Keywords Studios combines multiple marketing businesses into global creative agency FreeAnimal

Keywords Studios has merged seven of its creative agencies into a single global organization called FreeAnimal. The new agency aims to serve as a unified point of contact for developers, publishers, and brands. It includes creative agencies Ichi, KWM, Fire Without Smoke, and Gnet, as well as media production studios TrailerFarm, Maverick, and Big Farmer.

These agencies operate from locations across Los Angeles, London, Brighton, Montreal, and Quebec. While existing client contracts remain intact, new projects will leverage the combined expertise of the FreeAnimal team. The organization's global head, John Rosenberg, emphasized that by merging seven agencies' perspectives, geographies, and experiences, they have created a highly effective creative organization that brings together boutique teams with global scale.

Rosenberg referred to the approach as "The Right Team for Every Game," emphasizing the organization's ability to assemble the right specialists, at the right time, to address each client's unique challenges. Keywords Studios, founded in 1998, has steadily grown through acquisitions since 2014, amassing a portfolio of 70 companies that span audio, art, localization, QA, engineering, player support, trailer production, marketing, and data analysis.

Recent additions to Keywords' roster include Halo co-developer Certain Affinity and work-for-hire studio Wushu Studios, both acquired in 2024. Earlier this year, the company consolidated two PR firms – Fortyseven Communications and Indigo Pearl – after Fortyseven opened a London office.