Secret Lab

Name

Secret Lab

Legal name

Secret Lab Pty. Ltd.

Website

https://secretlab.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Development Services

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Software Publishers (5132), Computer Training (611420), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE), Simulation-Based Learning & Virtual Labs (EDAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Game development services
• Interactive storytelling tools
• Narrative dialogue engine
• Unity game development
• Technical book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart Town

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Client Services - Game Development: Project-based game development and interactive experience creation services for enterprise and government clients, including building official games, creative installations, apps, and consulting engagements.
2. Original Game Development: Development and monetization of proprietary game titles including Night in the Woods (BAFTA- and IGF-winning) and I Feel Fine (Screen Tasmania-funded).
3. Yarn Spinner Licensing and Consulting: Yarn Spinner is funded by external sources (Australia Council for the Arts, Epic MegaGames, NYU) and generates revenue through custom feature development, integration consulting, and community support via Patreon.
4. Technical Publications: Secret Lab has written nearly 30 technical books on Unity game development, iOS/macOS/watchOS development, Swift programming, and machine learning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Secret Lab is a games and creative technology studio that builds custom video games, interactive experiences, and apps for enterprise, government, and cultural clients (e.g., ABC Play School games, Qantas in-flight entertainment app, CSIRO fitness game, The Museum Game). Its core proprietary product is Yarn Spinner, an interactive storytelling and branching narrative dialogue engine for game developers. The studio also creates original games (Night in the Woods, I Feel Fine), publishes nearly 30 technical books on Unity/iOS/Swift/machine learning, and conducts developer training workshops.

Product overview

Secret Lab operates as a games and creative technology studio with a single primary product offering: Yarn Spinner, an interactive storytelling tool and narrative dialogue engine. Yarn Spinner is their core technology product designed for game developers to create branching narrative and dialogue systems. The company builds custom games and interactive experiences for clients, but Yarn Spinner is the only named software product in their portfolio. Secret Lab also develops original games including Night in the Woods (a BAFTA- and IGF-winning title) and I Feel Fine, but these are game titles rather than software products they sell.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yarn Spinner: Interactive storytelling tool for creating branching narrative and dialogue in games. Funded by Australia Council for the Arts, Epic MegaGames, and New York University. Used in thousands of games including Night in the Woods, Lost in Random, and A Short Hike.

Products and services

• Yarn Spinner An interactive storytelling tool and branching narrative dialogue engine that enables writers to create branching conversations and narrative content for video games, with powerful features for game integration. Designed for game developers and narrative designers.
• Night in the Woods An original narrative adventure game developed by Secret Lab that received BAFTA and IGF recognition for its interactive storytelling and narrative design. Distributed as a finished game title to consumers through standard gaming platforms.
• I Feel Fine An original game developed by Secret Lab with funding support from Screen Tasmania.
• Custom Game and Interactive Experience Development Project-based custom game development and interactive experience creation services for enterprise and government clients. Includes branded games, entertainment apps, educational games, interactive installations, and custom Minecraft: Education Edition content.
• Yarn Spinner Consulting and Custom Feature Development Consulting and custom development services for Yarn Spinner, including integration support, custom feature development, and strategy consultation for game studios and developers using the tool.
• Technical Books Nearly 30 published technical books on Unity game development, iOS/macOS/watchOS development, Swift programming, and machine learning. Sold through book retailers and publishers to developers and technical readers.
• Developer Training Workshops Training and workshop services covering iOS development, game development, game design, and machine learning. Delivered at conferences, events, and to companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Yarn Spinner is used in thousands of games including BAFTA- and IGF-winning Night in the Woods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Inkle Studios: Independent UK narrative game studio behind 80 Days and Heaven's Vault, and creators of ink, a competing narrative scripting language for games. Directly comparable as a small studio pairing narrative game IP with a widely used authoring tool.
• Articy Software: Developer of articy:draft, a commercial narrative design and dialogue authoring tool for games. Direct competitor to Yarn Spinner in the narrative middleware category, serving similar game-studio customers.
• Filament Games: US educational and serious-games studio building learning games for schools, museums, and corporate training. Directly comparable to Secret Lab's project work for ABC, CSIRO, and National Museum of Australia.
• Simogo: Swedish two-person indie studio known for stylistically distinctive narrative mobile games like Year Walk and Device 6. Comparable as a tiny, founder-led studio combining original narrative IP with mobile distribution.
• Team Cherry: Hobart-based indie studio behind Hollow Knight, one of Australia's most successful indie games. Closest geographic and scale peer to Secret Lab and shares the founder-led Australian indie DNA.
• Mountains: Australian indie studio (Florence, Old Man's Journey) with a similar narrative-game focus and small team size. Comparable as a small Australian studio building award-winning narrative mobile and indie games.
• KO_OP: Canadian indie studio behind GNOG and Goodbye Volcano High, focused on narrative and stylistically distinctive small-team games. Comparable as a sub-10-person narrative indie studio with both original IP and external work.
• Triseum: Serious-games studio building educational simulation games for higher education and corporate training. Directly comparable to Secret Lab's serious-games work for TasNetworks, CSIRO, and CoRE.

Emerging players

• Twine: Open-source interactive-fiction tool widely used by indie narrative creators. Comparable as a free, community-driven alternative to Yarn Spinner for branching dialogue and narrative authoring.

Broad incumbents

• Preloaded: UK-based studio (now part of Learning Technologies Group) producing games and interactive experiences for museums, broadcasters, and enterprise. Comparable as a more established, broader serious-games competitor to Secret Lab's cultural-institution work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thesecretlab
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesecretlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secret-lab-pty.-ltd.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

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 Secret Lab