AurumDust
AurumDust is a small Cyprus-based indie game studio developing the Ash of Gods franchise of turn-based tactical RPGs with narrative and CCG elements, distributed across PC, console, and mobile platforms. It also provides art and animation outsourcing services to other game studios.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNicosia, Cyprus
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What AurumDust does
AurumDust is a small, privately-held independent video game development studio founded in 2016 and headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus, with an international team of roughly 8–10 people working remotely across Cyprus, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, and Turkey. The studio operates the Ash of Gods franchise, an interconnected portfolio of turn-based tactical games that combine tactical combat, collectible card game mechanics, and visual-novel-style non-linear narratives featuring a distinctive permadeath system in which main characters can die without ending the story. Its core technology stack includes a turn-based tactical combat engine, a visual novel narrative system, CCG card mechanics, and a hand-drawn 2D animation pipeline spanning frame-by-frame, rotoscoping, and cutout techniques; proprietary features include dynamic per-battle rule changes and a non-linear death-and-consequence narrative engine. The product lineup comprises Ash of Gods: Redemption (PC and consoles, March 2018), Ash of Gods: Tactics (iOS/Android, September 2019), Ash of Gods: Arena (Steam demo, June 2020), and Ash of Gods: The Way (PC/Switch/Epic, April 2023), with a Tactics mobile relaunch executed in October 2025. Beyond first-party development, AurumDust sells art and animation outsourcing services (character/environment concept art, production-ready 2D animation, FX, and UI) to other game studios, effectively monetizing spare production capacity. Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time game purchases priced at $24.99/€24.99 across seven digital storefronts, with no live-service or recurring monetization and no disclosed institutional capital beyond a nominal July 2022 round from Game Seer Venture Partners. The company's competitive positioning rests on narrative depth, hand-drawn visual identity, and multi-platform reach rather than scale or technological differentiation.
AurumDust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AurumDust
- Legal name
- Aurum Dust LLC
- Website
- https://aurumdust.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AurumDust is a small Cyprus-based indie game studio developing the Ash of Gods franchise of turn-based tactical RPGs with narrative and CCG elements, distributed across PC, console, and mobile platforms. It also provides art and animation outsourcing services to other game studios.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AurumDust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Game Development
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)
Keywords
Where AurumDust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nicosia
- HQ country
- Cyprus
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
AurumDust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales (One-time Purchase): Direct game sales through digital distribution platforms. Players purchase games once for permanent access. Ash of Gods: The Way priced at $24.99/€24.99/£20.99. Ash of Gods: Redemption available on PC and console platforms.
- Console Platform Sales: Sales through PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch digital stores with platform holder revenue share
- Mobile Game Sales: Sales and distribution through iOS App Store and Google Play for Ash of Gods: Tactics mobile relaunch
- Outsource Art and Animation Services: Providing character and environment concept art, production-ready characters and environments, 2D animation, and UI art services to other game developers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Ash of Gods: The Way Standard Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Ash of Gods: Redemption |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
AurumDust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AurumDust develops and publishes turn-based tactical video games under the Ash of Gods franchise, releasing titles across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and mobile (iOS, Google Play) platforms. The studio also provides 2D art and animation outsourcing services to other game developers, including concept art, production-ready characters and environments, frame-by-frame animation, rotoscoping, and UI production.
Product overview
AurumDust is a video game development studio specializing in turn-based tactical games with deep story elements. The company operates the Ash of Gods franchise—a interconnected portfolio of video games combining turn-based strategy, roguelike RPG mechanics, visual novel storytelling, and collectible card game elements. The core product lineup includes Ash of Gods: Redemption (2018), a hand-drawn tactical RPG; Ash of Gods: The Way (2023), a tactical card game with dynamic rule changes; Ash of Gods: Tactics (2019), a mobile competitive card game; and Ash of Gods: Arena (2020), an online multiplayer arena game. All titles are available across major PC gaming platforms (Steam, Epic Games Store), consoles (PlayStation, XBox, Nintendo Switch), and mobile (iOS, Android). Beyond first-party game development, AurumDust also operates as an outsource team providing art and animation production services including character design, environment art, 2D animation, and UI design.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ash of Gods: Redemption A turn-based, hand-drawn RPG that combines tactical combat, CCG elements, and a constantly evolving non-linear story where no one is safe from death, including the main characters. Released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
- Ash of Gods: The Way A turn-based, story-driven tactical card game with constantly changing rules for every single fight. Features two decks, six factions, and combines RPG conversations with collectible card game mechanics and turn-based tactical combat. Available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Epic Games Store.
- Ash of Gods: Tactics An isometric mobile card game with dynamic and engaging competitive gameplay. Players gather parties, manage units, collect artifacts, and build decks to create unique strategies for PvP battles. Available on iOS and Android.
- Ash of Gods: Arena An online turn-based game demo based on Ash of Gods: Redemption's multiplayer mode with significantly improved gameplay and balance, dynamic fights, PvE encounters, clan systems, and ranked play.
- Art and Animation Outsourcing Services Outsource services providing character and environment concept art, production-ready characters, production-ready environments with customizable detail levels (including 2D post-processing of 3D scenes), classic 2D animation (frame-by-frame, rotoscoping, cutout), production-ready 2D FX, and 2D UI from design to production-ready art. Targeted at other game development studios.
Companies that use AurumDust
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AurumDust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
AurumDust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
AurumDust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stoic Studio: Small indie studio behind The Banner Saga trilogy, a hand-drawn turn-based tactical RPG with deep narrative and permanent character death. The most direct product analog to AurumDust's Ash of Gods: Redemption in terms of team size, art style, tactical RPG + story-driven hybrid gameplay.
- Mega Crit Games: Indie studio behind Slay the Spire, the defining turn-based deckbuilder. Closest direct comparable for Ash of Gods: The Way's tactical card game mechanics and small-team indie distribution model.
- IronOak Games: Developer of For The King, a turn-based tactical RPG with roguelike elements. Comparable indie scope, hybrid tactical/roguelike design, and multi-platform release strategy.
- Supergiant Games: Small narrative-focused indie studio behind Hades, Bastion, and Transistor. Comparable team size, strong art direction, emphasis on story-driven combat, and multi-platform indie distribution.
- Motion Twin: French indie cooperative behind Dead Cells. Very similar size, indie DNA, and tactical/action hybrid product surface, demonstrating the indie small-team operating model AurumDust follows.
- Harebrained Schemes: Developer of Shadowrun Returns, BattleTech, and Crimson Dragon — small-to-mid studio specializing in turn-based tactical RPGs with deep lore. Closest comparable for franchise-driven, lore-heavy tactical RPG strategy.
Broad incumbents
- 11 bit studios: Mid-sized studio behind Frostpunk and This War of Mine, with a strong track record in narrative tactical/strategy games. Comparable genre positioning, though at materially larger scale and with broader IP portfolio.
- Firaxis Games: Developer of Civilization and XCOM — the benchmark for turn-based strategy and turn-based tactical games. Comparable core genre (turn-based tactical) though at vastly larger scale and with publisher backing.
- Larian Studios: Developer of Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity series — turn-based tactical RPGs with deep narrative. Comparable genre intersection but a much larger, recently AAA-tier studio.
- Dreamhaven: Game publisher and studio incubator founded by Mike Morhaime. Comparable in nurturing small indie studios with narrative/tactical titles; relevant as a potential publishing partner archetype for AurumDust.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AurumDust social profiles
Digital presenceAurumDust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AurumDust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
AurumDust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AurumDust 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 AurumDust
What does AurumDust do?
AurumDust develops and publishes turn-based tactical video games under the Ash of Gods franchise, releasing titles across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and mobile (iOS, Google Play) platforms. The studio also provides 2D art and animation outsourcing services to other game developers, including concept art, production-ready characters and environments, frame-by-frame animation, rotoscoping, and UI production.
Is AurumDust a public or private company?
AurumDust is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AurumDust founded?
AurumDust was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AurumDust based?
AurumDust is headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus, in the Europe region.
How does AurumDust make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (One-time Purchase) is the primary driver. The others are console Platform Sales, mobile Game Sales and outsource Art and Animation Services.
Who are AurumDust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stoic Studio, Mega Crit Games, IronOak Games, Supergiant Games, Motion Twin and Harebrained Schemes. Broad incumbents are 11 bit studios, Firaxis Games, Larian Studios and Dreamhaven.
Does AurumDust have an API?
No public API is recorded for AurumDust.
What industry is AurumDust in?
AurumDust's product category is Video Game Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAK, Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAKAM, Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO). Its NAICS code is 51321.