Cathedral Studios
Cathedral Studios is a UK-based video game developer and publisher building horror and indie titles on Unreal Engine, including the PvP/PvE FPS The Bornless and the Little Bird indie publishing label that releases games like HAM: The Game to global consumers via Steam and direct web channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersColchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Cathedral Studios does
Cathedral Studios is a UK-based video game developer and publisher building horror-themed interactive entertainment on Unreal Engine. The studio operates two product streams: a first-party development track centered on The Bornless, a first-person PvP/PvE horror game targeted at the AAA-quality horror segment, and a publishing track via the Little Bird indie label, which provides independent developers with production, marketing, and distribution support and released HAM: The Game on Steam.
The studio's technical foundation rests on deep Unreal Engine expertise, motion capture capabilities, and cinematic design, used to deliver both technical precision and narrative depth across its portfolio. Headquartered in Wokingham, United Kingdom, the company is led by CEO and founder Toby Saunders (film/TV and advertising background) alongside co-leads in operations, marketing, business development, and game development, supported by an indie-leaning team of roughly ten core contributors covering art, animation, sound, UI, programming, content, and community.
Commercially, Cathedral Studios generates revenue through one-time game license sales on Steam and direct-to-consumer channels (thebornless.com, cathedral-studios.com), supplemented by publishing/professional-services revenue from the Little Bird indie label. The studio is privately held and venture-backed, having closed a $6.66 million seed round in March 2024 led by Arca with participation from a 16-investor syndicate spanning crypto-native and gaming-focused funds, and is supported by Nvidia Inception, Microsoft, and AWS Activate infrastructure programs.
Cathedral Studios firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cathedral Studios
- Legal name
- Cathedral Studios Limited
- Website
- https://www.cathedral-studios.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cathedral Studios is a UK-based video game developer and publisher building horror and indie titles on Unreal Engine, including the PvP/PvE FPS The Bornless and the Little Bird indie publishing label that releases games like HAM: The Game to global consumers via Steam and direct web channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cathedral Studios industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Game Development and Publishing
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where Cathedral Studios is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Colchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cathedral Studios business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales - The Bornless: Direct sales of flagship horror FPS game The Bornless to consumers through digital distribution.
- Game Sales - HAM: The Game: Sales of chaotic co-op comedy game through Steam marketplace and other digital distribution channels.
- Publishing Revenue - Little Bird Label: Revenue from publishing independent games through Little Bird indie label, providing production support, marketing, and distribution expertise to independent development teams.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cathedral Studios product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cathedral Studios is a UK-based video game publisher and developer that creates immersive, story-driven games. Its flagship title is The Bornless, a first-person horror FPS game developed in Unreal Engine. The company also operates Little Bird, an indie development label that publishes independent games such as HAM: The Game, providing production, marketing, and distribution support to indie teams.
Product overview
Cathedral Studios is a UK-based video game publisher and developer operating as both a developer and publisher. As a developer, they create The Bornless, an AAA-quality horror FPS game. As a publisher, they support their internal indie label Little Bird, which publishes titles like HAM: The Game, providing independent teams with production support, marketing, and distribution expertise. The company leverages motion capture, Unreal Engine expertise, and cinematic design to deliver both technical precision and emotional depth across its portfolio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Little Bird: Indie development label bringing quirky, creative, and chaotic new experiences to life. Publishes games like HAM: The Game.
Products and services
- The Bornless Flagship horror FPS game developed by Cathedral Studios using Unreal Engine, motion capture, and cinematic design. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts seeking AAA-quality immersive, story-driven first-person experiences with PvP/PvE gameplay.
- HAM: The Game Chaotic co-op comedy indie game published by Cathedral Studios under the Little Bird label, featuring factory chaos gameplay for players seeking quirky, unconventional multiplayer experiences.
- Little Bird indie publishing label Indie game publishing label under Cathedral Studios that brings quirky, creative, and chaotic new experiences to life, providing independent development teams with production support, marketing expertise, and distribution through the studio's channels.
Companies that use Cathedral Studios
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cathedral Studios technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Cathedral Studios partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Nvidia Inception ProgramminorCathedral Studios is supported by the Nvidia Inception Program, which provides startups with development tools, hardware access, and marketing support for AI and gaming applications.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cathedral Studios competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kinetic Games: UK-based indie studio behind Phasmophobia — a multiplayer horror breakout hit. Same UK indie base and horror multiplayer mechanic overlap as The Bornless.
- Red Barrels: Canadian indie studio behind the Outlast franchise — a first-person horror series with PvP-style pursuit mechanics. Closely comparable to Cathedral's horror FPS ambitions and indie-studio production model.
- Frictional Games: Swedish indie studio behind Amnesia and SOMA — small-team horror developers operating in Unreal Engine-adjacent tooling, with a track record of premium horror titles. Closely matches Cathedral's indie + horror positioning.
- Bloober Team: Polish studio behind Layers of Fear, Blair Witch, Observer, and the Silent Hill 2 remake — premium horror developers using Unreal Engine. Demonstrates a plausible trajectory from indie horror to AAA-tier horror IP holder that Cathedral is aiming toward.
- Supermassive Games: UK-based horror studio behind Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology — narrative-driven horror with cinematic production values on Unreal Engine. Directly comparable to Cathedral's cinematic-horror thesis.
- Heart Machine: Indie studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash — Unreal Engine-based developer with cinematic art direction at indie scale. Comparable in team size and ambition-to-resources profile.
- Mundfish: Russian/Cypriot studio behind Atomic Heart — small-to-mid studio that delivered a cinematic AAA-quality first-person shooter using Unreal Engine. Comparable scale-to-ambition profile to Cathedral.
Broad incumbents
- Devolver Digital: Public indie publisher (Hotline Miami, Fall Guys, Cult of the Lamb). Comparable to Cathedral's publishing ambitions via the Little Bird label, though at vastly larger scale and as a third-party publisher rather than integrated studio.
Emerging players
- Raw Fury: Indie publisher (Sable, Norco, Kingdom Two Crowns) — closely comparable to Little Bird as a publisher working with indie developers on premium titles, though Raw Fury is more established.
Others
- Sky Mavis: Developer of Axie Infinity and a major web3 gaming platform. Relevant as a web3-native gaming ecosystem player whose trajectory directly impacts Cathedral's web3 distribution thesis.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cathedral Studios social profiles
Digital presenceCathedral Studios compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Cathedral Studios financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cathedral Studios leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Cathedral Studios funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors17 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cathedral Studios 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 Cathedral Studios
What does Cathedral Studios do?
Cathedral Studios is a UK-based video game publisher and developer that creates immersive, story-driven games. Its flagship title is The Bornless, a first-person horror FPS game developed in Unreal Engine. The company also operates Little Bird, an indie development label that publishes independent games such as HAM: The Game, providing production, marketing, and distribution support to indie teams.
Is Cathedral Studios a public or private company?
Cathedral Studios is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cathedral Studios founded?
Cathedral Studios was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cathedral Studios based?
Cathedral Studios is headquartered in Colchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cathedral Studios make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Game Sales - The Bornless are the primary driver. The others are game Sales - HAM: The Game and publishing Revenue - Little Bird Label.
Who are Cathedral Studios's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kinetic Games, Red Barrels, Frictional Games, Bloober Team, Supermassive Games, Heart Machine and Mundfish. Devolver Digital is listed as a broad incumbent. Raw Fury is listed as an emerging player. Sky Mavis is listed as an others.
Does Cathedral Studios have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cathedral Studios.
What industry is Cathedral Studios in?
Cathedral Studios's product category is Video Game Development and Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAC, Indie Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 5132.