Windup Minds
Windup Minds is an independent Seattle-based XR game studio that builds mixed-reality pet simulation experiences, primarily the Steam and Meta Quest title "Stay: Your Forever Pet," targeting VR gamers seeking comfort and companionship.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Windup Minds does
Windup Minds, Inc. is an independent XR game studio headquartered in Seattle, Washington, founded in 2023 by Bernard Yee (CEO), Stefani Swiatkowski (CDO), and Ben Vance (CTO). The studio's core product is "Stay: Your Forever Pet," a mixed-reality pet simulation game built around a virtual companion named Ember, where players can adopt, cuddle, and play with the pet in real-world environments using passthrough cameras and scanned room meshes. The experience is positioned as a comfort and companionship title — the studio explicitly contrasts virtual pets with the responsibilities of real pets and targets VR/XR gamers seeking refuge, emotional connection, and relaxation rather than hardcore gameplay loops.
The studio's underlying technology combines mixed-reality passthrough, room-mesh scanning for spatial anchoring, local voice/audio processing for keyword detection, and session-based height detection that is discarded after use for privacy. The design methodology blends social systems theory, implicit motivations, canine cognition, behavioral economics, and human psychology to drive what the company calls "meaningful AI interaction," applied to a virtual pet rather than to a generative-AI system. Distribution is exclusively digital through two channels: Steam Early Access for PCVR (launched 2025) and the Meta Quest Store for standalone VR (launched January 2026).
The business model is a freemium consumer offering: the base game is downloadable with free features, and revenue is generated through one-time game license sales plus optional in-game purchases of virtual tokens, coins, and items. Pricing of virtual items is at the studio's discretion and may be revised at any time. GTM is community-led — Discord-hosted feature voting, a newsletter, organic social across X, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube — with earned press coverage from gaming outlets including Insider Gaming, Gamers Heroes, Idle Hands, Thumb Culture, MoguLive, and The VR Realm. The studio has previously shipped Bogo and First Steps on Meta Quest, and its ~12-person team draws on prior experience at Oculus, Magic Leap, WeVR, Bungie, PopCap, Electronic Arts, Niantic, and Funomena.
Windup Minds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Windup Minds
- Legal name
- Windup Minds, Inc.
- Website
- https://windupminds.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Windup Minds is an independent Seattle-based XR game studio that builds mixed-reality pet simulation experiences, primarily the Steam and Meta Quest title "Stay: Your Forever Pet," targeting VR gamers seeking comfort and companionship.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Windup Minds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Reality Gaming
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)
Keywords
Where Windup Minds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Windup Minds 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: One-time purchase of game license through Steam and Meta Quest marketplace. The game is offered through Steam Early Access.
- Virtual Items: In-game virtual currencies and items purchasable through the Game. Users buy licenses to access virtual tokens, coins or items. Virtual Items have no real-world monetary value and cannot be exchanged for real money.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Base game with free features |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Items and in-game purchases |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Windup Minds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Windup Minds is an independent game studio that develops mixed reality (VR/MR) virtual pet simulation games. Their flagship title, "Stay: Your Forever Pet," is sold as a downloadable game on Steam Early Access and the Meta Quest Store, featuring an AI-driven virtual pet companion named Ember that players interact with through passthrough mixed reality overlays in their real-world environments. The studio monetizes through one-time game licenses and optional in-game virtual item purchases, with a freemium layer that exposes base features free of charge.
Product overview
Windup Minds is an independent game studio specializing in frontier and emerging technology experiences, particularly in XR/VR/AR. Their core product is Stay: Your Forever Pet, a mixed reality pet simulation game available on Steam Early Access and Meta Quest. The company has previously developed VR titles Bogo and First Steps for Meta Quest. The product portfolio centers on emotionally engaging virtual pet experiences that leverage mixed reality technology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Stay: Your Forever Pet: Mixed reality pet simulation game featuring virtual pet companion Ember, developed by Windup Minds and available on Steam Early Access and Meta Quest.
Products and services
- Stay: Your Forever Pet Mixed reality pet simulation game where players adopt and care for a virtual companion named Ember. Players can cuddle with Ember on the couch, explore magical environments, and enjoy a dreamlike VR/MR gameplay experience. Available on Steam Early Access and Meta Quest Store.
- Bogo Earlier VR title for Meta Quest developed by the Windup Minds team, referenced as a previously shipped beloved Quest title.
- First Steps Earlier VR title for Meta Quest developed by the Windup Minds team, referenced as a previously shipped beloved Quest title.
Quantifiable outcome
- Genuine emotional connection with virtual pets leading to sustainable engagement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Windup Minds
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Windup Minds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Windup Minds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Windup Minds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Niantic: Operates Peridot, an AR pet simulation game directly competing with Stay: Your Forever Pet. A team member on Windup Minds (Ah Young Joo) previously worked on Peridot, underscoring the overlap in AR/MR pet-companion gameplay and target audience.
- Owlchemy Labs: Independent VR game studio behind Vacation Simulator and Cosmonious High, serving the same Meta Quest and PCVR audiences with comfort-oriented, broadly accessible VR experiences and similar indie studio economics.
- Resolution Games: Independent VR/MR game studio publishing titles like Demeo and Angry Birds VR across Steam and Meta Quest. Comparable in scale, multi-platform MR distribution strategy, and comfort-genre positioning.
- Beat Games: Independent VR studio behind Beat Saber, one of the highest-grossing titles on Meta Quest. Demonstrates the indie-VR breakout trajectory Windup Minds aspires to on the same platforms.
- Tender Claws: Independent VR/MR studio shipping novel interaction-driven experiences (Virtual Virtual Reality, The Under Presents). Comparable in indie scale, VR-native design philosophy, and willingness to ship unconventional genres.
- Fast Travel Games: VR-focused studio publishing titles such as Cities VR and Apex Construct across SteamVR and Meta Quest. Comparable in indie size and dedicated focus on the VR/MR platform.
- Schell Games: Long-running independent studio producing VR titles (I Expect You To Die, Until You Fall) with strong experience design pedigree. Comparable in indie positioning and comfort/experiential VR focus.
- Funomena: VR/AR-focused indie game studio known for whimsical, emotionally driven experiences like Luna. Directly comparable given that team member Alejandro Cannizzo's first industry role was at Funomena.
- Vertigo Games: VR publisher and developer (Arizona Sunshine, After the Fall) operating across PCVR and Meta Quest. Comparable in VR-first portfolio strategy and Quest-store go-to-market.
Broad incumbents
- Creatures Inc. Long-established developer of virtual pet franchises including Pokémon-related titles and Nintendo's creature-collecting IP. Adjacent incumbent in the virtual pet simulation category at much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Windup Minds social profiles
Digital presenceWindup Minds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Windup Minds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Windup Minds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Windup Minds 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 Windup Minds
What does Windup Minds do?
Windup Minds is an independent game studio that develops mixed reality (VR/MR) virtual pet simulation games. Their flagship title, "Stay: Your Forever Pet," is sold as a downloadable game on Steam Early Access and the Meta Quest Store, featuring an AI-driven virtual pet companion named Ember that players interact with through passthrough mixed reality overlays in their real-world environments. The studio monetizes through one-time game licenses and optional in-game virtual item purchases, with a freemium layer that exposes base features free of charge.
Is Windup Minds a public or private company?
Windup Minds is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Windup Minds founded?
Windup Minds was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Windup Minds based?
Windup Minds is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Windup Minds make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are virtual Items.
Who are Windup Minds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Niantic, Owlchemy Labs, Resolution Games, Beat Games, Tender Claws, Fast Travel Games, Schell Games, Funomena and Vertigo Games. Creatures Inc. is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Windup Minds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Windup Minds.
What industry is Windup Minds in?
Windup Minds's product category is Virtual Reality Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAH, Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.