Glowmade
Glowmade is a UK-based independent game studio founded in 2015 that developed King of Meat, a co-op dungeon crawler published by Amazon Games. Following the game's commercial failure and 2026 shutdown, the studio has undertaken layoffs and is operating without a disclosed follow-on product.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersGuildford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Glowmade does
Glowmade is a UK-based independent game development studio founded in 2015 in Guildford by three co-founders — Jonny Hopper (Studio Head), Adam, and Mike. The studio's sole commercial product is King of Meat, a 1-4 player online co-op dungeon crawler set in the high-fantasy world of Loregok, where players compete as 'Contenders' in a game-show-style Koliseum battling monsters including dragons, trolls, skeletons, and corporate-themed enemies. King of Meat is sold as a one-time digital license across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, published and distributed by Amazon Games following a partnership announced in August 2024.
The game's core technology is a custom game engine with a built-in Create Mode that exposes the same tools used by Glowmade's developers to design game levels, allowing players to construct and share custom dungeons, traps, weapons, and cosmetics. The studio layered on this UGC foundation a co-op combat system, deep character customisation (outfits, accessories, emotes, weapons, 'Glory Moves'), and a content ecosystem intended to extend game longevity through community creations. Glowmade's go-to-market relies on its publishing partner: Amazon Games handled publishing, platform distribution, and marketing support, including a MrBeast collaboration trailer that amassed 7.7 million YouTube views, while Glowmade contributed development talent and creative direction.
The commercial outcome was severe: King of Meat launched in October 2025 at $29.99, peaked at only 320 concurrent Steam players against a target of approximately 100,000, had its price slashed to $7.49 in November 2025, and was delisted on February 23, 2026 with servers shut down on April 9, 2026 and full refunds offered to all purchasers. Glowmade announced layoffs in December 2025 with further redundancies planned for January 2026, and the studio remains operational with an active website, blog, podcast (Bugfix & Chill), and job listings but with no disclosed follow-on product or funding event.
Glowmade firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Glowmade
- Legal name
- Glowmade
- Website
- https://glowmade.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Glowmade is a UK-based independent game studio founded in 2015 that developed King of Meat, a co-op dungeon crawler published by Amazon Games. Following the game's commercial failure and 2026 shutdown, the studio has undertaken layoffs and is operating without a disclosed follow-on product.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Glowmade is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Guildford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Glowmade business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Game Sales: King of Meat was sold as a digital one-time purchase title across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. Initially priced at $29.99, the price was later slashed to $7.49 in an attempt to boost player engagement. Amazon Games handled publishing and distribution while Glowmade served as the developer.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One-time purchase | Standard digital edition |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Glowmade product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Glowmade is an independent game development studio that designs and develops video games for PC and consoles. Its debut and only commercially released product is King of Meat, a 1-4 player online co-op combat game featuring dungeon crawling, deep character customisation, and a built-in Create Mode that gives players the same engine tools used by the developers to design and share their own dungeons, weapons, and cosmetics. The game was published by Amazon Games across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch before being delisted in February 2026.
Product overview
Glowmade is an independent game development studio that developed a single core product: King of Meat, a co-op combat game published by Amazon Games. The game featured player-versus-environment dungeon gameplay with a robust dungeon creation mode (Create Mode) allowing players to build and share their own dungeons using the same tools as the developers. The game launched in October 2025 but was shut down in April 2026 due to poor player engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- King of Meat King of Meat is a 1-4 player online co-op combat game where players battle through monster-filled dungeons as contestants in a high-fantasy survival game show called the Koliseum. Players combine combat, showmanship, and 'Glory Moves' to impress audiences, customise characters with outfits, weapons, and emotes, and use Create Mode to design, share, and publish their own dungeons, traps, weapons, and cosmetic content using the same engine tools the developers use. The game was published by Amazon Games across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.
Quantifiable outcome
- The game peaked at only 320 concurrent players on Steam despite reportedly targeting 100,000 players at launch
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Glowmade
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Glowmade technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Glowmade partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Amazon GamescoreAmazon Games served as the publishing partner for Glowmade's debut game King of Meat. Amazon Games handled publishing, marketing support (including a MrBeast collaboration), platform distribution across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, and financial backing. The partnership ended with the game's shutdown announcement in February 2026, with servers going offline April 9, 2026, and full refunds offered to all players. The game failed to attract players despite significant marketing investment.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Glowmade competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ghost Ship Games: Independent studio behind Deep Rock Galactic, a co-op PvE dungeon-crawler with strong community and UGC elements — directly comparable to Glowmade's King of Meat in genre, scale, and target audience.
- Kinetic Games: Small UK-based indie studio behind Phasmophobia, a co-op multiplayer survival game — directly comparable to Glowmade in studio size, UK location, and co-op multiplayer focus.
- Velan Studios: Independent studio behind Knockout City, a multiplayer dodgeball party game with customisation — comparable to King of Meat in multiplayer party-game genre and similar studio profile.
- Mediatonic: Developer of Fall Guys, a co-op multiplayer party game with customisation and showmanship mechanics — closely comparable to King of Meat in co-op multiplayer format and casual competitive gameplay.
- Iron Galaxy Studios: Independent game studio specialising in multiplayer and co-op titles — comparable to Glowmade's focus on co-op multiplayer gameplay and similar mid-size independent studio profile.
- Hello Games: Small UK indie studio that famously relaunched No Man's Sky after a difficult launch — comparable to Glowmade as a small UK studio navigating post-launch challenges and recovery strategy.
Regional players
- Sumo Digital: UK-based independent game developer — comparable to Glowmade as a fellow UK studio of similar mid-size profile that works on co-development and publisher-backed projects.
- Playground Games: UK-based game studio (Forza Horizon) — comparable to Glowmade as a fellow UK game developer, though significantly larger and more established.
- Supermassive Games: Guildford-based game studio (Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures) — comparable to Glowmade as a fellow Guildford-based UK developer with similar mid-size studio profile.
Broad incumbents
- Devolver Digital: Independent games publisher behind many indie titles — comparable to Glowmade's publisher relationship with Amazon Games, representing an alternative publishing partner for future titles.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Glowmade social profiles
Digital presenceGlowmade financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Glowmade leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Glowmade funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Glowmade 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 Glowmade
What does Glowmade do?
Glowmade is an independent game development studio that designs and develops video games for PC and consoles. Its debut and only commercially released product is King of Meat, a 1-4 player online co-op combat game featuring dungeon crawling, deep character customisation, and a built-in Create Mode that gives players the same engine tools used by the developers to design and share their own dungeons, weapons, and cosmetics. The game was published by Amazon Games across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch before being delisted in February 2026.
Is Glowmade a public or private company?
Glowmade is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Glowmade founded?
Glowmade was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Glowmade based?
Glowmade is headquartered in Guildford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Glowmade make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are Glowmade's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ghost Ship Games, Kinetic Games, Velan Studios, Mediatonic, Iron Galaxy Studios and Hello Games. Regional players are Sumo Digital, Playground Games and Supermassive Games. Devolver Digital is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Glowmade have an API?
No public API is recorded for Glowmade.