2025 - A Defining Year for Speech Graphics
By Gregor Hofer (CEO) Michael Berger (CTO), Co-founders of Speech Graphics
As 2025 wraps up, we're celebrating another year of innovation and growth at Speech Graphics.
2025 marked a defining year for Speech Graphics as we strengthened our position as the leader in audio-driven facial animation.
We revolutionized SGX with game-changing features that set new standards. We expanded our language capabilities with major module upgrades. We acquired two established companies, significantly expanding our team and services across the character animation market.
And we powered some of the biggest, most critically acclaimed games of the year—titles that defined 2025's gaming landscape.
Here's how we pushed the boundaries in 2025.
SGX - Setting new standards
We released two major SGX updates in 2025 that significantly advanced what's possible in facial animation.
SGX 4.4 introduced the animation styles function—offering animators three interpolation options (Ease, Linear,and Stepped) that deliver exceptional creative control. Whether you need smooth cinematic realism or sharp anime-style cuts, the precision is there Read more about SGX 4.4 here
SGX 4.5 arrived in November with a major advancement in character setup efficiency. The headline achievement? Setup is now training-free—eliminating the neural network training step entirely. Combined with smaller character control files and our new Closures Editor for fine-tuning lip sync details, we've created a workflow that's faster and more powerful.
The new import mode that keys Unreal Engine's Animation Pose Assets represents a fundamental improvement in how animators work. With the Key Muscle Deltas function converting SGX muscle displacements to PoseAssets, animators get complete visibility into the animation structure—a significant step forward for the industry.
For a full breakdown of the new features in SGX 4.5, click here
Advancing Multi-Language Capabilities
At Speech Graphics, we are on a mission to animate all sounds from audio, delivering lifelike, accurate facial animation with unparalleled precision. Our cutting-edge technology, based on a universal biological model of speech production, allows us to generate expressive and immersive animations in any language—even fictional ones.
In 2025, we released major updates to three language modules: Mandarin 2.1, Korean 2.0, and French 1.3. These major updates deliver significant advances in how we process linguistic features unique to each language.
The result? Lip sync accuracy that rivals hand-keyed animation, delivered at a fraction of the time and cost.
Read more and check out the results here
Strategic Growth Through Acquisition
In September, we acquired OC3 Entertainment—the pioneers behind the established FaceFX animation suite. This strategic move allows us to better serve the market through offering a wider range of cutting-edge, innovative and proven solutions.
FaceFX's extensive user base now joins the Speech Graphics ecosystem and Jamie Redmond, CTO and co-founder of OC3 Entertainment, joined our team and continues to develop and support FaceFX products while bringing his expertise to our award-winning solutions.
This acquisition positions us to better serve video game developers, animation studios, and digital experience designers with greater realism, scalability, and emotional impact.
Read more about the acquisition here
Powering 2025’s Biggest Games
Despite challenges across the gaming industry, 2025 saw our technology power some of the year's most anticipated and critically acclaimed releases. The world's leading AAA studios continued to trust Speech Graphics to bring their characters to life.
Our technology was used in major releases including:
Silent Hill F, Dying Light: The Beast, Spongebob Squarepants: Titans of the Tide, Mafia: The Old Country, South of Midnight, Split Fiction, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Ghost of Yotei, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Monster Hunter: Wilds and many more..
When studios need facial animation technology for their most important franchises, they consistently choose Speech Graphics. Every successful game release validates the quality and reliability of our solutions.
Rapport: Leading AI-Driven Character Experiences
Rapport continued its strong growth in 2025 with the launch of our new brand and website. The refresh reflects our evolution as a leading platform for AI-driven, interactive character experiences that feel genuinely human.
Enhanced templates, streamlined tools, and an improved interface make creating immersive experiences easier than ever while delivering powerful results. Experience the platform here
In October, we made our second strategic acquisition of the year: Aquifer Motion
By combining Rapport's real-time facial animation with Aquifer's full-body performance and cinematic camera tools, we now offer a comprehensive solution for creating avatars that truly come alive.
This integration represents a significant advancement in what's possible for interactive character experiences.
Looking Ahead to 2026
2026 is shaping up to be another strong year with significant software improvements and new features on our roadmap.
The headline: SGX Runtime launches next year. This new product is designed to revolutionize facial animation playback—fast, reliable, and engineered for maximum efficiency. It will enable compression, storage, and in-engine playback that saves studios significant storage while delivering excellent performance.
This represents the next evolution in runtime animation technology.
We'll be at GDC's Festival of Gaming in March to showcase our latest developments. We're also expanding our global presence with planned visits to China, Japan, and Korea—strengthening our relationships with studios and teams around the world.
2025 demonstrated what focused innovation and strategic growth can achieve in the facial animation industry.
Two major software releases. Three enhanced language modules. Two strategic acquisitions. Dozens of high-profile titles powered by our technology. A fourth consecutive TIGA award nomination. A groundbreaking new product launching in 2026.
We're not just keeping pace with the industry—we're actively shaping its direction.
2026 will be about building on this momentum and continuing to deliver the innovations that studios depend on.
Ready to see what Speech Graphics can do for your project? Let's talk.
