What Donkey Crew does

Donkey Crew sp. z o.o. is a privately held Polish game development studio headquartered in Wroclaw at ul. Stanisławowska 47, founded in 2018. The company originated as a team of Mount and Blade modders and now develops multiplayer and single-player online games using Unreal Engine 4 and 5. Its current core product is Bellwright, an open-world medieval survival game built on Unreal Engine 5 that launched on Steam Early Access in April 2024 and on PlayStation 5 on June 9, 2026, with an Xbox port and full 1.0 release planned. Its earlier title, Last Oasis, a nomadic survival MMO built on Unreal Engine 4, was released to Steam Early Access on March 26, 2020.

The studio employs between 11 and 50 people and monetizes through one-time game sales on digital storefronts, primarily Steam Early Access and PlayStation Store, with an Xbox listing planned. Bellwright has surpassed 1 million units sold during Early Access and holds an 80% positive rating across 20,000+ Steam reviews, with 500+ PS5 reviews averaging 3.74. Distribution and publishing are supported by Snail Games following its 2026 acquisition of Donkey Crew as part of the acquirer's global expansion strategy; Snail's publishing infrastructure is being used to drive Bellwright's console rollout, co-op support, and cross-platform functionality.

The studio's customer base consists of individual PC and console gamers in the horizontal survival/open-world segment, with no enterprise or institutional buyers disclosed. Go-to-market is product-led through Steam Early Access, relying on platform discovery, community engagement, and word-of-mouth rather than paid marketing. The team continues to hire across animation, UI, technical art, and UX roles, indicating active capacity expansion ahead of the full 1.0 launch and Xbox release.

Name

Donkey Crew

Legal name

Donkey Crew sp. z o.o.

Website

https://donkey.team

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Donkey Crew is a Polish game studio in Wroclaw that develops open-world survival games, most notably Bellwright, for PC (Steam) and console gamers using Unreal Engine 5.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wroclaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: One-time purchase revenue from selling copies of Bellwright on Steam Early Access and console platforms (PS5). Players pay upfront to purchase the game, generating immediate revenue per unit sold. The game has surpassed 1 million units sold during Early Access.
2. Full 1.0 Launch Sales: Revenue from the planned full 1.0 launch of Bellwright, which will transition from Early Access to a complete release, potentially at a higher price point than Early Access pricing.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Donkey Crew is an indie game development studio that designs, develops, and sells multiplayer survival video games for PC and console platforms. Its current flagship title is Bellwright, an open-world medieval survival game built in Unreal Engine 5 with settlement-building, combat, and story-driven gameplay, distributed via Steam Early Access and PlayStation Store. The studio previously released Last Oasis, a nomadic survival MMO built in Unreal Engine 4, via Steam Early Access in March 2020.

Product overview

Donkey Crew is a Polish game development studio developing two distinct games: Bellwright, an open-world medieval survival game using Unreal Engine 5 where players build settlements and engage in combat, and Last Oasis, a nomadic survival MMO using Unreal Engine 4 released via Steam Early Access. Both titles target PC gaming audiences with expanded console support for Bellwright planned.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bellwright: Medieval-themed open-world survival game where players establish settlements, liberate land, and command forces in combat.
• Last Oasis

Products and services

• Bellwright Open-world medieval survival game where players establish and expand settlements, liberate land, assist villagers, recruit others to their cause, command forces in combat, and progress through a story-driven narrative. Developed using Unreal Engine 5 and available on Steam Early Access and PlayStation 5, targeting individual PC and console gamers who enjoy survival, open-world, and medieval-themed gameplay.
• Last Oasis Nomadic survival MMO released to Steam Early Access in March 2020, built using Unreal Engine 4. The game features procedural generation and complex simulation systems targeting individual PC gamers interested in survival MMO experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million copies sold on Steam Early Access
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Snail GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Snail Games acquired Donkey Crew, bringing the Polish studio fully in-house as part of Snail's global expansion strategy. The partnership provides Donkey Crew with resources for international publishing, console port development, and broader market reach. Bellwright benefits from Snail Games' publishing infrastructure for its planned full 1.0 launch and expansion to Xbox and PlayStation platforms. The acquisition was noted as reinforcing confidence in the Bellwright franchise potential.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Funcom: Developer of Conan Exiles, an open-world multiplayer survival game with strong sandbox and settlement-building mechanics. Direct competitor to Bellwright in the multiplayer survival genre, with similar base-building, combat, and progression systems.
• Keen Games: Developer of Enshrouded, a multiplayer survival crafting game with strong combat, building, and exploration systems. Recent Steam Early Access success directly comparable to Bellwright's profile and audience.
• Endnight Games: Developer of The Forest and Sons of the Forest, both survival titles with strong community engagement, Early Access history, and open-world crafting. Directly comparable product category and indie-studio distribution approach.
• Stunlock Studios: Swedish studio behind V Rising, a multiplayer survival game with strong Early Access-to-1.0 trajectory, PvE/PvC combat, and settlement-building. Closely comparable commercial profile and Steam-first distribution approach.
• TaleWorlds Entertainment: Turkish studio behind the Mount & Blade series, the franchise whose modding community gave birth to Donkey Crew. Shares deep medieval combat/simulation DNA, sandbox open-world structure, and indie-style PC-led distribution model.
• Iron Gate AB: Independent studio behind Valheim, the breakout Viking-themed multiplayer survival hit on Steam Early Access. Directly comparable to Donkey Crew in scale, Early Access-to-launch model, PC-led growth, and survival-craft sandbox design.

Broad incumbents

• CD Projekt Red: Poland-headquartered AAA studio and the country's most prominent game developer. Comparable as a fellow Polish studio with global reach, though operating at vastly larger scale and budget across different genres.
• Coffee Stain Studios: Developer of Valheim (co-publisher with Iron Gate) and the Satisfactory and Goat Simulator franchises. Overlaps as a publisher of breakout indie survival hits and operates a broader portfolio than Donkey Crew.
• Snail Games: Global game publisher and Donkey Crew's parent company post-2026 acquisition. Comparable as the studio's strategic acquirer and international publishing partner driving Bellwright's console expansion and 1.0 launch.

Regional players

• 11 bit studios: Polish indie studio behind This War of Mine and Frostpunk. Comparable as a fellow successful Polish game developer with PC-led, premium-pricing distribution, though focused on different genres.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teamdonkeycrew
• Facebookfacebook.com/donkeycrew

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Donkey Crew