What Alawar Entertainment does

Alawar Entertainment is a privately held video game publisher and developer founded in 1999 by Alexander Lyskovsky and Sergey Zanin, operating as a Delaware corporation (Alawar Entertainment, Inc.) with a legal address in New York and a listed presence in Lewes, Delaware. The company runs two integrated business lines: a full-cycle publishing arm that provides financing, QA, localization, marketing, and PR services to external game developers, and an in-house development studio that produces original IP. The portfolio spans midcore and casual games across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG), consoles (Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox), and mobile (iOS, Android) platforms, anchored by the Beholder dystopian-simulation series, the Necrosmith necromancer-sims, the Wall World mining-roguelite series, and titles such as Karate Survivor, Do Not Feed the Monkeys, Distrust, and Song of Farca.

The company's go-to-market is product-led and channel-driven: titles are released simultaneously across multiple global storefronts, with distribution supplemented by an affiliate network for game-key distribution and an active publishing pitch program that recruits external developers for porting and publishing partnerships (with partners including Fictiorama, Paintbucket Games, KORO.GAMES, Wooden Monkeys, Egg or Chicken Games, Luxorix, and solo developer Alevgor). Alawar expanded during 2003-2008 to four studios (Stargaze, Friday's, Five-BN, Dream Dale) plus Alawar Cheerdealers, and now operates with 51-100 employees under CEO and co-founder Sergey Zanin.

Revenue mechanics rely primarily on one-time license sales of games through third-party digital storefronts, supplemented by publishing service agreements with external developers that include milestone-based financing. Primary customers are casual and midcore gamers purchasing across global storefronts, while secondary customers are independent game development studios seeking publishing partnerships and distribution partners (storefronts and affiliate networks). The company was bootstrapped historically with a single disclosed $3 million round from Almaz Capital in 2010, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Alawar Entertainment

Legal name

Alawar Entertainment, Inc.

Website

https://alawar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Alawar Entertainment is a privately held video game publisher and developer founded in 1999, producing midcore and casual titles including the Beholder, Necrosmith, and Wall World franchises, and providing full-cycle publishing services to external developers across PC, console, and mobile platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lewes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Revenue generated from selling video games for PC and consoles through digital distribution platforms including Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store.
2. Mobile Game Sales: Revenue from mobile game sales through Apple App Store and Google Play.
3. Publishing Services: Comprehensive expertise in financing, business analytics, QA, localization, marketing, and PR provided to external developers as part of publishing partnerships.
4. In-house Game Development: Revenue from internally developed games including Beholder series, Wall World series, Necrosmith series, Karate Survivor, and other titles.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alawar Entertainment is a video game publisher and developer that sells games for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. The company operates two main lines: (1) full-cycle publishing services for external indie developers including financing, QA, localization, marketing, and PR, and (2) in-house development of original IP including the Beholder, Necrosmith, and Wall World franchises.

Product overview

Alawar Entertainment is a video game publisher and developer founded in 1999, specializing in midcore and casual games across PCs, video game consoles, and mobile devices. The company operates two primary divisions: a publishing arm that offers full-cycle services (financing, QA, localization, marketing, PR) for external developers, and an in-house development team creating original IP. Key franchises include the Beholder series (dystopian spy simulations), Necrosmith series (necromancer simulators), and Wall World series (mining roguelites). The portfolio spans diverse genres including survival games (Distrust, The Last Gas Station), roguelites (Karate Survivor, Necroking), platformers (Haunted Lands, They Always Run), and narrative adventures (Song of Farca, Do Not Feed the Monkeys). Games are distributed through Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Xbox, and mobile app stores.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beholder Dystopian simulation game where players act as a totalitarian landlord secretly spying on tenants and reporting suspicious activities to authorities. Available on Steam, mobile (Apple App Store, Google Play), and other platforms.
• Beholder 2

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fictiorama StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFictiorama Studios developed Do Not Feed the Monkeys, which Alawar publishes. The game is a digital voyeurist simulator available across multiple platforms.
• Paintbucket GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaintbucket Games developed Beholder 3, published by Alawar. The game is a dystopian spy simulation set in a totalitarian state.
• KORO.GAMESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKORO.GAMES developed Necroking, a turn-based roguelite deckbuilder published by Alawar.
• Wooden MonkeysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWooden Monkeys developed Song of Farca, a cyberpunk detective thriller published by Alawar.
• Luxorix GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxorix Games developed Space Robinson, a hardcore roguelike action game published by Alawar.
• YustasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYustas developed Looking for Aliens, a hidden object game published by Alawar.
• Egg or Chicken GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEgg or Chicken Games developed Kingsgrave, a dark fantasy adventure RPG published by Alawar.
• AlevgorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlevgor is a solo developer who created Haunted Lands, a retro action platformer published by Alawar.
• Creative MobileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Mobile developed the mobile version of Beholder for Android devices.
• SteamcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution platform for Alawar's PC games. Alawar maintains a publisher page on Steam featuring all their published and developed titles.
• Epic Games StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor PC gaming storefront where Alawar publishes their games alongside Steam releases.
• GOGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDRM-free PC gaming platform where Alawar distributes their game catalog.
• NintendocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNintendo eShop is a key platform for Alawar's console game distribution, with multiple titles available on Nintendo Switch.
• PlayStation StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSony's digital storefront where Alawar publishes games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
• Xbox StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMicrosoft's digital platform for Alawar's Xbox game releases.
• Apple App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriOS mobile platform for Alawar's mobile game releases including Do Not Feed the Monkeys, Necrosmith, and Beholder series.
• Google PlaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAndroid mobile platform for Alawar's mobile game distribution.
• Affiliate NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlawar distributes game keys through an extensive affiliate network and stores beyond their direct platform partnerships.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Devolver Digital: Independent publisher of midcore and indie PC and console games, with comparable title breadth, store relationships, and a hybrid in-house plus third-party publishing model. Closest direct peer in scope and scale of indie catalog.
• tinyBuild: Indie publisher-developer with global multi-platform reach and a similar mix of internal studios plus signed external developers. Comparable in size, catalog breadth, and PC-led publishing approach.
• Team17: Long-standing indie publisher with deep multi-platform distribution across PC and consoles and a hybrid publishing-plus-development structure. Directly comparable catalog strategy and partner network model.
• HandyGames: Mid-sized publisher-developer publishing across PC, consoles, and mobile with both internal productions and external developer deals. Closely aligned in cross-platform strategy and catalog genre mix.
• Raw Fury: Independent publisher focused on midcore and narrative-driven PC and console titles, working with external developers in a structure similar to Alawar's publishing arm.
• Daedalic Entertainment: European-based publisher-developer of narrative, strategy, and midcore games on PC and consoles. Comparable in scope, hybrid model, and reliance on developer partnerships.
• 11 bit studios: Polish publisher-developer with midcore and strategy titles on PC and consoles, including publishing partnerships with external studios. Comparable catalog focus and multi-platform release approach.
• Coffee Stain Publishing: Publishing arm of Coffee Stain Studios, signing external indie developers and releasing across Steam and consoles. Similar mix of internal IP and external partnerships.

Emerging players

• Playdigious: Smaller publisher specializing in bringing indie games to mobile and consoles, including premium ports. Comparable in porting-plus-publishing focus, especially on the mobile and Nintendo/PlayStation side of Alawar's distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Paradox Interactive: Larger established publisher-developer with both internal studios and a publishing arm (Paradox Arc) for external indie developers. Overlapping PC and console publishing model but at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alawarteam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@alawar
• Facebookfacebook.com/alawarteam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alawar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Alawar Entertainment