Schell Games

What Schell Games does

Schell Games is a full-service game design and development studio headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 2002 by Jesse Schell, CEO and Carnegie Mellon University Distinguished Professor. The studio operates a dual business model: it develops and self-publishes original intellectual property spanning VR puzzle games (the I Expect You To Die trilogy), VR action titles (Until You Fall), VR horror (Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire), educational/cultural experiences (Lost Recipes, HistoryMaker VR), connected toys (Happy Atoms with Thames & Kosmos), and most recently a free-to-play multiplayer title (Project Freefall); concurrently, it operates a custom development-services practice producing co-developed and client-commissioned work for platform holders and major brands including Meta/Oculus Publishing (Party Versus), Innersloth (Among Us VR and Among Us 3D), Kurzgesagt (Out of Scale), Apple (Puzzle Sculpt for Vision Pro), Universal Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, the Smithsonian Institution, and UPMC. The studio builds on Unity and Unreal Engine and ships across Meta Horizon Store, Steam, PlayStation Store, Apple Arcade, Epic Games Store, and PICO Store, with proprietary differentiation in mixed-reality room-stitching technology that maps and stitches remote players' physical rooms into shared digital environments.

The company's revenue mechanics are diversified across four streams: one-time premium game sales (typically $4.99–$29.99 per title), freemium microtransactions via Project Freefall's Sky Bucks currency, client/professional-services contracts for custom VR/AR builds, and licensing/royalty arrangements. Go-to-market is primarily marketplace-led via platform storefronts, augmented by a Content Creator Program (AspireIQ/Keymailer), per-title Discord communities, a Playtester Program, and direct B2B sales for enterprise clients. Non-dilutive capital has included nearly $1M in IES/SBIR grants from the U.S. Department of Education for HistoryMaker VR.

Schell Games serves three principal customer segments: (1) consumer VR/AR gamers seeking immersive entertainment across Meta Quest, PlayStation, SteamVR, and Apple Vision Pro; (2) educational and healthcare institutions deploying validated serious-games solutions (the UPMC Night Shift training game, Carnegie Mellon academic partnerships, DoE-funded educational titles); and (3) enterprise/institutional clients — theme parks, museums, and entertainment brands — commissioning bespoke VR/AR experiences. The studio operates with 51–100 employees and is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

Schell Games

Legal name

Schell Games LLC

Website

https://schellgames.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Schell Games is a Pittsburgh-based full-service game studio developing VR, AR, and mixed-reality games for consumers, platform holders, and institutional clients, with original IPs like the I Expect You To Die trilogy and co-developed hits like Among Us VR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Game Sales (Direct): Sale of premium VR, AR, and mixed reality games through digital storefronts including Meta Horizon Store, Steam, PlayStation Store, and Apple Arcade.
2. Free-to-Play with Microtransactions: Project Freefall operates as a free-to-play title with Sky Bucks virtual currency for cosmetic purchases including character suits and customization items.
3. Client Game Development: Custom game development services for world-class clients including theme parks, museums, and entertainment brands, creating both proprietary and commissioned intellectual property.
4. Licensing and Partnerships: Licensing of original IP and collaboration with major brands including Innersloth (Among Us), Kurzgesagt, and enterprise clients for themed attractions and educational content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Schell Games is a full-service game design and development studio that creates both original intellectual property and commissioned client projects spanning virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, educational, healthcare, and location-based entertainment experiences. The studio self-publishes games on Meta Quest, Steam, PlayStation, Apple Arcade, and mobile stores, while also providing custom game development services for world-class clients such as Meta, Innersloth, Kurzgesagt, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Smithsonian, and UPMC.

Product overview

Schell Games is a full-service game development studio offering both original intellectual property and client game development services. The studio's original portfolio includes award-winning VR puzzle games (I Expect You To Die series), sword fighting roguelikes (Until You Fall), horror-puzzle experiences (Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire), educational simulations (Lost Recipes, HistoryMaker VR), mixed reality logic games (Puzzle Sculpt), and social multiplayer games (Project Freefall). The studio also develops client projects for partners including Innersloth (Among Us VR/3D) and Oculus Publishing (Party Versus). The company specializes in VR/AR development, educational games, connected toys, and location-based entertainment for theme parks and museums, utilizing Unity and Unreal Engine for development across platforms including Meta Quest, SteamVR, PlayStation VR, and Apple Vision Pro.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I Expect You To Die Original VR puzzle game where players play an elite secret agent solving elaborate puzzles to escape assassination attempts from Dr. Zor.
• I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar Second installment of the VR puzzle franchise, continuing the espionage puzzle adventure with new scenarios.
• I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine Third VR puzzle game in the franchise featuring new villain Quantum Zor, an original theme song by Haley Reinhart, and enhanced puzzle mechanics.
• Until You Fall VR sword fighting roguelike featuring neon-stylized combat where players fight through waves of enemies using swordplay and strategic choices.
• Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire Single-player VR horror-puzzle game where players infiltrate vampire lairs and disarm intricate traps with precision and stealth to slay sleeping vampires.
• Lost Recipes VR cooking simulator that teaches history and culture by having players prepare authentic recipes from Ancient Greece, Song Dynasty China, and Maya Civilization.
• InnerCube 3D action-puzzle game for desktop where players roll a multi-colored cube across grids to match colors, with over 100 handcrafted levels in Puzzle Mode and Survival Mode.
• HistoryMaker VR Educational VR tool that lets students deliver historical speeches by stepping into the roles of famous figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
• Happy Atoms Hybrid digital-physical chemistry learning tool that combines AR technology with physical atom models to teach molecular bonding through interactive exploration.
• Project Freefall Free-to-play multiplayer tag game in which 8 players fall through the sky competing for a single parachute, featuring cross-platform play between PC and VR and Sky Bucks cosmetic microtransactions.
• Mission: It's Complicated Matchmaking superhero visual novel where players help superheroes find love through conversation choices and relationship building.
• Puzzle Sculpt Cozy mixed reality logic game for Apple Vision Pro where players chip away at 3D blocks in their physical space to reveal hidden collectibles across more than 70 puzzles.
• Party Versus Social mixed-reality party game developed with Oculus Publishing for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, featuring room-stitching technology that merges players' physical spaces for collaborative and competitive mini-games.
• Among Us VR Virtual reality adaptation of Innersloth's social deduction game featuring first-person gameplay, proximity voice chat, cross-platform VR play, and VR-specific mechanics like venting and sabotage.
• Among Us 3D 3D version of the social deduction game developed with Innersloth, introducing new game modes including Tag Mode and DUM Justice with cross-platform VR support.
• Out of Scale: A Kurzgesagt Adventure Educational game developed in collaboration with Kurzgesagt, featuring the animated science channel's distinctive style and science content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Doctors using Night Shift game achieved 49% under-triage rate for severely injured older adults vs 57% with standard education (JAMA study with 800 ER physicians)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• InnerslothcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2021Schell Games partnered with Innersloth to develop Among Us VR and Among Us 3D, bringing the popular social deduction game to virtual reality and 3D platforms across multiple headsets.
• Robot TeddycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2021Robot Teddy collaborated with Schell Games and Innersloth on the Among Us VR project, contributing to the development alongside Schell Games.
• Thames & KosmoscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 28 June 2016Thames & Kosmos partnered with Schell Games to manufacture and distribute the physical Happy Atoms chemistry learning kit, combining Schell's digital AR expertise with Thames & Kosmos's science education product experience.
• Oculus Publishing (Meta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchell Games developed Party Versus in partnership with Oculus Publishing for Meta Quest 3 and 3S. The mixed reality party game utilizes Meta's presence platform and room-stitching technology for shared social experiences.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchell Games collaborates extensively with Carnegie Mellon University's Modern Languages Department for educational games like Lost Recipes, with historians and professors validating cultural and historical authenticity. CEO Jesse Schell is also a Distinguished Professor at CMU.
• KurzgesagtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchell Games developed Out of Scale: A Kurzgesagt Adventure, a client project based on the popular educational YouTube channel's intellectual property.
• ApplecoreTechnology or IntegrationSchell Games developed Puzzle Sculpt specifically for Apple Vision Pro, showcasing the studio's mixed reality capabilities on Apple's spatial computing platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Resolution Games: Stockholm-based VR/AR game studio (Demeo, Angry Birds VR, Cook-Out: A Sandwich Tale) with a comparable mix of original VR IP and platform partnerships. Most direct head-to-head competitor in premium VR game development for Meta Quest and other headsets.
• Vertigo Games: Rotterdam-based VR game studio (Arizona Sunshine, After the Fall) and VR publisher. Direct peer in premium VR development and publishing on Meta Quest, PSVR2, and PC VR with similar multi-platform strategy.
• Owlchemy Labs: Austin-based VR game studio (Vacation Simulator, Job Simulator) acquired by Google. Direct peer in consumer VR entertainment with comparable headcount scale and platform-holder relationship model.
• Survios: Los Angeles-based VR game studio (Creed: Rise to Glory, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners) with comparable work-for-hire and original IP mix. Direct peer in premium VR entertainment on Meta Quest and other platforms.
• nDreams: UK-based VR/AR game studio and publisher (Phantom: Covert Ops, Far Cry VR, Little Cities) recently acquired by Aonic. Direct peer with similar premium VR development focus and platform relationships.
• Polyarc: Bellevue-based VR game studio (Moss, Moss: Book II) focused on premium single-player VR experiences. Direct peer in the same headcount bracket (~100 employees) developing award-winning original VR IP.
• Fast Travel Games: Stockholm-based VR game studio and publisher (Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife, Cities VR) with comparable small-team premium VR focus. Direct peer in VR-native development for Meta Quest and PSVR2.
• Beat Games: Prague-based studio behind Beat Saber, acquired by Meta in 2019. Direct peer in consumer VR entertainment and a key comparable for the kind of platform-holder-acquisition outcome that anchors VR studio valuations.
• Ready at Dawn: Irvine-based VR/console studio (Lone Echo, Echo VR, The Order: 1886) acquired by Meta/Oculus Studios. Direct peer in premium VR development with a comparable original-IP focus and platform-holder-aligned strategy.
• Coatsink Software: UK-based game studio (Onward, Jurassic World: Aftermath, Cake Bash) acquired by Thunderful Group. Direct peer in VR development and a comparable small-to-mid studio whose acquisition provides a relevant valuation reference point.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schellgames
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchellGames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schell-games

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schell Games