22cans
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersGuildford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
22cans firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 22cans
- Legal name
- 22cans
- Website
- https://22cans.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
22cans industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indie Video Game Development
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Web3/Blockchain Game Studios (MPAFAAAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Game Engine & Creation Platforms (UGC/Modding) (BPAMAKAE)
Keywords
Where 22cans is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Guildford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
22cans business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Game Sales (Masters of Albion): Revenue from selling copies of games through digital distribution platforms like Steam Early Access and mobile app stores.
- Legacy NFT Game (Historical): Previously raised over $50 million through pre-selling NFT-linked land parcels. Gala Games claimed 85% of winnings earned by players. This blockchain-based revenue stream is no longer active as Legacy failed and the studio moved to non-blockchain games.
- Mobile Game Downloads (The Trail, Godus): Free-to-play mobile games generating revenue through standard mobile monetization (in-app purchases), available on iOS App Store and Google Play.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Masters of Albion - Steam Early Access pricing set by Valve |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | The Trail - Mobile free-to-play with in-app purchases |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Godus - Mobile & PC title |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
22cans product offering
Product offeringCore offering
22cans is an independent game development studio that designs and sells multi-platform video games across PC (Steam), mobile (iOS/Android), and Nintendo Switch, with a primary focus on the God Game genre. Its current active title is Masters of Albion (Steam Early Access, April 2026), and it continues to monetize earlier releases The Trail and GODUS on mobile and PC storefronts, while prior experimental games such as Curiosity and the failed blockchain title Legacy round out its catalog.
Product overview
22cans is a game development studio founded in 2012 by Peter Molyneux that creates innovative digital entertainment. The company has developed multiple distinct games including GODUS (a god game for mobile and PC), The Trail (a frontier journey game available on mobile, PC and Switch), and Curiosity (an experimental cube-clicking game). The studio is currently focused on Masters of Albion, a bold reimagining of the God Game genre that launched on Steam Early Access. The company previously partnered with Gala Games to launch Legacy, a blockchain-based NFT game that failed shortly after launch in October 2023.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Masters of Albion A bold reimagining of the God Game genre where players shape a living world as a god or step into it to experience it through their people, currently in Early Access on Steam.
- The Trail A frontier journey game available on mobile, PC, and Nintendo Switch where players join pioneers traveling across unknown country to reach the town of Eden Falls, exploring, crafting, collecting, trading, and building along the way.
- GODUS A god game available on mobile and PC in which players rule over a living, breathing world and feel truly powerful in a tactile, charming environment.
- Curiosity An experimental game centered on a cube that players clicked to discover what was inside, which logged 27,798,516,200 cublets at an average rate of about 1,593 cublets per second during its lifetime.
Quantifiable outcome
- 27.8 billion cublets clicked in Curiosity game demonstrating massive user engagement potential
Companies that use 22cans
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
22cans technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
22cans partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Gala GamesminorGala Games partnered with 22cans to publish the blockchain game Legacy. Gala Games served as the publisher/distributor, handling the sale of NFT land parcels and platform distribution. The partnership raised over $50 million from players purchasing NFT-linked land. The game failed within weeks of launch, and this partnership concluded with significant player losses.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
22cans competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stardock: US developer of god-game and 4X strategy titles (Galactic Civilizations, Fallen Enchantress, Sorcerer King). Stardock is a direct comparable in the niche god/strategy genre that 22cans' Masters of Albion targets.
- Hello Games: Independent UK studio behind No Man's Sky. Hello Games is comparable to 22cans as a small independent UK team pursuing a single ambitious, evolving world-scale experience with cross-platform distribution and post-launch content updates.
- Double Fine Productions: Independent developer of character-driven creative games (Psychonauts, Brütal Legend). Like 22cans, Double Fine is a creator-led, founder-driven (Tim Schafer) indie studio pursuing distinctive, narratively ambitious titles rather than mainstream blockbuster genres.
- Frontier Developments: UK-based game developer headquartered in Cambridge, also operating near the UK game-development cluster. Frontier produces simulation and management-style games (Planet Zoo, Planet Coaster, Jurassic World Evolution) that share the world-building, god-like-creator framing that 22cans pursues with Masters of Albion.
- Supergiant Games: Small independent studio known for Hades, Bastion, and Transistor. Supergiant is comparable to 22cans as a tightly-held, founder-led indie studio producing distinctive, critically acclaimed titles with a small headcount.
- Media Molecule: UK studio (Sony-owned) behind LittleBigPlanet and Dreams, both of which combine creative world-building with accessible creator tools. Like 22cans, Media Molecule is a creator-driven UK studio betting on player creativity and living-world experiences, making it a close comparable in ambition and audience.
- Lionhead Studios: Peter Molyneux's previous UK studio (Fable, Black & White) before its 2016 closure. Lionhead is the most direct historical peer — same founder, same God Game DNA — and offers a reference point for the scale and challenges of operating a UK god-game studio.
Regional players
- Team17: UK-based indie game publisher and developer (Worms, Overcooked) that helps bring independent titles to market. Team17 is a regional comparable relevant to 22cans as both an indie studio and as a potential publishing/distribution partner for titles like Masters of Albion.
- Playground Games: UK-based AAA developer (Forza Horizon, Fable reboot) operating in the same UK talent ecosystem as 22cans. While at much larger scale, Playground is relevant as a regional peer competing for the same UK game-development talent pool.
Others
- Gala Games: Blockchain gaming publisher that partnered with 22cans on the failed Legacy NFT game, retaining 85% of in-game spending. Gala is an ecosystem participant and the most directly relevant historical partner, useful for understanding the Legacy failure and 22cans' subsequent pivot away from blockchain.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
22cans social profiles
Digital presence22cans financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
22cans leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
22cans funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
22cans M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 22cans
What does 22cans do?
22cans is an independent game development studio that designs and sells multi-platform video games across PC (Steam), mobile (iOS/Android), and Nintendo Switch, with a primary focus on the God Game genre. Its current active title is Masters of Albion (Steam Early Access, April 2026), and it continues to monetize earlier releases The Trail and GODUS on mobile and PC storefronts, while prior experimental games such as Curiosity and the failed blockchain title Legacy round out its catalog.
Is 22cans a public or private company?
22cans is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 22cans founded?
22cans was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 22cans based?
22cans is headquartered in Guildford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does 22cans make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (Masters of Albion) is the primary driver. The others are legacy NFT Game (Historical) and mobile Game Downloads (The Trail, Godus).
Who are 22cans's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stardock, Hello Games, Double Fine Productions, Frontier Developments, Supergiant Games, Media Molecule and Lionhead Studios. Regional players are Team17 and Playground Games. Gala Games is listed as an others.
Does 22cans have an API?
No public API is recorded for 22cans.
What industry is 22cans in?
22cans's product category is Indie Video Game Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAO, Web3/Blockchain Game Studios, with a secondary code of BPAMAKAE, Game Engine & Creation Platforms (UGC/Modding). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7990.