Drama Studios

What Drama Studios does

Drama Studios is an independent video game development studio headquartered in Rennes, France, incorporated as a French SAS (SIREN 979 359 767). The company was founded in 2020 by two co-founders who began prototyping in 2019, and currently operates with a team of approximately 10 developers that is actively expanding. Its single announced product is Unrecord, a single-player tactical first-person shooter built on Unreal Engine 5 and distinguished by a photorealistic bodycam perspective, a custom animation pipeline, and adaptive enemy behavior. The studio has no released commercial product and is therefore pre-revenue; its only secondary commercial activity is a low-volume first-party merchandise store extending the Unrecord brand.

Unrecord is the focal point of the studio's identity and economics. The build is centered on Unreal Engine 5 with a photorealistic rendering pipeline, bodycam/POV framing, and a systemic approach to level design; the studio has cited "adaptive AI" for NPC behavior as a notable feature, though this is conventional game AI rather than a machine-learning differentiator. The commercial model is a standard premium PC game release via Steam, with demand built organically to approximately 1.2 million wishlists (placing Unrecord in the top 15 of Steam's global most-wishlisted list) primarily through trailer virality. Distribution channels include Steam, an active Discord community, and the studio's own merchandise storefront shipping worldwide.

Drama Studios' business model is pre-launch and capital-funded rather than revenue-funded. The studio closed a $2.5M seed round led by The Games Fund in September 2024 — its first institutional capital — followed by a Series A minority investment from Tencent in December 2025. There is no service revenue, no B2B customer base, and no recurring pricing model; the merchandise store functions as a brand-extension channel rather than a material revenue line. As of the data provided, the company has not yet shipped Unrecord, has no disclosed unit sales, ARPU, or ARR, and is reliant on investor capital to fund development through release.

Name

Drama Studios

Legal name

DRAMA STUDIOS

Website

https://studiosdrama.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Drama Studios is a Rennes, France-based independent game studio developing Unrecord, a photorealistic single-player tactical shooter on Unreal Engine 5. The studio is pre-revenue, backed by The Games Fund and Tencent, and serves PC gamers globally via Steam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rennes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Official merchandise e-commerce: Made-to-order apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts) and branded merchandise sold directly via the studio's own online store (WordPress + WooCommerce), processed through Stripe and fulfilled by print-on-demand partner Printful. Prices range from approximately €34.99 to €64.99 incl. taxes. Worldwide shipping available.
2. Video game sales (planned, pre-release): Unrecord is in active development and not yet released; the studio plans to sell the finished single-player FPS game (likely via Steam, given the existing Steam store page and wishlist campaign). Currently generating pre-release demand via the wishlist rather than revenue.
3. Venture capital and strategic investment (pre-revenue capital): Studio is funded by external investors: $2.5M seed round led by The Games Fund (announced 2024-09-12) and a Series A led by Tencent (minority stake, announced 2025-12-16). This is capital raised, not product revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Drama Studios is an independent video game studio that develops and publishes single-player video games built on Unreal Engine 5, with its flagship title Unrecord being a tactical first-person shooter played from a body-camera perspective. The studio also operates a direct-to-consumer online merchandise store selling officially branded apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts) under the Drama Studios and Unrecord sub-brands.

Product overview

Drama Studios is an independent, single-product-focused game studio organized around one flagship title, Unrecord — a single-player, open-world tactical FPS built on Unreal Engine 5 and played from a body-camera perspective — complemented by a direct-to-consumer official merchandise store (the "Drama Studios Official Merchandise Store") that sells branded apparel under two parallel sub-brands, "Drama Studios Merchandising" and "Unrecord Merchandising." The Unrecord game is the studio's primary creative and commercial focus, with pre-release Steam wishlist activity and ongoing funding milestones (a $2.5M seed round from The Games Fund in 2024 followed by a Series A led by Tencent in 2025), while the merchandise store operates as a complementary retail line of business that uses Stripe for payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unrecord: DRAMA STUDIOS' flagship single-player tactical FPS game brand, built on Unreal Engine 5, in which the player plays a tactical police officer from a body-camera perspective; it is the studio's marquee product line and is supported by its own merchandising line.

Products and services

• Unrecord Single-player, open-world tactical first-person shooter built in Unreal Engine 5, presented from a body-camera perspective with free-look aiming, adaptive AI enemies, and advanced bodycam mechanics where player decisions influence the past, present, and future of each mission. Targeted at PC gamers who enjoy realistic, narrative-driven tactical shooters.
• Drama Studios Official Merchandise Store Studio-operated online store selling officially branded apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts) under the Drama Studios and Unrecord sub-brands, made-to-order via print-on-demand partner Printful, paid for through Stripe, and shipped worldwide. Targeted at existing fans and wishlist holders who want official branded merchandise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,200,000 Steam wishlists, ranking #12 on Steam's most wishlisted games list
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is used as the studio's payment processing platform for the online merchandise store. DRAMA STUDIOS does not store full payment card details; Stripe handles secure payment authorization.
• PrintfulcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrintful is the studio's print-on-demand partner that manufactures and fulfills all merchandise orders (hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts) on demand after payment confirmation. Necessary shipping information (name and address) is shared with Printful solely for order execution.
• WordPress & WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationWordPress is the website's content management solution and WooCommerce powers the e-commerce platform, including shopping cart and checkout operations.
• CobaltminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCobalt is credited as the maker of the studiosdrama.com website, with an attribution link to cobalt-studio.fr.
• IDeal for ArtistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDeal for Artists is publicly thanked in the seed round announcement as a co-founder-linked organization supporting the studio's building 'from the ground up'.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Don't Nod: French narrative game studio (Life is Strange, Tell Me Why) headquartered in Paris. Comparable as a French indie studio with a strong narrative, character-driven identity and global publishing relationships.
• Frogwares: Ukrainian/Irish indie studio focused on narrative investigative games (Sherlock Holmes series, The Sinking City). Comparable in its investigative, detective-style mechanics and indie scale.
• Mundfish: Russian-Cypriot indie studio behind Atomic Heart, a single-player realistic narrative FPS built on UE4/UE5. Comparable as a small-team studio producing a high-profile, photorealistic narrative shooter.
• 4A Games: Developer of the Metro series, a narrative-driven realistic FPS with systemic shooting mechanics. Comparable in combining realism-first rendering, tactical gunplay, and story-driven single-player design.
• Asobo Studio: French independent studio (A Plague Tale series, Microsoft Flight Simulator) based in Bordeaux. Comparable as a French narrative-driven indie studio with international reach and a focus on cinematic realism.
• VOID Interactive: Independent studio behind Ready or Not, a tactical police FPS with similar bodycam/investigative DNA to Unrecord. Closest direct analogue in scope, theme, and indie FPS positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Larian Studios: Belgian independent studio behind Baldur's Gate 3. Comparable as a European indie studio that built a viral, community-driven pre-launch narrative and converted it into a breakout commercial hit.
• Remedy Entertainment: Finnish studio behind Control and Alan Wake 2. Comparable as a narrative-driven single-player shooter developer using a distinctive visual/technical identity to differentiate from AAA incumbents.
• Arkane Studios: Developer of Dishonored, Prey, and Deathloop — immersive sim / narrative FPS hybrids. Comparable in combining systemic game design, narrative, and immersive first-person realism.

Emerging players

• Ember Lab: Small US-based indie studio that shipped Kena: Bridge of Spirits using UE4. Comparable as a small, craft-focused indie studio producing a high-fidelity, photorealistic UE title with a distinctive visual identity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drama-studios-linkedin
• Xx.com/dramagamestudio

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Drama Studios