Notorious Studio

What Notorious Studio does

Notorious Studio (legal entity: Notorious Studios, Inc.) is a US-domiciled, venture-backed independent video game development studio founded in 2021 by former Blizzard Entertainment developers who previously worked on World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. The studio is named after the founders' guild of 17 years and is headquartered in Orange, California, operating a hybrid in-office model. It maintains a deliberately flat organizational structure emphasizing creative freedom, distributed leadership, and employee equity participation.

The studio's product portfolio centers on Unreal Engine 5-built core fantasy RPGs for PC and console. Its first released title, Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, is a third-person action PvPvE extraction game available for purchase on Steam, featuring player-versus-player and player-versus-environment gameplay with melee combat, spells, and open-world exploration. Its second title, Project Honor, is a class-based online action RPG in early development featuring Mage, Warrior, and Priest class mechanics, targeting PC and PlayStation. The studio operates a proprietary internal build and deployment pipeline supporting Steam playtesting, PlayStation builds, and live hotfixes.

Commercially, Notorious Studio operates a one-time perpetual license revenue model through digital storefronts (Steam, PlayStation Store) with global distribution. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven and community-led, anchored by a strategic partnership with OTK Media Inc. — the largest global streaming organization — providing investor capital and influencer marketing leverage showcased at the OTK Games Expo. The studio is venture-backed by Galaxy Interactive, Riot Games, 1Up Fund, OTK Network, and OTK Media Inc., with a disclosed $5 million funding round in October 2021 and additional OTK investment in June 2022.

Name

Notorious Studio

Legal name

Notorious Studios, Inc.

Website

https://notorious.gg

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Notorious Studio is an independent US-based game studio building Unreal Engine 5 core fantasy RPGs, serving PC and console gamers through titles like Legacy: Steel & Sorcery and the upcoming Project Honor, founded by ex-Blizzard developers and backed by gaming-focused venture investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Game Development

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console) (MPAFAAAA), Social/UGC & Sandbox Game Studios (Roblox-like) (MPAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Video game development
• Action RPG games
• PC game studio
• Unreal Engine games
• PvPvE gaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Orange

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales (Legacy: Steel & Sorcery): Direct game sales through Steam storefront for Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, with potential console sales on PlayStation.
2. Future Game Sales (Project Honor): Discovery/exploration game with class-based action RPG mechanics expected to generate sales upon release, with potential expansion to PC and PlayStation platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Notorious Studio develops and self-publishes fantasy video games built on Unreal Engine 5 for PC and consoles. Their released title, Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, is a PvPvE core fantasy RPG available on Steam, and their second project, Project Honor, is a class-based online action RPG currently in early development.

Product overview

Notorious Studios is a video game studio developing core fantasy RPG games. Their product portfolio consists of two titles: Legacy: Steel & Sorcery (their first released game on Steam featuring PvPvE gameplay with third-person action combat) and Project Honor (an upcoming class-based online action RPG in early development). Both games are built on Unreal Engine 5 for PC and Console platforms. The studio was founded by former World of Warcraft developers and focuses on delivering immersive fantasy experiences with meaningful player agency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legacy: Steel & Sorcery A core fantasy RPG video game for PC and console built using Unreal Engine 5, featuring extraction mechanics, open-world exploration, PvPvE multiplayer gameplay, third-person action combat, and player-driven stories. It is Notorious Studios' first commercially released game, currently sold on the Steam storefront.
• Project Honor A class-based online action RPG set in a new core fantasy world, featuring class-specific gameplay for Mage, Warrior, and Priest roles, role-defining character art, immersive third-person action combat, and a PvPvE multiplayer experience. Built in Unreal Engine 5 and targeting PC and PlayStation platforms at full release.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Riot Games: Developer of League of Legends and Valorant — class-based competitive multiplayer franchises. Both a strategic investor in Notorious and a broad incumbent in class-based competitive design that Notorious' products will be benchmarked against.
• Blizzard Entertainment: Developer of World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch — the franchises Notorious' founders built their careers on. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in class-based fantasy PvP/PvE that Notorious is positioning against, with vastly greater resources.

Direct peers

• Crytek: Developer of Hunt: Showdown, one of the most established PvPvE extraction-shooter titles in the market. Closely comparable to Notorious in that both target fantasy PvPvE multiplayer with extraction mechanics on PC and console.
• Embark Studios: Building PvPvE multiplayer experiences such as ARC Raiders in the extraction-shooter genre. Comparable to Notorious in target genre (PvPvE), UE5 tooling, and console/PC distribution ambitions, but with materially larger funding.
• ArenaNet: Developer of Guild Wars 2, a class-based MMORPG with structured PvP. Comparable to Notorious in class-fantasy design heritage and the goal of merging PvE and competitive PvP gameplay.
• Arrowhead Game Studios: Developer of Helldivers 2, a breakout PvPvE co-op shooter. Highly comparable in genre focus (PvPvE, multiplayer) and small-team indie studio origins, though Arrowhead has scaled rapidly post-launch.
• Grinding Gear Games: Developer of Path of Exile / Path of Exile 2, an action RPG with class systems and multiplayer PvP. Comparable to Project Honor in class-based action RPG design and PC-first live-service model.

Emerging players

• Splash Damage: UK-based multiplayer game studio (Dirty Bomb, Gears Tactics). Comparable to Notorious as a similarly sized studio focused on multiplayer PvP/PvE shooter-adjacent experiences with Unreal Engine.
• Midwinter Entertainment: Small studio that shipped Scavengers, a PvPvE extraction multiplayer game. Comparable to Notorious in studio scale, PvPvE/extraction focus, and indie ambitions, providing a cautionary benchmark for the genre.
• First Watch Games: Early-stage studio building Predecessor, a PvPvE MOBA. Comparable to Notorious as a small team pursuing PvPvE multiplayer ambitions with console/PC distribution in Unreal Engine.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/notostudios
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiQ5C378Z2lMbtBwBxdijAQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/notorious-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 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 Notorious Studio