Utopai Studios
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Artificial intelligence, Entertainment |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, U.S. |
Key people | |
| Products |
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Utopai Studios (formerly Cybever) is an American computer animation studio and generative artificial intelligence company.
History
[edit]Cybever was founded in 2022 by Cecilia Shen and Jie Yang.[1] Shen served as Chief Executive Officer and Yang as Chief Technology Officer during the Cybever period, and both retained those roles following the company’s 2025 rebrand as Utopai Studios.[2][3]
Cybever operated as an AI technology company focused on generating and editing 3D virtual environments and video.[4][5]
On August 26, 2025, Cybever announced it had rebranded as Utopai Studios with revenue of $110M.[6] In November 2025, Utopai Studios announced Utopai East, which focuses on expanding access to Korean and Japanese intellectual property for international audiences.[7]
In February 2026, the company's joint venture, Utopai East, acquired 100% of Alquimista Media, a Seoul-based production house led by former Warner Bros. Korea and Studio Dragon executive Hyun Park.[8] The deal included an active development pipeline of 15 scripted television series and feature films.[8]
In May 2026, Utopai Studios secured a strategic investment from professional basketball player Carmelo Anthony's production company, Creative 7.[9] While the exact financial terms were not officially disclosed, the investment was estimated to be approximately $5 million, which valued Utopai Studios at $1 billion.[10]
Projects
[edit]- Cortés, a historical epic in development as a two-part feature, written by screenwriter Nicholas Kazan and directed by production designer/director Kirk Petruccelli.[2]
- Project “Space”, a science-fiction series in development. [2]
- Journey to the West – A fully AI-generated series co-produced with Chinese entertainment company Huace Film & TV, utilizing Utopai's PAI 2.0 platform.[11]
- Half Moon – An animated feature film co-produced with South Korean filmmaker Hyo-joo Yang, combining traditional animation with generative AI tools.[12]
- The Most Serious Fart – An animated feature film adaptation of Mike Bender's children's book, currently in development. Written and directed by Bender, with Russell Hollander producing.[13]
Technology and Products
[edit]PAI
[edit]On March 5, 2026, Utopai Studios publicly released PAI, a generative artificial intelligence video model and workflow designed for cinematic, long-form storytelling.[14] In contrast to single-shot generative tools, the platform tracks narrative continuity, character consistency, and environmental stability across multi-shot sequences.[14] On April 15, 2026, the company updated the system to support a "Story Agent" capable of rendering continuous three-minute video sequences at 4K resolution.[15]
Within the first sixty days of its release, the technology generated $11 million in annual recurring revenue through commercial licensing to global production companies.[16]
In July 2026, the company launched PAI 2.0, introducing a "Pro Mode" featuring a native editing canvas workspace, voice input controls, and 4K rendering.[17]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Cybever and Cloud Zeta Partner to Build an AI-Powered 3D Content Creation Platform Supporting End-to-End Solutions". Geo Week News. November 19, 2024.
- 1 2 3 Barraclough, Leo (August 26, 2025). "Utopai Studios Launches With Historical Epic 'Cortés' and Sci-Fi Series Project 'Space,' and Partnerships With K5 Intl. and Opsis". Variety.
- ↑ Daswani, Mansha (September 24, 2025). "AI Tech Startup Rebrands AS Utopai Studios". Worldscreen.
- ↑ Takahashi, Dean (September 12, 2024). "Cybever Unveils AI-Based 3D World Creation Platform". Gamesbeat.
- ↑ "Cybever Introduces AI-Powered 3D World Content Creation Platform". xrtoday. September 12, 2024.
- ↑ Fink, Charlie (August 26, 2025). "Cybever Rebrands As Utopai Studios With $110 Million In Revenue And A Hollywood Slate". Forbes.
- ↑ "LG scion's Stock Farm Road, Utopai launch AI-driven filmmaking". TechCrunch. November 3, 2025.
- 1 2 Goodfellow, Melanie (February 2, 2026). "Utopai East Buys Alquimista Media, Korean Production House Led By Former Warner Bros & DramaFever Chief Hyun Park". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ↑ Craig, Matt (May 21, 2026). "Meet the 25-Year-Old Vying to Become Hollywood's First AI Movie Mogul". Forbes. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Who Is Cecilia Shen and Utopai? Meet the Ex-Google Engineer and Her AI-Driven Hollywood Studio". Netflix Junkie. May 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ Frater, Patrick (June 15, 2026). "Huace Film & TV Partners With Utopai Studios for Fully AI-Generated 'Journey to the West' Series". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
- ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (June 24, 2026). "Utopai Studios Teams With Korean Filmmaker Hyo-joo Yang For AI-Assisted Animated Feature 'Half Moon'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
- ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (July 2026). "Utopai Studios to Develop Animated Feature 'The Most Serious Fart'". Variety. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- 1 2 "Utopai Studios opens access to PAI long-form AI video model." Utopai Studios Newsroom. March 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Utopai Studios Announces Three Minute 4K Video Generation and Enhanced Story Agent for Its PAI Storytelling AI Platform." Business Wire. April 14, 2026.
- ↑ Craig, Matt. "Meet The 25-Year-Old Vying To Become Hollywood’s First AI Movie Mogul." Forbes. May 21, 2026.
- ↑ Bolies, Corbin (June 2, 2026). "AI Firm Utopai Studios Launches Enhanced 2.0 Version of Generative Video Platform". Retrieved July 9, 2026.