engineering | operations | advising

kumikai is an advanced technology and operational services studio specializing in bringing realtime technology to enterprise and entertainment applications and pipelines. We find the most interesting problem spaces are the ones that lie between the boundaries of industries, technologies, and thinking. That’s where we operate.   ​

We come from a game development background, but rather than simply “gamifying” experiences, we leverage game technology to solve real-world problems in any domain. Game engine technology has long driven world-class innovation across visual and simulation, providing the highest quality results for interactive applications. Combined with a sharp focus on iteration, today’s tools allow for ideas to be proven and refined quickly and efficiently. We know these tools because we helped build them, and now we’re applying them in new and innovative ways.   ​

But technology alone isn’t anything without the right team of people using it effectively. Our years of leadership and operations experience can help make sure your studio’s culture and business are as well-honed as your technical and creative teams. We advise game development studios in a variety of areas, including technical evaluations, operations, leadership, and interviewing. We also help clients outside of games bridge the gap with understanding how to collaborate with and recruit from the world of game development.   ​

You’re an expert in your domain; we’re experts in ours. If you have an interesting challenge, we’re eager to learn more about your field and adapt our technologies to improve your process and results.  Reach out to us at info@kumikai.com.

application development

Specialty interactive applications​

Simulators​

Interactive and iterative tool design​

Immersive applications​

VR / AR (XR) Applications​

Prototyping / Proof of Concept

research & development

Research technology transfer

Advanced technology development​

Hardware integration​

New tool and pipeline development

technical advising

Technical review and evaluation  ​

Application architecture / API design  ​

Project evaluation and guidance  ​​

Unreal Engine evaluations  ​

Text and visual scripting language design and implementation  ​

Human-Computer Interaction design  ​

Speaking engagements ​and lecturing  ​

Technical documentation  

organizational advising

Engineering org and structure 

Engineering leadership advising and coaching 

Technical interviewing 

Startup advisement and investment review 

employee pipeline

Interviewing and hiring advising 

Onboarding process 

Employee engagement 

Building and maintaining studio culture 

process planning

Adapting to distributed workforces and remote studio operations 

Studio build-outs, office design 

Space planning 

Process refinement and improvement 

nick whiting
technical co-founder
Nick comes from a background in the video games industry, where he spent nearly 20 years working on games and the technology that powers them. He’s worked on award winning game titles such as Gears of War, Fortnite, and Robo Recall, as well worked extensively on the Unreal Engine, which powers everything from award winning games, to industrial simulators, to amusement park rides. His passion is exploring new technologies, whether those be immersive hardware like XR, or innovative ways to enable more people to create content, like the Blueprints visual scripting language.
He’s also passionate about building teams and people, and spent several years building the Epic Seattle studio as Studio Head, as well as many engineering teams within Epic as a Sr. Director of Engineering for Unreal Engine and Epic Research.
At Epic, some of the most interesting projects came from applying engine technology to other domains outside of gaming. kumikai was founded to build upon that principle: exploring what gaming technology can enable both inside and outside of the traditional games industry.
kathna eng
co-founder
Kathna brings over two decades of operations and management experience to kumikai, having worked in a variety of environments from game studios to technology startups. Most recently, she was the Studio Operations Director for Epic Games Seattle, where she worked with the team to grow the studio to over ten times its size. This enabled her to get experience at every aspect of operations, from studio design and planning, to build outs, to daily operations. If there was something that needed to be done in the studio, Kathna is the person that would identify it, plan, and execute. That gives her a deep understanding of what’s needed to be done at every level.
But the tangible aspects of expanding a studio are only part of the solution. Kathna also worked to develop operations as a discipline through mentoring, leadership, and working together with all the disciplines in the studio and leadership to ensure that not only were things running efficiently, but the people were growing and developing in their roles. She believes that continuous improvement and building great relationships internally and externally foster an environment where you can get the best from those around you.
Before Epic, Kathna had experience in legal, operations, and office management at a variety of tech start ups. That diversity of experience serves her to this day, as she is often able to draw from experience in other domains to better understand business and drive solutions and improvements in her current projects.