Pixel Maniacs
Pixel Maniacs is a Nuremberg-based indie game studio that designs and publishes original multi-platform games (ChromaGun, Can't Drive This, ChromaGun VR, Escape the Loop) on Unity, selling to global consumers via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo storefronts with grant funding from FFF Bayern and Creative Europe MEDIA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNuremberg, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Pixel Maniacs does
Pixel Maniacs is an independent game development studio operated by Benjamin Lochmann New Media GmbH and headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany. The studio designs, develops, and publishes original video games across PC (Steam for Windows/Mac/Linux), PlayStation (PS4, PS5, PlayStation VR), Xbox (Xbox One, Xbox Series X), and Nintendo platforms (Switch, Switch 2). Its catalog centers on two original IPs: ChromaGun, a first-person color-mixing puzzle game (with a VR edition and an announced sequel, ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard, published by PM Studios), and Can't Drive This, a competitive co-op multiplayer racing game in which one player drives while another builds the road. Upcoming work includes Escape the Loop, a narrative time-loop puzzle adventure funded by FFF Bayern and Creative Europe MEDIA, alongside a free Twitch streamer tool (King of the Pit) and an in-development Influencer Marketing Tool for the games industry. All titles are built on the Unity engine, with real-time multiplayer networking provided by Photon Engine and analytics by GameAnalytics and Unity Analytics.
The studio's business model is built on one-time digital game sales priced roughly $12.99-$19.99 per title on first-party storefronts, plus physical retail distribution through PerpGames for Can't Drive This on PlayStation. Go-to-market is product-led and community-driven: prototypes originate from Ludum Dare game jams and are validated with community feedback, Steam Greenlight/Early Access is used for market validation, and reach is amplified through Twitch Partner status (since December 2016), the Pixel Blah talk-show, and event presence at GamesCom, Develop:Brighton, Indie Mega Booth, and Indie Arena Booth. Press coverage from outlets such as Kotaku, Nintendo Life, and VICE/Waypoint, plus YouTube creators (Markiplier, PietSmiet, AchievementHunters), provides earned-media credibility. The studio is grant-funded (FFF Bayern, Creative Europe MEDIA) rather than venture-backed, was named German Computer Game Awards Studio of the Year in 2024, and operates with a small multi-disciplinary team.
Customer concentration is structurally low because revenue is generated from long-tail consumer purchases across multiple global storefronts, with no enterprise anchor customers disclosed. The studio's primary customer segment is gamers/consumers seeking accessible puzzle and multiplayer party experiences (including colorblind-accessible design via the ColorADD system), with a secondary segment of Twitch streamers using the free King of the Pit tool. The studio's competitive positioning rests on distinctive color-mechanic IP, an unusual drive/build multiplayer format, VR support, accessibility features, and an active streamer and modding community around ChromaGun's Steam Workshop map editor.
Pixel Maniacs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pixel Maniacs
- Legal name
- Benjamin Lochmann New Media GmbH
- Website
- https://pixel-maniacs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pixel Maniacs is a Nuremberg-based indie game studio that designs and publishes original multi-platform games (ChromaGun, Can't Drive This, ChromaGun VR, Escape the Loop) on Unity, selling to global consumers via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo storefronts with grant funding from FFF Bayern and Creative Europe MEDIA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pixel Maniacs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports/Racing Game Studios (MPAFAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE)
Keywords
Where Pixel Maniacs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nuremberg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pixel Maniacs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales (Direct): Pixel Maniacs develops and sells video games directly through digital storefronts (Steam, PlayStation Store, Nintendo eShop, Xbox Store) and physical retail through PerpGames. Revenue is generated per-unit with one-time purchase prices per title.
- Publisher Revenue Share: ChromaGun 2 is published by PM Studios, generating revenue through a publisher partnership where PM Studios handles distribution and takes a share of sales.
- Funding / Grants: Received funding from FFF Bayern (Bavarian film, television and games fund) and Creative Europe MEDIA to support game development projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | ChromaGun - Platform-specific one-time purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Can't Drive This - Standard Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | ChromaGun VR |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | King of the Pit - Free Twitch Tool |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Pixel Maniacs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pixel Maniacs is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes original video games across PC, console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and PlayStation VR platforms. Its portfolio centers on the ChromaGun franchise (a color-mixing first-person puzzler), Can't Drive This (a cooperative-competitive multiplayer racing game), the upcoming narrative puzzle adventure Escape the Loop, and ancillary Twitch-focused tools such as King of the Pit.
Product overview
Pixel Maniacs is an indie game development studio (operated by Benjamin Lochmann New Media GmbH, founded 2003, based in Nuremberg, Germany) that develops and publishes a portfolio of original game titles. The core portfolio centers on ChromaGun — a first-person color-puzzle game available in multiple editions (original, VR, and the announced sequel ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard) — and Can't Drive This, a competitive co-op multiplayer racing game. Additional offerings include the upcoming narrative puzzle adventure Escape the Loop (funded by FFF Bayern and Creative Europe MEDIA), the free Twitch integration tool King of the Pit, and an in-development Influencer Marketing Tool. The studio uses Unity as its primary development engine and operates a Twitch Partner channel with regular live content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- King of the Pit: A Twitch raffle game for streamers created during Ludum Dare 37, allowing viewers to join with !dance command.
- Pixel Blah
- Indie Outpost
Products and services
- ChromaGun A first-person color-mixing puzzler in which players use the ChromaGun device to paint walls and WorkerDroids in primary colors and combine them to solve chamber-based puzzles. Includes 56 levels across 8 chapters, Steam Workshop-integrated community map editor, and colorblind accessibility mode. Released across PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
Quantifiable outcome
- ChromaGun passed Steam Greenlight in only two weeks
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pixel Maniacs
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pixel Maniacs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Pixel Maniacs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PM StudioscorePM Studios is the publisher for ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard, handling distribution and publishing for the sequel on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. This is a key publishing partnership for the company's next major release.
- PerpGamescorePerpGames handles physical retail publishing of Can't Drive This for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, distributing boxed copies alongside digital releases.
- GentleTrollminorPixel Maniacs co-hosts 'Indie Outpost' meetups with GentleTroll, a developer networking event for game developers and those interested in the industry to network, chat, and learn.
- TwitchcorePixel Maniacs has been a Twitch Partner since December 2016, hosting regular streams including Pixel Blah talk-show with industry guests and developing the King of the Pit Twitch integration tool for streamers.
- Photon Engine (Exit Games Inc.)corePhoton Engine is used for Can't Drive This multiplayer networking, with data processing governed by a data protection agreement between Pixel Maniacs and Exit Games Inc. (located in the USA).
- Unity TechnologiescoreUnity Analytics is used for Escape the Loop (and Unity engine powers all Pixel Maniacs games), collecting information in accordance with Unity's privacy policy with GDPR protections via standard contractual clauses.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pixel Maniacs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- No Brakes Games: Small independent studio behind Human: Fall Flat, a co-op physics-based puzzle platformer. Directly comparable as a sub-20-person indie team that built a hit, ported across PC and consoles, and depends on streamer coverage and user-generated content for ongoing sales.
- Hazelight Studios: Independent studio behind It Takes Two and A Way Out, specializing exclusively in co-op multiplayer games. Directly comparable as a co-op-first indie studio that monetizes asymmetric and cooperative multiplayer mechanics across PC and console platforms.
- Ghost Ship Games: Small Danish indie studio behind Deep Rock Galactic, a co-op multiplayer title that grew primarily through streamer coverage and community engagement. Directly comparable in studio size, co-op multiplayer focus, and community-led go-to-market motion.
- Amanita Design: Czech indie studio behind Machinarium, Creaks, and Samorost — small-team, artistically distinctive puzzle games distributed across PC and consoles. Directly comparable as a sub-30-person indie studio built around a small portfolio of original puzzle IP.
- Resolution Games: VR-first studio behind Demeo, Angry Birds VR, and other cross-platform VR titles. Directly comparable as a studio with a ChromaGun VR-style VR puzzle offering alongside broader cross-platform releases.
- Cloudhead Games: Independent VR studio behind Pistol Whip and other VR titles. Directly comparable as a small indie team building commercially successful VR games and porting across multiple VR platforms.
- Keen Games: Frankfurt-based indie studio behind Portal Knights and Enshrouded, a small-to-mid German developer with multi-platform releases and a sandbox/co-op focus. Closely comparable as a German indie studio of similar scale shipping multi-platform titles.
- Lemonbomb Entertainment: Small Swedish indie studio behind Stickfight: The Game, a chaotic co-op multiplayer party game. Directly comparable as a small indie team monetizing a co-op multiplayer mechanic across PC and consoles with similar party-game positioning.
Regional players
- Deck13 Interactive: Frankfurt-based indie studio behind The Surge series and Charon's Staircase. Regional peer as a German indie studio of similar vintage, sharing the same funding ecosystem (FFF Bayern, federal grants) and multi-platform publishing model.
Broad incumbents
- Valve Corporation: Developer of Portal and Half-Life: Alyx. Broadly comparable as the originator of the color/portal-style first-person puzzle genre ChromaGun is explicitly compared to, and a major VR platform holder; relevant for positioning rather than direct competition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pixel Maniacs social profiles
Digital presencePixel Maniacs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pixel Maniacs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Pixel Maniacs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pixel Maniacs 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 Pixel Maniacs
What does Pixel Maniacs do?
Pixel Maniacs is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes original video games across PC, console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and PlayStation VR platforms. Its portfolio centers on the ChromaGun franchise (a color-mixing first-person puzzler), Can't Drive This (a cooperative-competitive multiplayer racing game), the upcoming narrative puzzle adventure Escape the Loop, and ancillary Twitch-focused tools such as King of the Pit.
Is Pixel Maniacs a public or private company?
Pixel Maniacs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pixel Maniacs founded?
Pixel Maniacs was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pixel Maniacs based?
Pixel Maniacs is headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Pixel Maniacs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (Direct) is the primary driver. The others are publisher Revenue Share and funding / Grants.
Who are Pixel Maniacs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are No Brakes Games, Hazelight Studios, Ghost Ship Games, Amanita Design, Resolution Games, Cloudhead Games, Keen Games and Lemonbomb Entertainment. Deck13 Interactive is listed as a regional player. Valve Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pixel Maniacs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pixel Maniacs.
What industry is Pixel Maniacs in?
Pixel Maniacs's product category is Independent Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAJ, Sports/Racing Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAAAE, VR/AR/XR Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 51321.