Frictional Games
Frictional Games is a Swedish independent developer of first-person psychological horror games, including the Amnesia franchise and SOMA. The studio builds on its proprietary HPL engine and sells one-time game licenses to global horror enthusiasts via Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersHelsingborg, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Frictional Games does
Frictional Games AB is a privately held Swedish independent video game developer founded in 2006 by Thomas Grip and Jens Nilsson and headquartered in Helsingborg, with a registered business office in Malmö. The studio specializes in first-person psychological and survival horror, with a catalog spanning the Penumbra series (2007–2008), the four-title Amnesia franchise (The Dark Descent 2010, A Machine for Pigs 2013, Rebirth 2020, The Bunker 2023), SOMA (2015), and the forthcoming Ontos announced as a SOMA spiritual successor. The company develops exclusively on its proprietary HPL Engine across three generations (HPL1, HPL2, HPL3) and supports a community modding ecosystem through public tools, a developer wiki, and an annual Mod Jam event.
The studio's technical differentiator is its physics-based interaction model, immersive sound design, atmospheric lighting, and resource-scarity mechanics that emphasize fear and puzzle-solving over combat; Amnesia: The Bunker notably introduced firearms to the formula. Distribution runs through a marketplace GTM: digital storefronts (Steam primary, Epic Games Store, console platforms PlayStation and Nintendo Switch via Abylight Studios), supported by occasional free promotions (Amnesia: The Bunker free on Epic, October 2023) plus post-sale merchandise (Makeship plushies) and editorial extensions such as Amnesia: Design Works.
Frictional Games' revenue model centers on one-time game licenses supplemented by console publishing royalties and merchandise, with no subscription, live-service, or in-game monetization. Ownership remains founder-controlled with no disclosed outside investors following the financial stability achieved after The Dark Descent's 2010 breakout. The primary customer segment is horror game enthusiasts seeking psychologically immersive experiences, with a secondary VR gaming community reached through a 2026 collaboration with Valve for enhanced VR Amnesia content.
Frictional Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frictional Games
- Legal name
- Frictional Games AB
- Website
- https://frictionalgames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Frictional Games is a Swedish independent developer of first-person psychological horror games, including the Amnesia franchise and SOMA. The studio builds on its proprietary HPL engine and sells one-time game licenses to global horror enthusiasts via Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frictional Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Survival Horror Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Game Engines (General-Purpose & Real-Time 3D) (MPAFAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Game Engine & Creation Platforms (UGC/Modding) (BPAMAKAE)
Keywords
Where Frictional Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsingborg
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Frictional Games 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 (Direct and Platform): Frictional Games sells its games directly through its own website and through major digital distribution platforms including Steam, Epic Games Store, and console storefronts. Games are offered as one-time purchases with occasional free promotions (e.g., Amnesia: The Bunker free on Epic Games Store).
- Console Publishing Royalties: Revenue generated through publishing partnerships such as Abylight Studios for Nintendo Switch ports, with Frictional Games receiving royalties on sales of ported titles like Amnesia: Rebirth on Switch 2.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including plush toys featuring characters from games (e.g., Simon from SOMA plushie, Servant Grunt plushie), sold through third-party platforms such as Makeship.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Retail price for Penumbra: Overture Episode One (2007) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Frictional Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Frictional Games is a Swedish independent video game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes survival horror video games for PC and consoles. The company builds its games on a proprietary in-house technology stack, the HPL Engine, and sells them primarily through digital storefronts such as Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Nintendo Switch. Its portfolio spans the Penumbra Collection, the Amnesia franchise (The Dark Descent, A Machine for Pigs, Rebirth, The Bunker), SOMA, and the upcoming spiritual successor Ontos.
Product overview
Frictional Games is a Swedish video game developer specializing in survival horror games. Their product portfolio includes the Amnesia franchise (Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Amnesia: Rebirth, and Amnesia: The Bunker), the SOMA series, and the earlier Penumbra Collection. The company develops games using their proprietary HPL Engine and supports community modding through the Frictional Mod Jam events. Their latest announced project is Ontos, a spiritual successor to SOMA. Games are distributed across major platforms including PC (Steam, Epic), PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Amnesia: The Bunker A survival horror game set in a World War I bunker featuring first-person perspective, resource management mechanics, and an added firearms system, in which players navigate dark environments while being hunted by a monster. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts.
- Amnesia: Rebirth A survival horror game and the third installment in the Amnesia series, featuring first-person horror experience and resource management mechanics. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts across PC, PlayStation, and (upcoming) Nintendo Switch 2.
- SOMA A science fiction horror game in which protagonist Simon Jarrett awakens in an underwater research facility, widely regarded as one of the best horror games of the last decade. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts.
- Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs The second installment in the Amnesia series, set in an industrial-era pig processing facility with psychological horror elements. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts.
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent The original Amnesia game, establishing the franchise as a landmark in survival horror gaming with its focus on sanity mechanics and atmospheric horror. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts.
- Penumbra Collection Frictional Games' early survival horror series including Penumbra: Overture, Penumbra: Black Plague, and Penumbra: Requiem, featuring physics-based interaction and puzzles set in Greenland. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts.
- Ontos An upcoming game being developed as the spiritual successor to SOMA (2015), announced in December 2025. Targeted at horror game enthusiasts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Amnesia: The Bunker received a 93% score from PCG's critic Ted Litchfield and is described as 'one of the best straight-up horror games ever made'.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Frictional Games
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Frictional Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Frictional Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ValvecoreFrictional Games has an active collaboration with Valve for enhanced VR Amnesia experiences. This partnership leverages Valve's VR technology ecosystem (including SteamVR) to deliver immersive virtual reality horror content, making Amnesia titles available to VR gamers through Valve's platforms.
- Abylight StudioscoreAbylight Studios is the publishing partner handling the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Amnesia: Rebirth. The studio is optimizing the title for Switch 2 hardware, expanding the game's availability beyond its original 2020 PC and PS4 launch to a new console platform. The port is scheduled for release on April 30, 2026.
- Lexicon EntertainmentminorLexicon Entertainment was the publisher responsible for releasing Penumbra: Overture in stores worldwide. The partnership was announced in October 2006 ahead of the game's Q1 2007 release. Lexicon handled physical retail distribution of the game.
- Gamer's GateminorGamer's Gate, a digital distribution platform launched by Paradox Interactive, signed Penumbra: Overture for digital download. The partnership provided an alternative digital distribution channel alongside other platforms for the game's March 2007 release.
- Paradox InteractiveminorParadox Interactive launched Gamer's Gate as its digital distribution arm, which distributed Penumbra: Overture. Paradox also acquired publishing rights for Penumbra: Black Plague (2007), handling worldwide publishing for the sequel.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Frictional Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Red Barrels: Montreal-based independent studio and developer of the Outlast series, a flagship survival horror franchise comparable in scale and approach to Frictional Games. Both studios operate as independent horror specialists with comparable team sizes and self-publishing models.
- Kinetic Games: UK-based independent developer of Phasmophobia, one of the most successful indie horror games of recent years. Comparable to Frictional Games as a small-team independent horror studio with a single major hit driving the business.
- Bloober Team: Polish independent developer specializing in psychological horror titles including Layers of Fear, Blair Witch, Observer, and the Silent Hill 2 remake. Closely comparable to Frictional Games as a horror-focused studio building proprietary technology and IP.
- The Chinese Room: UK-based narrative game developer who previously developed Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs in collaboration with Frictional Games. Comparable as a narrative horror specialist with overlapping creative and audience overlap.
- Supermassive Games: British developer of Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures Anthology, and The Quarry. Directly comparable as a horror-focused studio producing narrative-driven survival horror experiences for similar core audiences.
Broad incumbents
- Capcom: Japanese publisher and developer of the Resident Evil franchise, the dominant commercial survival horror series. Represents the major incumbent competitor in the same genre space that Frictional Games competes within.
- Konami: Japanese entertainment conglomerate and creator of the Silent Hill franchise, a foundational survival horror series. Comparable as a major incumbent with established horror IP that defines the genre alongside Frictional Games' Amnesia.
- Remedy Entertainment: Finnish developer of Control and Alan Wake, narrative-driven action/horror titles. Comparable as a Nordic independent game studio operating at slightly larger scale with similar premium, story-driven design philosophy.
Emerging players
- Heart Machine: Independent developer of Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash. Comparable as a small independent studio with a proprietary aesthetic and developer-driven brand rather than publisher-allocated marketing.
- Iron Lung developer (David Szymanski): Solo indie developer of DUSK and Iron Lung, emerging in the horror genre with focused, low-budget titles. Comparable as a small-scale independent horror creator building audience through concentrated creative output.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Frictional Games social profiles
Digital presenceFrictional Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frictional Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Frictional Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frictional Games 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 Frictional Games
What does Frictional Games do?
Frictional Games is a Swedish independent video game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes survival horror video games for PC and consoles. The company builds its games on a proprietary in-house technology stack, the HPL Engine, and sells them primarily through digital storefronts such as Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Nintendo Switch. Its portfolio spans the Penumbra Collection, the Amnesia franchise (The Dark Descent, A Machine for Pigs, Rebirth, The Bunker), SOMA, and the upcoming spiritual successor Ontos.
Is Frictional Games a public or private company?
Frictional Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Frictional Games founded?
Frictional Games was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Frictional Games based?
Frictional Games is headquartered in Helsingborg, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Frictional Games make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (Direct and Platform) is the primary driver. The others are console Publishing Royalties and merchandise Sales.
Who are Frictional Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Red Barrels, Kinetic Games, Bloober Team, The Chinese Room and Supermassive Games. Broad incumbents are Capcom, Konami and Remedy Entertainment. Emerging players are Heart Machine and Iron Lung developer (David Szymanski).
Does Frictional Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frictional Games.
What industry is Frictional Games in?
Frictional Games's product category is Survival Horror Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAFAA, Game Engines (General-Purpose & Real-Time 3D), with a secondary code of BPAMAKAE, Game Engine & Creation Platforms (UGC/Modding). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7990.