Hi, my name is Joshua Axner. I founded Gimbal Zen in 2018; we are now 25+ strong and are known as one of the rare technical art–focused studios in the world.

What is the most unique challenge your team has recently solved for a client, and how did you approach it?

We came to the rescue mid-production tasked with rebuilding the entire rigging pipeline while preserving animation data and making the new rigs backwards compatible. It was a lot of work but was such a treat for people who love tackling difficult challenges.

What's the most interesting project you've been involved with during your career?

Within my personal career, before founding Gimbal Zen, I was a technical artist at Blizzard for many years. During that time I [somewhat accidentally] pitched a game that became greenlit. Especially during the beginning, I was thrown in many new situations and responsibilities.  That project gifted me with some invaluable moments of growth and insight.

What do you wish clients understood better about successful external development partnerships?

Strong external partnerships aren't plug-and-play. They thrive on proactive communication, mirrored values, and [earned] trust across both teams.

Tell us something about your company that others do not know, but is important to you personally.

Game credits are cool, but my true passion is developing people. I’ve been able to work on some pretty great stuff during my career; now it’s my job to make sure others have that same opportunity.