Snail Games
Snail Games USA (Nasdaq: SNAL) is a Culver City-based developer and publisher of digital entertainment, best known for the ARK survival franchise across PC, console, mobile, and VR, and is expanding into first-party AAA titles (For The Stars), indie publishing via Wandering Wizard, and digital asset infrastructure ($USDO stablecoin).
- Company typePublic
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersCulver City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Snail Games does
Snail Games USA (legal entity: Snail, Inc.; Nasdaq: SNAL) is a Culver City, California-based developer and publisher of digital entertainment founded in 2000. The company's core franchise, ARK, encompasses ARK: Survival Evolved, the UE5 remake ARK: Survival Ascended (launched October 2023), ARK II, ARK Park (VR), mobile port ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, and ongoing DLC such as ARK: Aquatica and the Genesis expansions. Snail builds on Unreal Engine 5 for flagship titles and operates a cross-platform modding ecosystem through Overwolf's CurseForge with an industry-leading 50% revenue share to modders. The portfolio extends beyond ARK into survival titles Bellwright and Last Oasis via wholly owned subsidiary Donkey Crew (Wroclaw, Poland), AAA title For The Stars in internal development, and a diversified indie publishing catalog under the Wandering Wizard label (Los Angeles) covering titles like Robots At Midnight, Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship, Echoes of Elysium, and Honeycomb: The World Beyond.
The company monetizes primarily through one-time premium game sales (e.g., ARK: Survival Ascended at $44.99), DLC/expansion packs, Steam Publisher Sale discounts up to 80%, and a 50% marketplace commission share on premium console mods via Overwolf. Additional revenue streams include monthly licensing fees under an exclusive software license with SDE Inc. for the ARK franchise (recently amended to reduce fees), development outsourcing to affiliated Suzhou Snail Digital Technology, and indie publishing royalties via Wandering Wizard. Distribution is global across Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android storefronts, with audience reach cited at 150M+ users across 210+ countries. Snail operates with 51-100 employees and serves consumer PC, console, and mobile gaming segments through direct-to-consumer channels, supplemented by event-driven visibility (GDC, Gamescom, PAX, TwitchCon, Tokyo Game Show), community-led creator programs (ARKade Ambassador Program with 186M+ minutes of content viewed), and channel partnerships with independent developer studios.
Beyond core gaming, Snail is pursuing a digital ecosystem expansion unveiled at its December 2025 NASDAQ Investor Day, including the proprietary $USDO stablecoin backed by U.S. dollars, funded via an August 2025 at-the-market offering of up to $4.5 million of Class A Common Stock through H.C. Wainwright & Co. Leadership includes CEO Jim Tsai, COO Peter Kang, and CFO Heidy Chow, with founder Shi Hai cited in the company history. The company is publicly traded, regained Nasdaq minimum bid price compliance in October 2024, and holds GDPR, CCPA, COPPA, PIPEDA, and PIPL compliance certifications.
Snail Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Snail Games
- Legal name
- Snail, Inc.
- Website
- https://snail.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Snail Games USA (Nasdaq: SNAL) is a Culver City-based developer and publisher of digital entertainment, best known for the ARK survival franchise across PC, console, mobile, and VR, and is expanding into first-party AAA titles (For The Stars), indie publishing via Wandering Wizard, and digital asset infrastructure ($USDO stablecoin).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Snail Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Game Publishing and Development
- akta.pro primary industry
- Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Billing, Subscription & Entitlement Management (IAP orchestration) (MPAFAJAC), Pet Care & Pet Supplies DTC (CRAFACAH), Pet Health & Wellness Distribution (Supplements, OTC, Preventives) (CRAOAKAC), Pet & Animal Supplies Marketplaces (CRAFABAH), Revenue Cycle, Payments & Financing (Payments, Subscriptions, BNPL, Claims Support) (HLAMAGAE)
Keywords
Where Snail Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Culver City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Snail Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Game Sales (Premium/Permanent Licenses): One-time sales of premium titles such as ARK: Survival Ascended (priced at $44.99) and others across Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch storefronts.
- DLC and Expansion Pack Sales: Recurring revenue from DLC and expansion packs such as ARK: Aquatica, ARK: Ragnarok, ARK: Lost Colony, Aberration Ascended, Genesis Part 1/2, and Bob's Tall Tales: Steampunk Ascent.
- Unit Priced Indie Game Sales: Unit-priced indie game sales such as Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship at $9.99 launch price ($8.99 limited launch discount), with discounts of up to 80% during Steam Publisher Sales.
- Premium Mod Revenue Share: Revenue share model (industry-leading 50% to modders) on premium UE5 console mods in ARK: Survival Ascended, in partnership with Overwolf.
- Software Licensing (ARK Franchise): Monthly license fees under exclusive software license agreement with SDE Inc. for ARK franchise titles, plus DLC payment terms.
- Development Outsourcing Services: Outsourced development services to Suzhou Snail Digital Technology Co., Ltd. for Project Aether, totaling $1.966 million in payments.
- At-the-Market Equity Offering: Up to $4.5 million of Class A Common Stock to be sold via H.C. Wainwright & Co., with proceeds primarily supporting digital asset/stablecoin initiative.
- Indie Publishing (Wandering Wizard): Publishing rights acquisitions and revenue from publishing indie titles globally (The Cecil, Chasmal Fear, Stoneguard, Zombie Within, Survivor Mercs, West Hunt, Honeycomb, Echoes of Elysium, etc.).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ARK: Survival Ascended at $44.99 across PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and playARK.com. |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship at $9.99 launch price, $8.99 limited launch week discount on Steam. |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | For The Stars - Free-to-wishlist AAA title (pricing not disclosed pre-launch). |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bellwright available on Steam Early Access at launch (April 2024); full pricing details on Steam page. |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Steam Publisher Sale discounts of up to 80% off on Snail titles, periodically (Halloween, Summer, etc.). |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels12 records
Snail Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Snail Games develops and publishes premium open-world survival video games across PC, console, and mobile platforms, anchored by the ARK franchise (ARK: Survival Evolved, ARK: Survival Ascended, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, ARK II, ARK: Aquatica DLC). The company operates a wholly owned subsidiary Donkey Crew (Bellwright, Last Oasis), an indie publishing label Wandering Wizard, an internal development team Studio Sirens, and is developing a first-party AAA title (For The Stars) beyond the ARK franchise. Distribution occurs through Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile app stores with a $4.5M ATM equity offering supporting an expanding digital ecosystem including a USD-backed $USDO stablecoin.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wandering Wizard: Indie publishing label by Snail Games dedicated to bringing independent western-developed games to the global market.
- Studio Sirens
- ARK (franchise)
Products and services
- ARK: Survival Evolved
- ARK: Survival Ascended
- ARK II
- Dark and Light
- ATLAS
- Last Oasis
- Bellwright
- Fear the Night
- PixARK
- ZCREW
- ARK Park
- Expedition Agartha
- ARK: Aquatica
- Robots At Midnight
- Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship
- Echoes of Elysium
- Honeycomb: The World Beyond
- Wandering Wizard
- Above the Snow Cozy Alpine resort game released as part of Snail Games USA's expanding publishing lineup through the Wandering Wizard indie branch.
- Rebel Engine Frenetic combo shooter by indie studio Seven Leaf Clover; demo at Steam Next Fest and PAX West 2025 with official launch on November 6, 2025.
- ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition Mobile version of the ARK franchise distributed via iOS and Android; exceeded 10 million downloads globally with 1.1M peak DAU.
Quantifiable outcome
- ARK franchise: 92.1M+ installs and 3.7B+ hours played on Steam (ASE)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Snail Games
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Snail Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
Snail Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship - foundational partner responsible for ark franchise creation and continued development., core - internal development team for ark: aquatica dlc., core - wholly owned subsidiary and developer of bellwright and last oasis., core - developer of published title robots at midnight., minor - developer of echoes of elysium (indie title)., minor - developer of honeycomb: the world beyond (indie title)., minor - developer of west hunt and zombie within., minor - developer of survivor mercs., minor - developer of zombie rollerz: the last ship., minor - indie studio developing rebel engine., minor - co-production partner for ark: lost colony trailer., minor - indie music collaboration partner., minor - vtuber soundtrack collaboration partner., core - cross-platform modding infrastructure partner., core - exclusive license counterparty for ark franchise., core - parent-group entity and development outsourcing partner., minor - sponsors of arkade ambassador program., minor - pr partner for bellwright., minor - creator relations / influencer marketing partner. and minor - dlc-level premium mod developer..
- Studio Wildcardflagship - foundational partner responsible for ark franchise creation and continued development.Studio Wildcard is the creator and developer of ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended (with Studio Wildcard leading development alongside Snail, Inc. as publisher). Joint work on ARKathon Modding Contest and ARK: Lost Colony (with MAPPA).
- Studio Sirenscore - internal development team for ark: aquatica dlc.Studio Sirens was founded in 2024 as a development team focused on prototyping innovative gameplay systems and delivering high-quality DLC for the ARK franchise. Designed and created ARK: Aquatica to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Donkey Crewcore - wholly owned subsidiary and developer of bellwright and last oasis.Donkey Crew LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Snail Inc., an independent studio based in Wroclaw, Poland. Developed Bellwright (launched in Steam Early Access April 2024, sold 200K+ units in weeks; expanded to Xbox announced at GDC 2025) and Last Oasis.
- Finish Line Gamescore - developer of published title robots at midnight.Finish Line Games is an independent video game studio based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Developed Robots at Midnight, published by Snail Games for PC (June 2025) and Xbox Series X|S, later released on PS5 (August 2025).
- Loric Gamesminor - developer of echoes of elysium (indie title).Loric Games is the studio behind Echoes of Elysium, featured in GDC 2025 panel lineup and showcased at TwitchCon 2025 and Tokyo Game Show.
- Frozen Wayminor - developer of honeycomb: the world beyond (indie title).Frozen Way is the development studio behind Honeycomb: The World Beyond; featured in GDC 2025 panels and showcased at TwitchCon 2025 and Tokyo Game Show 2025.
- NewGen Studiominor - developer of west hunt and zombie within.NewGen Studio is an indie game development studio based in Tunisia. Developed West Hunt (social deduction Wild West game) and Zombie Within (1-6 player social deduction horror game) with Snail's indie publishing arm Wandering Wizard.
- Wolpertinger Gamesminor - developer of survivor mercs.Wolpertinger Games developed Survivor Mercs, a top-down bullet hell/roguelite game launched in Early Access October 2023 with Twitch Integration; expanded with major updates.
- Zing Gamesminor - developer of zombie rollerz: the last ship.Zing Games is an award-winning independent game developer based in Chicago. Published Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship (June 2025) on Steam; past hits include Mr. Runner series and Zombie Rollerz series with 10M+ downloads worldwide.
- Seven Leaf Cloverminor - indie studio developing rebel engine.Seven Leaf Clover is the indie studio behind Rebel Engine (combo shooter), showcased at PAX West 2025 and Steam Next Fest; official launch on November 6, 2025.
- MAPPA (Japanese animation studio)minor - co-production partner for ark: lost colony trailer.Renowned Japanese animation studio MAPPA (known for Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan) produced the ARK: Lost Colony official trailer in collaboration with Studio Wildcard.
- Luminati Sunsminor - indie music collaboration partner.Luminati Suns collaborated with Snail Games for an exclusive original song ('On My Way'/'OMW!') and music video for ARK: Aquatica. Song released on all music platforms.
- Hakos Baelz (hololive English -Promise-)minor - vtuber soundtrack collaboration partner.Hakos Baelz, a hololive English -Promise- VTuber, partnered with Rebel Engine for an exclusive original soundtrack ahead of Steam Next Fest.
- Overwolf / CurseForgecore - cross-platform modding infrastructure partner.Overwolf's CurseForge platform powers ARK: Survival Ascended cross-platform modding, including 1,200+ active mod projects, 79M+ downloads, ARKathon Modding Contest ($350K in rewards), and 50% revenue share to modders.
- SDE Inc.core - exclusive license counterparty for ark franchise.Counterparty under Snail's exclusive software license agreement for ARK franchise titles; recently amended to reduce monthly license fees and adjust DLC payment terms.
- Suzhou Snail Digital Technology Co., Ltd.core - parent-group entity and development outsourcing partner.Development outsourcing partner for Project Aether with total payments of $1.966 million. Likely part of the broader Snail Games group corporate structure (Suzhou, China).
- MadCatz, Streamlabs, Glytch (ARKade sponsors)minor - sponsors of arkade ambassador program.MadCatz, Streamlabs, and Glytch sponsored ARKade Ambassador Program prizes for streamers, supporting the 186M+ minutes content ecosystem.
- Outrageous PRminor - pr partner for bellwright.Outrageous PR (Ami Fleet & Danielle Woodyatt) is the PR firm of record for Bellwright media contact.
- Noizminor - creator relations / influencer marketing partner.Noiz handles creator/influencer relations across Wandering Wizard and Snail Games titles ([email protected]). Also named as a third-party analytics provider in the Privacy Policy.
- Blue Isle Studiosminor - dlc-level premium mod developer.Blue Isle Studios is one of the game developers creating DLC-level Premium Mods for ARK: Survival Ascended via Overwolf's CurseForge platform.
- Skymap Gamesminor - dlc-level premium mod developer.Skymap Games is one of the game developers creating DLC-level Premium Mods for ARK: Survival Ascended via Overwolf's CurseForge platform.
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Snail Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Embracer Group: Multi-studio game publisher/holding company operating dozens of internal studios and publishing labels across PC and console; directly comparable to Snail as a diversified publisher-developer with an extensive portfolio of survival, sandbox, and indie titles.
- Devolver Digital: Independent publisher focused on indie and mid-market PC/console titles with a curated catalog; comparable to Snail's Wandering Wizard indie publishing arm and similar mix of co-development/publishing partnerships.
- Team17: UK-listed indie games publisher and developer (Worms franchise) with a portfolio spanning sandbox, survival, and casual titles; comparable to Snail as a publicly traded publisher with both internal IP and third-party indie publishing.
- Gearbox Publishing: Publishing arm of Gearbox Entertainment (Borderlands) issuing both internal and third-party titles across PC and console; comparable as a mid-tier publisher that mixes first-party AAA with external developer partnerships.
- 505 Games: Global video game publisher (Death Stranding PC, Control, Assetto Corsa) distributing both internal and partner-developed titles; comparable as a multi-platform publisher with a comparable portfolio breadth and indie-to-AAA mix.
- Focus Entertainment: European publisher (A Plague Tale, The Surge) operating across both owned IP and partner-developed titles; comparable as a publicly listed mid-market publisher spanning AA and indie releases.
- THQ Nordic: Embracer-owned publisher with a deep back catalog and active indie/AA publishing operation; comparable as a multi-studio publisher with similar portfolio breadth and remakes/remaster strategy.
- Annapurna Interactive: Publisher of indie and AA titles (Stray, Cocoon, Outer Wilds); comparable as a curated indie publisher with strong brand recognition and a similar mix of cross-genre releases.
Emerging players
- Raw Fury: Independent indie publisher (Sable, Norco, Dome Keeper); comparable as a smaller-scale indie publisher pursuing a curated catalog model, similar to Wandering Wizard.
- Modus Games: Mid-sized indie/AA publisher across PC, console, and mobile; comparable as a publisher-developer hybrid working with external studios on survival, roguelite, and action titles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Snail Games social profiles
Digital presenceSnail Games compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Snail Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Snail Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Snail Games subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Snail Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Snail Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Snail Games
What does Snail Games do?
Snail Games develops and publishes premium open-world survival video games across PC, console, and mobile platforms, anchored by the ARK franchise (ARK: Survival Evolved, ARK: Survival Ascended, ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, ARK II, ARK: Aquatica DLC). The company operates a wholly owned subsidiary Donkey Crew (Bellwright, Last Oasis), an indie publishing label Wandering Wizard, an internal development team Studio Sirens, and is developing a first-party AAA title (For The Stars) beyond the ARK franchise. Distribution occurs through Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile app stores with a $4.5M ATM equity offering supporting an expanding digital ecosystem including a USD-backed $USDO stablecoin.
Is Snail Games a public or private company?
Snail Games is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Snail Games founded?
Snail Games was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Snail Games based?
Snail Games is headquartered in Culver City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Snail Games make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (Premium/Permanent Licenses) is the primary driver. The others are DLC and Expansion Pack Sales, unit Priced Indie Game Sales, premium Mod Revenue Share, software Licensing (ARK Franchise), development Outsourcing Services, at-the-Market Equity Offering and indie Publishing (Wandering Wizard).
Who are Snail Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Embracer Group, Devolver Digital, Team17, Gearbox Publishing, 505 Games, Focus Entertainment, THQ Nordic and Annapurna Interactive. Emerging players are Raw Fury and Modus Games.
Does Snail Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Snail Games.
What industry is Snail Games in?
Snail Games's product category is Video Game Publishing and Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAC, Indie Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAJAC, Billing, Subscription & Entitlement Management (IAP orchestration).