What Coatsink Software does

Coatsink Software Ltd is a UK-based indie game developer and publisher founded in 2011 and headquartered in Gateshead. The company develops and publishes games across PC (Steam), console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and VR (Meta Quest, PlayStation VR, PC VR) platforms, with a portfolio of approximately 25 shipped titles spanning VR puzzlers (Shadow Point, Esper, A Night Sky), VR action (Men in Black: Most Wanted, Onward, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection), party games (PHOGS!, Cake Bash, Get Packed), strategy and simulation (Islanders and Islanders: New Shores, Cloud Gardens, Kingdom: Two Crowns), souls-like action-adventure (The Last Hero of Nostalgaia), and platformers (Shu, Dandara). Technical capability includes specialized VR development expertise across six-degrees-of-freedom mechanics, gravity manipulation, and narrative-driven puzzle design, plus a custom in-house engine developed for Astronimo. Coatsink generates revenue through two streams: (1) one-time license sales of its own and third-party published games across digital storefronts plus limited physical editions through Super Rare Games, and (2) co-development and porting services for external studios including Raw Fury and Boneloaf, encompassing multi-platform certification, QA, and technical porting work. Pricing on consumer titles is at standard indie price points (typically £7–£20), with one free PC title. Distribution is global via Meta, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Valve storefronts, with marketing concentrated on social media, Discord, industry events (PAX, EGX, Gamescom, Nintendo Indie World), and PR. Coatsink has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Swedish video game holding company Thunderful since its 2020 acquisition for £23 million, and in November 2025 announced layoffs affecting more than half of its staff in response to a challenging co-development market.

Name

Coatsink Software

Legal name

Coatsink Software Ltd

Website

https://coatsink.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coatsink Software is a UK-based indie game developer and publisher founded in 2011, building VR, console, and PC titles both as original IP and as co-development work for external studios. Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thunderful since 2020, it distributes globally via Meta, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Steam storefronts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunderland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales and Publishing: Revenue from developing and publishing games across PC, console, and VR platforms. Coatsink publishes both its own titles and games from external developers.
2. Co-development Services: Providing development services to other publishers and studios, including porting, QA, and technical support work on various game titles

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coatsink Software is a UK-based indie game developer and publisher that creates and publishes video games across PC, VR, console, and mobile platforms. The company develops original IPs (Shadow Point, PHOGS!, The Last Hero of Nostalgaia) and provides publishing and co-development services to external studios, including porting, QA, and technical support work. It also acquires established franchises, such as the Islanders IP which has sold over 1 million copies.

Product overview

Coatsink Software is a British indie games developer and publisher specializing in VR experiences, narrative-driven games, party games, and strategy titles. The portfolio spans VR puzzlers (Shadow Point, Esper, A Night Sky), VR shooters and tactical games (Onward, Men in Black: Most Wanted), souls-like action-adventure (The Last Hero of Nostalgaia), party games (Cake Bash, PHOGS!, Get Packed, Gang Beasts), strategy games (Islanders franchise including New Shores, Cloud Gardens), and platformers (Shu, Dandara, Bad North). The company also co-develops and co-publishes titles with partners including Raw Fury (Kingdom series, Bad North), Over the Moon (The Last Hero of Nostalgaia), and Bunnyhug (Moonglow Bay). Coatsink was acquired by Thunderful in 2020 and operates from Gateshead, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Onward VR tactical warfare mil-sim game for individual VR gamers and squads, featuring coordination-based gameplay.
• Men in Black: Most Wanted VR action-adventure game published by Sony Pictures VR, developed by Coatsink for Meta Quest, targeting VR gamers.
• Skytail VR game where players live among clouds with a legendary birdlike companion, wielding telekinetic abilities using gesture controls.
• Shadow Point Critically acclaimed VR puzzler with 80+ unique puzzles featuring gravity manipulation, reflection mechanics, and narrative mystery narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart.
• Esper VR puzzle game where players use psychic abilities to move objects with their minds through increasingly challenging government tests.
• A Night Sky VR relaxation game where players connect constellations to form patterns among stars, bringing creatures to life.
• The Last Hero of Nostalgaia Satirical action-adventure souls-like game set in a pixelated video game world, with full character customization and online co-op.
• Islanders Minimalist strategy city-building game acquired from Grizzly Games, with over 1 million copies sold across all platforms.
• Islanders: New Shores Next chapter in the Islanders franchise with expanded gameplay, stunning visuals, and fresh features for PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC.
• Cloud Gardens Relaxing garden simulator and puzzle game for Nintendo Switch where players overgrow urban decay in wasteland dioramas.
• Cake Bash
• PHOGS!
• Get Packed Co-op removals party game for Meta Quest with physics-based carnage for 1-4 players set in Ditchlington.
• Gang Beasts
• Bad North
• Dandara
• Kingdom: New Lands
• Kingdom: Two Crowns
• Shu Hand-drawn platformer featuring 21 levels across 6 worlds with 10 recruitable characters and an original soundtrack.
• GoNNER
• Chip
• Moonglow Bay Slice-of-life fishing RPG for Xbox and Steam with 100+ aquatic species and multiple story arcs.
• Astronimo
• Sublevel Zero Redux
• Jurassic World Aftermath Collection
• Replaced 2.5D action platformer with cyberpunk narrative, published by Thunderful and Coatsink, developed by Sad Cat Studios.
• Co-development and Porting Services

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sad Cat StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026Sad Cat Studios developed Replaced, a 2.5D action platformer co-published by Coatsink and Thunderful, released April 14, 2026.
• Living Woods North EastminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Coatsink partnered with Living Woods North East for tree planting at Horsley Woods in Northumberland, planting 150 oak saplings and 80 hazel trees.
• Grizzly GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Grizzly Games developed Islanders, which Coatsink and Thunderful Publishing acquired. The franchise has sold over 1 million copies.
• Marine Conservation SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Coatsink partnered with Marine Conservation Society for a team beach clean at Roker Beach, collecting 2,994 items weighing 14.5kg.
• Sony Pictures Virtual RealitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSony Pictures Virtual Reality is the publisher for Men in Black: Most Wanted on Meta Quest platforms.
• Downpour InteractiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoatsink previously published Onward, a VR tactical warfare game developed by Downpour Interactive. Facebook acquired Downpour Interactive in April 2021.
• Moonshine StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoonshine Studios developed Get Packed, which Coatsink published on Stadia and other platforms.
• Super Rare GamesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSuper Rare Games produces physical deluxe editions of games including The Last Hero of Nostalgaia for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
• BunnyhugminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBunnyhug developed Moonglow Bay, a slice-of-life fishing RPG that Coatsink published for Xbox and Steam.
• UKIEminorOthersCoatsink is a member of UKIE, the UK video games industry trade body.
• ClimatePartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimatePartner facilitates Coatsink's carbon neutrality initiative through certified climate action projects including forest protection in Brazil, clean drinking water in Laos, and cookstoves in India.
• Tyne Rivers TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoatsink partnered with Tyne Rivers Trust for invasive species removal on the banks of the River Tyne at Wylam, Northumberland.
• Over the Moon GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver the Moon Games developed The Last Hero of Nostalgaia, a satirical souls-like published by Coatsink.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• nDreams: UK-based VR game developer and publisher with a similar focus on Meta Quest and PlayStation VR titles. Direct peer given identical platform strategy (multi-platform VR publishing), comparable UK indie heritage, and overlapping product categories (narrative VR, action VR).
• Resolution Games: VR-native game studio/publisher behind Demeo, Angry Birds VR, and other Quest/PSVR titles. Direct peer: same VR-first publishing model, similar headcount range, identical distribution focus on Meta Quest and PlayStation VR.
• Team17: UK-based indie game publisher (Worms franchise, Overcooked, Blasphemous). Direct peer in the indie publishing space with similar co-development and publishing-for-hire business, comparable headcount scale, and global digital distribution footprint.
• Firesprite: UK-based PlayStation-affiliated game developer with VR and narrative game expertise (The Playroom VR, Horizon Call of the Mountain). Comparable given UK origin, VR development pedigree, and platform partnership model.
• Devolver Digital: Major indie publisher with portfolio spanning console and PC titles (Fall Guys, Hotline Plus, Cult of the Lamb). Direct peer given similar indie-publishing GTM, comparable digital-first distribution, and headcount range of Coatsink's parent ecosystem.
• Raw Fury: Sweden-based indie publisher working with Coatsink on Kingdom Two Crowns, Bad North, Dandara, and GoNNER. Direct peer and existing partner: same indie publishing niche, comparable headcount, similar developer-relations-driven business model.
• Wired Productions: UK-based indie publisher (The Falconeer, Arcade Paradise). Direct peer given UK origin, similar headcount scale, and comparable multi-platform indie publishing operations.

Broad incumbents

• Supermassive Games: UK-based narrative game developer known for Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology. Comparable on UK origin, narrative/horror game expertise, and console publishing model, but larger headcount and more established AAA-adjacent portfolio.

Others

• Thunderful Group: Swedish parent company of Coatsink since 2020. Adjacent comparator — not a peer in the competitive sense — but provides context on Coatsink's ownership structure and the holding company's other publishing and development assets.

Emerging players

• Boneloaf: UK-based developer of Gang Beasts, which Coatsink ported to consoles/VR. Emerging peer with smaller scope, comparable UK indie roots, and overlapping co-development/porting relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Coatsink
• Facebookfacebook.com/Coatsink
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coatsink-software

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 Coatsink Software