard: Creative, Fun, Professional 
 
Q. What advantages does Cape Town offer to studios like Studio Bo? 
Simon: It positions us well both locally and internationally. We’ve got a big pool of incredibly talented creatives in Cape Town, so we’ve found that fellow South Africans and companies abroad are excited to tap into that resource. 

Q. What challenges do game and animation studios face, and how do you navigate those? 
Simon: I don’t think we face any challenges that are unique to Cape Town. Our challenges are more unique to our industry… the creative industry is often affected by factors completely out of its control, so the challenge is always figuring out ways to thrive in both the busy and dry seasons. 
 
Q. What types of projects are you currently working on, or have recently completed? 
Simon: We’re currently working on some games and animations for a cyber-security course, Rive animations for a money learning app and a specialized skiing game. We’re also working on a host of other explainer videos across many different sectors. This year we started offering games as a service, so it’s been fun seeing companies bite and use interactive experiences to enhance their communication. 
 
Q. Can you walk us through your typical production pipeline, from idea to delivery? 
Simon: It’ll usually start with a meeting where we figure out exactly what a client is looking for and how we can help. We’ll then kick off a foundation phase that usually includes script writing, style development and storyboarding. The next phase includes illustration, animation and if it’s a game, a hefty amount of game development. Lastly we tackle all things audio, from voice overs, to music and sound effects. And then we’re done! 

Q. What does collaboration look like within your team? 
Simon: Our team is truly an amazing bunch of people, super talented and always happy to work together. Everyone in our team is multi-disciplined, but we’ll still try to play to everyone’s specific strengths, so we end up with the perfect combination of projects having a unique feel, even if more than one person has worked on it. 
 
Q. How do you see Cape Town’s role evolving in the global gaming and animation landscape? 
Simon: Cape Town is incredibly well poised to play in a similar space to that of Los Angeles and London. From Triggerfish making Netflix hits like Seal Team, and FreeLives responsible for huge indie successes like Terra Nil and Anger Foot… we clearly have talent. For our local industry to level up, we need more investors finding Cape Town creatives with great ideas and funding their projects. 
 
Q. Are there any opportunities like internships, mentorships, collaborations, that StudioBo offers or is planning? 
Simon: Our doors are always open to students looking for short-term internships. We’re also exploring putting together some sort of Studio Bo Academy next year, where we’ll start offering short courses combined with work experience and mentorship. Watch this space! 

Q. How did StudioBo get started, and what inspired you to build a game and animation studio in Cape Town? 

Richard: had enough freelance clients to quit my day job and hire a friend of mine to help me do animation full time. In 2020, I wanted to introduce game development into our studio so convinced my co-directors to jump right in! We started by making 12 gaming prototypes in 12 months – fun times! 

Q. What makes your studio unique compared to others in the South African or African market? 

Richard: We uniquely positioned as both an animation & game development studio, which is quite rare on the African continent. Having 11 years of experience as a studio, we’ve learnt a lot about sustainability as a business and how to keep projects fresh and exciting.  

Q. How would you describe the current gaming and animation ecosystem in Cape Town? 
Richard: It’s been a tough year for most animation & gaming studios. Social media algorithms, AI, lower budgets and generally quite a cautious spending market have led to a lot of studios having to really work hard to find work. But the ecosystem itself is incredible, we are a sector that works well together and enjoys each others company. The gaming scene in Cape Town is especially special and well connected to one another.  

Q. Do you feel Cape Town has a distinctive creative style or voice in game and animation production? 
Richard: Creative style & voice is hard to determine, I don’t think Cape Town as a whole has a particular style or voice but I think there are studios within Cape Town who have those and are unique to other studios around the world.  
 
Q. Do you lean more toward client-service projects, original IP, or a mix of both? 
Richard: Animation we’re very much 99% client-service, whereas in game dev we’re more 50/50.  
 
Q. How do you decide which tools, engines, or animation styles to use on a project? 
Richard: We mainly use the Adobe pipeline for animation (Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects) but have recently started to introduce Rive to add some interactivity into the mix. For gaming we mainly use Unity. 
 
Q. How do you incorporate new technologies into your work, especially AI? 
Richard: We approach new technology cautiously and slowly. Chasing trends is particularly dangerous, especially if that trend dies quickly or the bubble pops. There are a lot of get-rich-quick technologies out there and most early adopters fail or get frustrated. It’s always safer to wait until new technologies settle and prove their hype before committing to it.  
 
Q. What advice would you give to South Africans who want to get into game or animation development? 
Richard: Continually make things. Don’t chase views or money. If the love of creating animation or games is not in creating them, then these industries will disappoint you. 

Read more about Studio Bo here.