What Purple Lamp Studios does

Purple Lamp Studios is a Vienna-headquartered video game development studio founded in 2018, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of THQ Nordic (within the Embracer Group) since 2020. The studio specializes in developing third-party intellectual property (IP) games, with a portfolio centered on licensed family-friendly 3D platformers — most notably multiple entries in the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise (Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, The Cosmic Shake, Titans of the Tide) and the Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed remake. Earlier in its history, the studio also took over development of The Guild 3, a trade-and-life simulation strategy game, and cooperated with Rare to port Sea of Thieves to Steam.

The studio builds cross-platform titles released simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation (PS4/PS5), Xbox (One/Series X|S), and PC (Steam), with simultaneous retail and digital distribution through its publisher. Its core technology is a standard game development engine (specific engine not disclosed), and its deliverables include high-resolution visuals, restored or new multiplayer modes, and faithful remakes with modernized gameplay. The studio's team consists of 45+ international game development professionals from 15+ countries, organized under department heads covering Game Design, Programming, Art, and QA.

Commercially, Purple Lamp operates on a work-for-publisher model: THQ Nordic funds development, holds publishing rights, and distributes the games globally through digital storefronts and retail channels. Pricing is set by the publisher and platform holders, not by Purple Lamp. The studio does not sell directly to consumers, has no publicly disclosed revenue or ARR, and operates without any venture capital backing — its only disclosed revenue stream is game sales routed through THQ Nordic's publishing agreements. End customers are families and franchise fans who consume the games on console and PC, while the studio's direct commercial counterparties are a single publisher (THQ Nordic) and two IP licensors (Paramount/Nickelodeon for SpongeBob, Disney for Epic Mickey).

Name

Purple Lamp Studios

Legal name

Purple Lamp GmbH

Website

https://purplelamp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purple Lamp Studios is a Vienna-based video game developer and THQ Nordic subsidiary that builds licensed 3D platformers for major IPs (SpongeBob SquarePants, Disney Epic Mickey) across consoles and PC. Founded in 2018, the 45+ person studio ships work-for-publisher titles through its parent.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Game Development

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Video game development
• Third party IP games
• Multiplatform game studio
• 3D platformer development
• Game remake development

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Purple Lamp develops video games that are sold as one-time purchases through digital distribution platforms (Steam) and retail channels. Revenue is generated from the sale of game copies across multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The studio operates as a game development studio owned by THQ Nordic, with games published by THQ Nordic.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Purple Lamp Studios develops multiplatform video games based on third-party intellectual properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Disney Epic Mickey. The studio creates faithful remakes of cult classic games and new entries in established franchises, publishing through THQ Nordic across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC (Steam) platforms. The Vienna-based studio operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of THQ Nordic within the Embracer Group family since 2020.

Product overview

Purple Lamp Studios is a Vienna-based game development studio with 45+ team members, producing games primarily for multiple platforms. The studio's product portfolio consists of distinct game titles rather than a unified platform architecture. Current and recent releases include multiple SpongeBob SquarePants platformers (Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, The Cosmic Shake, Titans of the Tide) and Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, all published by THQ Nordic. The studio previously worked on The Guild 3 (strategy/simulation) and cooperated with Rare on the Sea of Thieves Steam port. Games span action-adventure platformers, 3D platformers, and strategy simulations, with a focus on remakes of beloved IPs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
• Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide
• The Guild 3

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• THQ NordiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020THQ Nordic acquired and now owns Purple Lamp Studios. As part of the THQ Nordic family since 2020, Purple Lamp develops games under THQ Nordic's publishing umbrella. All of Purple Lamp's recent games (SpongeBob series, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed) are published by THQ Nordic.
• Paramount Global (Nickelodeon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurple Lamp Studios develops games based on the SpongeBob SquarePants intellectual property owned by Paramount Global/Nickelodeon. The studio has created multiple SpongeBob games including Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, The Cosmic Shake, and Titans of the Tide.
• DisneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurple Lamp Studios developed Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, a faithful remake of the Disney Epic Mickey game featuring Mickey Mouse and characters from Disney's Wasteland. The game was published by THQ Nordic under license from Disney.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aspyr Media: Embracer-owned studio specializing in remastering and porting legacy games (e.g., Star Wars titles, BioShock) to modern platforms. Directly comparable as a fellow Embracer/THQ Nordic family studio operating in the IP-driven remake/remaster niche.
• Nightdive Studios: Embracer-owned studio focused on remastering and rereleasing classic PC and console games. Highly comparable in mandate, ownership structure, and revenue model (third-party IP under publishing deals).
• Saber Interactive: Multi-platform game developer and co-development partner owned by Embracer. Comparable scope and model — multi-platform development, AAA co-development work, and ownership by the same parent group as Purple Lamp.
• Bluepoint Games: Premier remake/remaster specialist (Shadow of the Colossus, Demon's Souls). The most direct category peer in terms of business model, though now part of Sony and therefore not a commercial competitor.
• HandyGames: THQ Nordic subsidiary developing and publishing games across multiple platforms. A direct intra-group peer operating under the same publishing umbrella as Purple Lamp.
• Piranha Bytes: Embracer/THQ Nordic family studio developing mid-budget RPGs. Comparable as another wholly-owned development studio inside the same parent group.

Emerging players

• Toys for Bob: Independent (formerly Activision) studio specializing in family-friendly platformers including Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. Closely comparable genre and family-IP focus, though larger in scale and on different platforms.
• Moon Studios: Independent Austrian game developer (Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps). Geographic and scale peer, also in Vienna, with comparable size and multi-platform expertise, though focused on premium action-platformer IP of its own creation.
• High Voltage Software: US-based developer with extensive co-development and licensed-IP work including prior Disney titles. Comparable as a multi-platform studio doing licensed-IP game development.

Broad incumbents

• Vicarious Visions: Now part of Blizzard Entertainment, known for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remasters and Skylanders. Comparable in remaster/porting craft and family-platformer expertise at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Purple_Lamp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Purple Lamp Studios