Frima

What Frima does

Frima is an independent video game development studio headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, with a secondary office in Montreal. Founded in 2003 by Christian Daigle, Philippe Bégin, and Steve Couture, the studio operates under the legal entity Gestion Frima Inc. and has built a 20+ year track record developing and co-developing games across console, mobile, PC, and VR platforms. The company employs over 170 people with multidisciplinary expertise in Unreal Engine, C++ programming, UMG/Slate UI systems, Blueprints, mobile adaptation, and live operations.

Frima serves major video game publishers and IP holders through three engagement models: Co-Development (partnering on AAA franchises such as Fortnite with Epic Games), Full Development (prototyping through validation for RPG and Life-Sim titles), and Investment/Co-Production (co-production partnerships with revenue sharing). Notable shipped titles include Disciples: Liberation (tactical RPG with Kalypso Media, October 2021), Fortnite Mobile and ongoing live operations (Epic Games), Temple Run: Legends (Apple Arcade exclusive with Imangi Studios, 2024), Triangle Strategy for Meta Quest VR (Square Enix, November 2024), and Forza Street live operations (Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft). The studio also previously developed Harry Potter Wizards Unite with Warner Bros.

Frima generates revenue through professional services contracts (development fees for co-development and full development work) and licensing/royalty arrangements under co-production partnerships. Pricing is negotiated on a per-project basis and is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, private equity backing, or parent company. Strategic pivots include a 2008 acquisition of Humagade Studio to add mobile capabilities, a 2011 acquisition of Studio Virtuel/Volta, and a 2017 strategic refocus that exited connected toys to concentrate on core video game development for AAA publishers.

Name

Frima

Legal name

Gestion Frima Inc.

Website

https://frimastudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Frima is a Quebec City-based independent video game development studio that serves AAA publishers through co-development, full development, and co-production partnerships across console, mobile, PC, and VR platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Development Services

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE), Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

Keywords

• Video game development
• Co-development services
• Multiplatform game development
• Unreal Engine studio
• Live operations support

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Co-Development Services: Frima partners with AAA game publishers to co-develop games, providing development expertise while the partner provides the IP and publishing resources. Revenue comes as payment for development services on major franchises.
2. Full Development Services: Complete game development from prototyping through validation, including market-driven development, live ops, and growth management for RPG and Life-Sim titles.
3. Investment/Co-Production: Co-production partnerships involving market analysis, full development, and live ops support where Frima invests resources in exchange for revenue sharing or development fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Frima is a B2B video game development studio that partners with major game publishers and IP holders to deliver co-development, full development, and co-production/investment services. The studio builds and adapts AAA game titles across console, mobile, VR, and PC platforms using deep Unreal Engine expertise, and supports live operations for published games.

Product overview

Frima is a video game development studio based in Quebec City and Montreal with over 20 years of experience. The studio operates three business models: Co-Development (partnering with AAA franchises using Unreal Engine expertise), Full Development (prototyping through live ops for RPG and Life-Sim games), and Investment (co-production partnerships). Key game projects include Disciples: Liberation (tactical RPG with Kalypso Media), Fortnite Mobile & Live Ops (with Epic Games), Temple Run: Legends (Apple Arcade exclusive with Imangi), Triangle Strategy (Meta Quest VR with Square Enix), and Forza Street (with Turn 10 Studios). Frima collaborates with major industry partners including Epic Games, Microsoft, Square Enix, Warner Bros, Gearbox, and Imangi Studios.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Co-Development Services Partnership model in which Frima collaborates with AAA game publishers using its Unreal Engine expertise to deliver natively multiplatform development for established franchises.
• Full Development Services Full-cycle game development from prototyping to validation, including market-driven development, Live Ops, and growth services, with specialization in RPG and Life-Sim genres.
• Investment / Co-Production Co-production partnerships in which Frima invests resources and provides market analysis, positioning, full development, and Live Ops support in exchange for development fees or revenue sharing.
• Disciples: Liberation Dark fantasy tactical RPG built 100% by Frima for Kalypso Media, released on PC, PlayStation 4-5, and Xbox One/Series X/S with approximately 80 hours of gameplay.
• Fortnite Mobile & Live Ops Co-development with Epic Games to transpose Fortnite content and gameplay to mobile devices, including controller adaptation, performance optimization, tools development, touch screen controls, and content reworks.
• Temple Run: Legends Runner game co-developed with Imangi Studios and released as an exclusive title on Apple Arcade, featuring 500 story mode levels, an Endless mode, and cross-platform support.
• Triangle Strategy (Meta Quest VR) VR adaptation of the Nintendo Switch and PC tactical RPG co-developed with Square Enix, ported to Meta Quest with new features, controller conversion, and performance optimization for VR.
• Forza Street Live Operations Ongoing live operations support for Turn 10 Studios' mobile racing game Forza Street, including weekly events, new car updates, and player engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best Places to Work in Canada recognition for 3 consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023)

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Epic GamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrima has partnered with Epic Games for several years on Fortnite mobile adaptation. The partnership involves transposing Fortnite content and gameplay onto mobile devices, including adapting game controllers, optimizing performance, tools development, mobile UX, touch screen controls, and content reworks. The collaboration has helped bring Fortnite to millions of players on mobile devices.
• Kalypso Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrima Studio and Kalypso Media collaborated on the design and development of Disciples: Liberation, the newest Tactical-RPG in the Disciples franchise. Frima handled 100% of development efforts on PC, PlayStation 4-5, and Xbox One/Series X/S. The game launched in October 2021.
• Imangi StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting in 2023, Frima teamed up with Imangi to create Temple Run: Legends, an entirely new runner game for the Temple Run franchise. The game is a cross-platform title exclusive to Apple Arcade and marks Frima's first game on the subscription service. The project includes 500 levels of story mode gameplay.
• Square EnixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrima partnered with Square Enix to bring Triangle Strategy to Meta Quest VR. The team ported and adapted the Nintendo Switch and PC title to VR, converting controllers and gameplay while optimizing performance. Frima worked closely with Square Enix to develop new features unique to the VR version.
• Turn 10 Studios (Microsoft)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrima partnered with Turn 10 Studios to lead live operations for Forza Street, a mobile racing game. Frima acts as a proud development partner for Turn 10 and Forza, handling ongoing live ops including weekly events and new car updates.
• TwitchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrima collaborated with Twitch to create the Twitchverse, an always-on digital aquarium installed in Twitch's San Francisco office. The 'marine creatures' represent partnered channels and communities.
• Warner BrosmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrima partnered with Warner Bros on Harry Potter Wizards Unite, an AR mobile game based on the Harry Potter franchise. The partnership involved significant creative collaboration with the partner placing trust in Frima's development capabilities.
• Amazon GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on Frima's website. Nature of partnership not detailed in available sources.
• Gearbox PublishingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on Frima's website. Nature of partnership not detailed in available sources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Red Barrels: Montreal-based independent game studio of comparable size. Serves as a regional talent and operating-cost proxy, illustrating competitive dynamics for similar-scale Canadian game studios.

Direct peers

• Behaviour Interactive: Montreal-based game developer of similar size with both own-IP and co-development work. Comparable Quebec/Canada presence and AAA client exposure, with overlapping capability in Unreal Engine-based production.
• Virtuos Studios: Specializes in co-development, art, and content production for AAA games on console, PC, and mobile. Closely comparable service model including full-cycle game development for major franchises.
• Gameloft: Global mobile and multi-platform game developer with deep mobile adaptation capability. Comparable in mobile/console adaptation services, cross-platform delivery, and large development team footprint.
• Keywords Studios: Largest pure-play provider of game development services including co-development, art production, and QA testing. The most directly comparable peer as a multi-service outsourcing partner to AAA publishers across the same client profile.
• People Can Fly: Mid-sized game studio offering own-IP and co-development work with strong AAA publisher relationships. Comparable service model and multi-platform capability across PC and console.
• Sumo Digital: UK-based co-development and full development studio of similar scale with an AAA publisher client base. Provides co-development across PC, console, and mobile with comparable service structure.

Broad incumbents

• Ubisoft Québec: Quebec City-based AAA studio within Ubisoft, headquartered in the same city as Frima's main office. Comparable in scale, AAA franchise exposure, and talent pool, though operating as a publisher-owned studio.
• Larian Studios: Established mid-to-large game development studio with deep multi-platform capability and a proven franchise track record. Comparable in studio depth and AAA-quality production standards.
• WB Games Montréal: Montreal-based AAA game development arm of Warner Bros. Direct comparability given Frima's work with Warner Bros on Harry Potter Wizards Unite and shared Montreal operating presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/frimastudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frima-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/frimastudio/?hl=en
• Xx.com/FrimaStudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Frima