Deck Nine
Deck Nine Games is an independent video game developer (51-100 employees) in Westminster, Colorado, specializing in cinematic narrative adventure games for AAA publishers, primarily Square Enix's Life is Strange franchise, and offering cinematic co-development services to external studios.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBroomfield, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Deck Nine does
Deck Nine Games is an independent video game developer founded in 1997 as Idol Minds by Mark Lyons in Boulder, Colorado, rebranded to its current name in 2017 when it pivoted to narrative adventure game development. The studio operates a 51-100 person team headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, with a 1,300 sqft in-house motion capture facility and a proprietary tool suite (StoryForge, PlayWrite, StoryTeller, ShootDay, Pebble/Slingshot) purpose-built for cinematic narrative game production. Its core product line is the Life is Strange franchise developed under a long-standing publishing relationship with Square Enix — Before the Storm (2018), True Colors (2021), the Remastered Collection (2021), Double Exposure (2024), and the announced Reunion (2026) — supplemented by The Expanse: A Telltale Series (2023) co-developed with Telltale Games.\n\nDeck Nine monetizes through work-for-hire development fees and likely royalty participation on titles published by Square Enix across PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Windows, and Nintendo Switch storefronts, with pricing tiered by Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate editions. In March 2025 the studio launched a cinematic co-development services line ([email protected]) that monetizes its proprietary tooling, in-house mocap facility, and creative team for external game studios needing narrative and cinematic production support. The studio has received a Peabody Award, The Game Awards Game for Impact, multiple BAFTA nominations, Webby Awards, and a TRIBECA Official Selection, positioning it as a recognized craft leader in narrative adventure games.
Deck Nine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Deck Nine
- Legal name
- Deck Nine Games
- Website
- https://deckninegames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Deck Nine Games is an independent video game developer (51-100 employees) in Westminster, Colorado, specializing in cinematic narrative adventure games for AAA publishers, primarily Square Enix's Life is Strange franchise, and offering cinematic co-development services to external studios.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Deck Nine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios (MPAFAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)
Keywords
Where Deck Nine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Broomfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Deck Nine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Video Game Sales: Deck Nine develops and co-publishes narrative adventure games through partnerships with publishers like Square Enix. Revenue is generated through direct game sales to consumers via digital distribution platforms and physical retail.
- Co-Development Services: Deck Nine offers cinematic co-development services to other game developers, providing narrative design, character performance capture, cinematic direction, animation, visual effects, sound design, music, and technical integration.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Deck Nine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Deck Nine Games independently develops and co-publishes narrative adventure video games, most notably the Life is Strange franchise (Before the Storm, True Colors, Remastered Collection, Double Exposure) and The Expanse: A Telltale Series. In March 2025 the studio launched a new line of cinematic co-development services that sells its proprietary StoryForge tooling, in-house motion capture facility, and narrative/performance capture expertise to other game developers.
Product overview
Deck Nine Games is an independent game developer offering a portfolio of narrative adventure games. The core offering includes the Life is Strange franchise games (Double Exposure, True Colors, Remastered Collection, Before the Storm) and The Expanse: A Telltale Series. These titles are narrative-focused adventure games where player choices shape the story. The company also offers cinematic co-development services to other studios, providing access to their proprietary tools (StoryForge, PlayWrite, StoryTeller) and motion capture capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- StoryForge: Proprietary tool suite that gives writers, directors, cinematic artists and content creators everything they need to create interactive stories and turn them into fully functioning narrative games.
- PlayWrite
- StoryTeller
Products and services
- Life Is Strange: Double Exposure An all-new supernatural murder mystery narrative adventure game featuring Max Caulfield as protagonist. After her friend Safi is found dead, Max opens a parallel timeline where Safi is still alive, requiring her to shift between two timelines to solve and prevent the murder. Released for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC via Windows Store and Steam, with Nintendo Switch following later; published by Square Enix.
- The Expanse: A Telltale Series A narrative adventure game prequel to the Amazon TV series and book series, co-developed with Telltale Games. Players take on the role of Camina Drummer leading a scavenging crew through difficult decisions that determine the fate of the ship Artemis. Released July 27, 2023 for PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Epic Games Store.
- Life Is Strange: True Colors Narrative adventure game with protagonist Alex Chen who possesses a psychic power of Empathy, allowing her to experience, absorb and manipulate the emotions of others. The game follows Alex investigating her brother's death in Haven Springs. Released for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia; won Peabody Award and Game for Impact at The Game Awards.
- Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection Collection containing remastered editions of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm with improved visuals and animations, featuring stories of Max Caulfield and Chloe Price.
- Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Three-part episodic graphic adventure game set three years before the first Life is Strange game. Players play as sixteen-year-old Chloe Price forming an unlikely friendship with Rachel Amber. Won multiple awards including Webby Awards and Games for Change Game of the Year in 2018.
- Cinematic Co-Dev Services Co-development services offered to other game developers specializing in creating high-quality, emotionally resonant cinematics. Services include narrative design, motion capture, cinematic direction, animation, sound design, music, and technical integration, leveraging the StoryForge tool suite and the studio's 1,300 sq ft motion capture facility. Launched March 8, 2025 with Square Enix featured as a client partner.
Quantifiable outcome
- Life Is Strange: True Colors won Game for Impact at The Game Awards 2021
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Deck Nine
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Deck Nine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Deck Nine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Square EnixcoreSquare Enix is the primary publisher partner for the Life is Strange franchise. Deck Nine developed Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, Life Is Strange: True Colors, and Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection under this partnership. Lee Singleton, head of studio at Square Enix External Studios, called the partnership a 'huge success' and they continue to work together on new projects. Square Enix also handles distribution and publishing for these titles.
- Telltale GamescoreDeck Nine partnered with Telltale Games to develop The Expanse: A Telltale Series, announced at the VGA awards. The partnership leverages Deck Nine's cinematic storytelling expertise and Telltale's episodic game format. The game serves as a prequel to the Amazon TV series and book series, with the first episode released July 27, 2023.
- Square EnixcoreSquare Enix is featured as a client partner on Deck Nine's co-development services page, indicating an ongoing relationship beyond just publishing Life is Strange titles.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Deck Nine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dontnod Entertainment: French developer of the original Life is Strange and other narrative adventure titles (Tell Me Why, Twin Mirror). Most directly comparable to Deck Nine given overlapping genre, episodic narrative structure, and prior franchise association.
- Telltale Games: Historic leader in cinematic episodic narrative adventure games (The Walking Dead, Batman, The Expanse). Deck Nine explicitly partnered with Telltale on The Expanse series and positioned itself to fill the vacuum left by Telltale's 2018 closure.
- Supergiant Games: Independent studio behind narrative-driven action games (Bastion, Hades, Pyre). Similar size and craft-focused ethos with strong critical reception and emotionally resonant storytelling, comparable to Deck Nine's narrative positioning.
- Remedy Entertainment: Developer of cinematic narrative games including Alan Wake, Control, and Quantum Break. Comparable in its emphasis on full performance capture, cinematic direction, and story-driven premium single-player experiences.
- Quantic Dream: French studio known for Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human, and Beyond: Two Souls — choice-driven cinematic narrative games with heavy performance capture. Direct genre overlap with Deck Nine's narrative adventure focus.
- Night School Studio: Developer of Oxenfree and Afterparty, narrative adventure games with strong character-driven storytelling. Closely comparable in studio size, genre focus, and indie premium narrative positioning.
- Compulsion Games: Montreal-based developer of narrative-focused games including We Happy Few and Contrast. Comparable in size and narrative storytelling emphasis, and geographically adjacent within the North American narrative-adventure ecosystem.
- The Odd Gentlemen: Independent studio known for King's Quest reboot and narrative adventure work. Small premium narrative studio with similar craft-focused positioning and episodic storytelling pedigree.
Broad incumbents
- Naughty Dog: PlayStation-owned developer of Uncharted and The Last of Us, the gold standard for cinematic narrative games. Comparable craft focus and performance-capture pipeline, but at much larger AAA scale.
- Hangar 13: 2K-owned developer of the Mafia series featuring cinematic, narrative-heavy single-player experiences. Comparable in its emphasis on cinematic direction and story-driven AAA single-player design, but at substantially larger publisher-backed scale.
Market position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Deck Nine social profiles
Digital presenceDeck Nine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Deck Nine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Deck Nine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Deck Nine 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 Deck Nine
What does Deck Nine do?
Deck Nine Games independently develops and co-publishes narrative adventure video games, most notably the Life is Strange franchise (Before the Storm, True Colors, Remastered Collection, Double Exposure) and The Expanse: A Telltale Series. In March 2025 the studio launched a new line of cinematic co-development services that sells its proprietary StoryForge tooling, in-house motion capture facility, and narrative/performance capture expertise to other game developers.
Is Deck Nine a public or private company?
Deck Nine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Deck Nine founded?
Deck Nine was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Deck Nine based?
Deck Nine is headquartered in Broomfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does Deck Nine make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Video Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are co-Development Services.
Who are Deck Nine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dontnod Entertainment, Telltale Games, Supergiant Games, Remedy Entertainment, Quantic Dream, Night School Studio, Compulsion Games and The Odd Gentlemen. Broad incumbents are Naughty Dog and Hangar 13.
Does Deck Nine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Deck Nine.
What industry is Deck Nine in?
Deck Nine's product category is Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAL, Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAAAM, Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7900.