LOF Studios: Igniting the Flame of Business

Behind every fun app or exciting videogame is a vast amount of creativity, technical know-how and investment. In the crowded game development industry where big players dominate, a small Azerbaijani team is getting noticed for their approach to high-tech development projects that target real-world issues.

Established in 2020, Land of Fire Studios (LOF Studios) is the first large multidisciplinary digital game development studio in Azerbaijan and the neighboring region. The studio produces a range of outputs, including videogames, mobile apps, motion capture technology and cinematography. It also carries out its own publishing, marketing, sales activities.

Co-founded by shareholder Zaur Orujov and seven others, the studio aims to advance the local game development industry and, in turn, alleviate unemployment in Azerbaijan by connecting those in need of a service with service providers.

In the game development industry where big players dominate, a small Azerbaijani team is getting noticed for their approach to high-tech development projects that target real-world issues. (Photo: © Courtesy of LOF Studios)

Breaking into the game development industry

LOF Studios' focus on videogames and mobile apps came from the founders' desire to grow the local game development industry and modernize how specific social needs are handled.

The Studios' four main projects include:

Project BOB, a massive multiplayer online (MMO) vehicular combat genre videogame;
VICON Motion Capture Systems, a technology that digitally records movement patterns to animate digital characters;
EMEK, a mobile app project that aims to tackle unemployment by organizing demand for labor around the principle of providing services according to a user's need and acting as an – electronic site aggregation – service provider; and
MEDYBOT, a mobile app that operates along the same lines as EMEK but is applied to the delivery of online medical services. MEDYBOT also utilizes "uberization" but to tackle issues with the organization of online medical services.

Although LOF Studios' projects meet demand for services in short supply in the region, the company faced several challenges when bringing their idea to market. One of the main hurdles they faced was how to secure financing. Pitching their plans to potential investors, usually looking for more conventional investment opportunities, was not easy. In the face of these difficulties, LOF Studios set about investing in its intellectual property (IP) portfolio.

The company recognized that comprehensive protection of their trademarks, inventions, industrial designs, and creative works would help them demonstrate the company's value and its potential to investors.

As soon as LOF Studios was registered as a company, the team set about applying for IP rights. The decision was an easy one and extremely important for a forward-looking and creative team that wanted to prevent others from copying their ideas and projects. The company registered trademarks for three of its leading products in line with this approach: Project BOB, EMEK, and MEDYBOT.

IP rights are a powerful instrument in the modern business world. When we are negotiating with others, IP rights often strengthen our position.
Zaur Orujov, Co-founder of LOF Studios

One of LOF Studios' main projects, Project BOB, is a massive multiplayer online (MMO) vehicular combat genre videogame. (Photo: © Courtesy of LOF Studios)

Flames that spread

LOF Studios is committed to improving the lives of people living in Azerbaijan. Expanding Azerbaijan's game development industry is a priority for the team, especially as many talented creators and coders have uprooted and moved to locations where the game development industry is more advanced.

We aim to do all we can to build up the game development sector in Azerbaijan. That's the only way we will be able to reverse the trend and keep Azerbaijan's talented creators and coders from moving abroad. We hope that our creative projects will inspire others to join the sector and help build an entrepreneurial ecosystem that pays good wages and creates growth opportunities.
Zaur Orujov, Co-founder of LOF Studios

LOF Studios' apps are already improving the lives of communities in Azerbaijan thanks to the improved service delivery they offer. Their commitment to supporting the development of the country's game development industry promises to have an even broader impact and lift the region's fortunes as a whole.