Ember Lab
Ember Lab is an independent, privately held game development studio founded in 2009 and based in Orange, California, that creates cinematic, story-driven action-adventure games for consumers across PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo platforms via its Kena franchise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersOrange, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Ember Lab does
Ember Lab, LLC is an independent game development studio founded in 2009 by brothers Mike and Josh Grier and headquartered in Orange, California. The studio operates with 11-50 employees and builds story-driven, single-player action-adventure games that blend cinematic artistry with film-and-animation sensibilities, targeting consumers who want narrative-led exploration and combat experiences comparable to titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The studio's product portfolio centers on the Kena franchise. The debut title Kena: Bridge of Spirits launched in 2021 on PlayStation 4 and PC, introducing a young Spirit Guide who commands collectible Rot companions used for puzzles, combat, and environmental manipulation; the game earned multiple industry honors and 9/10 review scores. In 2026 Ember Lab announced the direct sequel Kena: Scars of Kosmora for PS5 and PC, adding elemental spirit companion abilities and mounted traversal, and ported the original title to Nintendo Switch 2 with bundled Anniversary DLC and New Game+.
Ember Lab monetizes through one-time premium game licenses sold via digital storefronts (PlayStation Store, Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo eShop), with DLC sold separately where applicable. Go-to-market is primarily event-driven and direct-to-consumer, leveraging PlayStation's State of Play showcase and platform-holder marketing infrastructure — most notably the PlayStation Studios publishing partnership for the sequel — alongside organic social, newsletter, and earned press. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.
Ember Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ember Lab
- Legal name
- Ember Lab, LLC
- Website
- https://emberlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ember Lab is an independent, privately held game development studio founded in 2009 and based in Orange, California, that creates cinematic, story-driven action-adventure games for consumers across PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo platforms via its Kena franchise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ember Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Game Development
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)
Keywords
Where Ember Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orange
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ember Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Game Sales: Ember Lab generates revenue through one-time premium game purchases, selling Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Kena: Scars of Kosmora as full-priced titles on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo platforms.
- DLC and Expansions: The studio releases downloadable content including the Anniversary DLC featuring Charmstones, Spirit Guide Trials, Kena Outfits, and New Game+ mode, which are included with the Switch 2 port but represent potential additional revenue from standalone purchases.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ember Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ember Lab is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes original story-driven action-adventure video games built around its proprietary Kena intellectual property. Its products center on cinematic single-player experiences featuring exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat mechanics powered by collectible spirit companions, distributed digitally on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo platforms.
Product overview
Ember Lab is an independent game development studio that creates story-driven action-adventure games. The studio's product portfolio consists of two titles: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (2021), their debut action-adventure game featuring a young Spirit Guide and spirit companions called Rot, and Kena: Scars of Kosmora (2026), an announced sequel where Kena travels to an island to find a cure and uses new elemental spirit companion abilities for exploration and combat.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits: Ember Lab's debut title, a story-driven action-adventure game released in 2021 featuring a young Spirit Guide named Kena and spirit companions called Rot.
- Kena: Scars of Kosmora
Products and services
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits A story-driven action-adventure game where players control Kena, a young Spirit Guide, exploring an abandoned village and mysterious forest to uncover secrets and help wandering spirits trapped by corruption. Players collect and grow Rot (tiny spirit companions) to enhance abilities and manipulate the environment. Targeted at individual gamers on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
- Kena: Scars of Kosmora The direct sequel to Kena: Bridge of Spirits, in which Kena — now an accomplished Spirit Guide — travels to the mysterious island of Kosmora to find a cure and reconnect with a friend. Players discover and nurture spirit companions whose elemental powers are used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Targeted at individual gamers on PS5 and PC, published by PlayStation Studios.
Quantifiable outcome
- 9/10 'Exceptional' rating from Cubed3 review
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ember Lab
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Ember Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Ember Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PlayStation StudioscorePlayStation Studios publishes Kena: Scars of Kosmora, the sequel to Ember Lab's award-winning Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The partnership was announced during Sony's February 2026 State of Play showcase and positions the game for PS5 and PC release in 2026.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Ember Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Supergiant Games: Independent studio behind Hades, Bastion, and Transistor—small-team, story-driven action games with distinctive art direction. Closely comparable to Ember Lab in size, scope, and genre positioning.
- Moon Studios: Developer of Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps—cinematic, emotionally resonant action-adventure platformers. Nearly identical in style, target audience, and indie AAA-adjacent positioning.
- thatgamecompany: Creator of Journey, Flower, and Sky: Children of the Light. Shares Ember Lab's emphasis on cinematic, emotionally driven experiences with strong visual identity.
- Ninja Theory: Developer of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice—a narrative-driven action-adventure with cinematic presentation. Highly comparable to Ember Lab's storytelling and visual ambition in a similar indie-AAA niche.
- Playdead: Studio behind Limbo and Inside—atmospheric, single-player narrative games with strong artistic identity. Comparable in scale and player-experience focus to Ember Lab.
- Team Cherry: Independent developer of Hollow Knight, a critically acclaimed action-adventure. Comparable in indie size, single-IP focus, and acclaim-driven commercial trajectory.
- Asobo Studio: Developer of A Plague Tale: Innocence and Microsoft Flight Simulator—narrative action-adventure and visually ambitious games. Comparable in cinematic storytelling and indie-AAA positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Naughty Dog: Sony-owned developer of Uncharted and The Last of Us—the benchmark for cinematic, story-driven action-adventure. Operates in the same genre with vastly greater resources and is the aspirational ceiling for Ember Lab's stylistic ambitions.
- Santa Monica Studio: Sony-owned developer behind the God of War franchise—a cinematic action-adventure series. Operates in Ember Lab's genre with much larger budgets and now sibling-publisher status through PlayStation Studios.
Emerging players
- Compulsion Games: Montreal-based developer of We Happy Few and now Contrast/Weird West-adjacent narrative games. Comparable in small-team, narrative-focused indie development with similar genre overlaps.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ember Lab social profiles
Digital presenceEmber Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ember Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Ember Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ember Lab 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 Ember Lab
What does Ember Lab do?
Ember Lab is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes original story-driven action-adventure video games built around its proprietary Kena intellectual property. Its products center on cinematic single-player experiences featuring exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat mechanics powered by collectible spirit companions, distributed digitally on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo platforms.
Is Ember Lab a public or private company?
Ember Lab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ember Lab founded?
Ember Lab was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ember Lab based?
Ember Lab is headquartered in Orange, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ember Lab make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are DLC and Expansions.
Who are Ember Lab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Supergiant Games, Moon Studios, thatgamecompany, Ninja Theory, Playdead, Team Cherry and Asobo Studio. Broad incumbents are Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio. Compulsion Games is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ember Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ember Lab.
What industry is Ember Lab in?
Ember Lab's product category is Video Game Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAH, Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.