Our Core Team
Ember Crows is led by a focused core team responsible for defining the game’s creative direction, building the public-facing materials, and setting production up for scale. Our work right now is about turning the vision into a playable, repeatable pipeline that new hires can join quickly.
We are expanding into key technical and content roles soon.
Cieszymir Bylina
Founder / Game Director
Cieszymir leads the studio with a unique mix of creativity and innovation. A graduate of the Royal College of Art and University of the Arts London, he works across painting, graphic design, AR, and 3D. His multidisciplinary approach creates immersive worlds that blend art, technology, and narrative, shaping games that captivate and inspire players.
Eddie Niles
Studio Head
Eddie, a Royal College of Art alumnus, oversees studio operations with deep expertise. He’s held leadership roles at the V&A, Design Museum, and UAL, where he honed his ability to guide creative teams. With a passion for strategic thinking and creative excellence, Eddie streamlines operations and helps bring our boldest ideas to life efficiently and effectively.
Andrea Honsberg
Cinematic Designer
Andrea, an alumna of the Royal College of Art, drives the visual direction of our projects. Trained in painting, she also brings expertise in animation and video direction. Her unique mix of cultural influences and media creates bold, playful, and emotionally resonant visuals that turn each game into a visually rich and deeply engaging experience for players.
Adrian Zdanowski
Music Composer
Adrian is a composer who specializes in crafting atmospheric scores for games and films. A pianist currently pursuing his MA at the Music Academy in Bydgoszcz (expected 2026), he blends classical training with modern sensibility. His immersive, emotionally layered soundtracks enhance narrative depth and elevate the player’s overall audiovisual experience.
Julia Kiestrzyn
Legal Advisor
Julia is a lawyer who graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Her interests include intellectual property and civil law. She’s currently a legal counsel trainee with the Regional Chamber of Legal Counsels (OIRP) in Poznań. Outside of her legal work, she is passionate about literature, photography, history, and writing fiction in her free time.
Sara Lityńska
Actress
Sara is a voice actress whose performances bring digital characters vividly to life. Her roles include Seraphine (League of Legends), Kiriko (Overwatch), Maisa (Diablo IV), and characters in The Witcher IV and Gwent. With a dynamic vocal range and emotive delivery, she creates unforgettable characters that connect deeply with audiences and drive immersion.
Sebastian Jaworski
3D Artist
Sebastian is a designer and engineer blending technical skill and artistry to build compelling game assets. He holds a Bachelor’s in Engineering and is pursuing an MA in Design (2025). Driven by a passion for immersive digital worlds, he creates atmospheric environments that draw players in and enhance the depth and emotion of gameplay experiences.
Kewin Rutkowski
Game Designer
Kewin is a game designer passionate about thoughtful, engaging player experiences. He develops mechanics, levels, and narrative structures that balance creativity and logic. Always learning, he stays inspired by industry trends and player feedback to create gameplay that’s dynamic, polished, and emotionally impactful across a range of genres and platforms.
Our Story
Ember Crows was founded in 2023 by Cieszymir Bylina, who leads the studio as Founder and Game Director. From the start, the goal was simple: create games with strong art direction and a narrative that holds up under scrutiny, not just a good premise.
In 2025 we joined the InnovationRCA incubator, gaining access to mentoring and practical support as we moved from pre-production into a build phase of our first game. Our next major milestone is a playable vertical slice prototype, designed to represent tone, gameplay fundamentals, and a “real” piece of the world.
We’re building an ambitious AA-scale RPG in Unreal Engine 5, with production structured around clear milestones, fast iteration, and early community feedback. The long-term plan is a trilogy, where each entry stands on its own but expands the same world and its central themes.
If you like RPGs that respect your time, reward attention, and treat story as gameplay, you’re in the right place.
Our Principles
Player trust comes first
We do not sell hype. We show work. When we share something, it should reflect what the game actually is. We live up to our word.
Story is a system
Narrative is not just cutscenes. Choices, consequences, investigation, and character relationships are part of gameplay and they need real structure behind them.
Combat must earn its difficulty
We want fights that feel demanding and readable. If something is hard, it should be because you made a decision, not because the game was unclear.
Cultural authenticity, not aesthetics-only
Slavic mythology and Polish references are not decoration. They inform the world’s logic, symbols, and conflicts.
Build sustainably
We rely on a robust process and proven solutions. For us, quality is a standard maintained at every stage of production, rather than quick fixes just before launch.
Meet
The Crows
Innovation Partnership
Ember Crows is supported by InnovationRCA, the Royal College of Art’s centre for entrepreneurship and commercialisation. InnovationRCA provides incubation, IP support, and business guidance for early-stage ventures connected to the RCA ecosystem.
The Royal College of Art has been ranked the world’s number 1 university for Art and Design in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. This partnership strengthens our foundation as we prepare investor materials, build a public presence, and develop the game prototype.
Our Studio
Our team works both on-site and remotely. Our current physical office space is located at the Royal College of Art in London, UK. Our remote team works across several countries in Europe, including Poland and Germany.
Location
Royal College of Art Rausing Research & Innovation Building
15 Parkgate Rd, London SW11 4NL, United Kingdom
