What Paintbucket Games does

Paintbucket Games is a Berlin-based independent game studio founded in 2018 by Jörg Friedrich and Sebastian St. Schulz, both veterans of AAA game development with credits including Spec Ops: The Line. The studio specializes in narrative-driven "impact games" that combine entertainment value with historical, political, and civic education. It has grown to approximately 20 employees and operates as Paintbucket Games UG (haftungsbeschränkt), registered in Berlin.

The company's portfolio spans both commercial titles and commissioned serious games. Commercial releases include Through the Darkest of Times (2020) — the first German computer game permitted by USK to display swastikas in a historical context, published by HandyGames and having sold hundreds of thousands of copies — Beholder 3 (2022, published by Alawar as part of the globally successful surveillance-state series), and The Darkest Files (2025), a detective noir game about post-war Nazi prosecutions. The serious-games portfolio includes ELECTRIFYtoday (energy-transition education with Phoenix Contact), ErinnerungsZeit (resistance and discrimination themes with Berghof Foundation), Erinnern. Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm (Holocaust memory with the Hamburg Memorials Foundation), Wer ist Bilal? (online radicalization prevention for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia), Forced Abroad (WWII forced-labor diary adaptation), Max Mannheimer – ben jakov (Holocaust-survivor interactive narrative), Wer war Wilhelm? (sculptor biography with Lehmbruck Museum), and Kikaninchen (children's app with KiKA). Two further titles — Eine Nacht im Moka Efti (Babylon Berlin IP for SWR) and SOKO 1977 (1970s terrorism deduction game for bpb) — are in development for 2026-2027.

Revenue derives from two streams: one-time retail purchases of commercial games through Steam, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, mobile app stores, and GOG (with publishers HandyGames and Alawar handling commercial titles); and project-based fees from institutional partners including the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), state governments, foundations (EVZ, Alfred Landecker, Berghof, Kulturstiftung des Bundes), public broadcasters (SWR, KiKA), and memorial institutions, who fund development of serious games distributed free to end users. Cross-platform delivery spans PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, Android, and browser. The studio has won Best German Game and Best Serious Game at German Computerspielpreis 2026 for The Darkest Files, among multiple other awards since 2020.

Name

Paintbucket Games

Legal name

Paintbucket Games UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

https://paintbucket.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berlin-based indie game studio that develops narrative-driven "impact games" combining entertainment with historical, political, and civic education, serving both commercial consumers via global digital storefronts and institutional commissioners including federal/state agencies, foundations, broadcasters, and memorial sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Game Development

NAICS

Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios (MPAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC), Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios (MPAFAAAI)

Keywords

• Indie game development
• Serious games studio
• Historical narrative games
• Educational game development
• Cross-platform video games

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Game Sales: Sale of commercial video games (Beholder 3, Through the Darkest of Times, The Darkest Files) through digital distribution platforms including Steam, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, and mobile app stores (iOS App Store, Google Play). Revenue generated from one-time purchase prices.
2. Commissioned Game Development: Development of serious and educational games commissioned by institutional partners (government agencies, educational institutions, museums, memorial sites). Partners provide project funding and content expertise; games are typically provided free to end users. Examples include games developed for Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia, Berghof Foundation, and various memorial sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Paintbucket Games is an indie studio that develops narrative-driven video games for entertainment and educational impact. It sells commercial titles such as Through the Darkest of Times, Beholder 3, and The Darkest Files through digital storefronts, and develops commissioned serious games covering historical, political, and social topics for institutional partners including government agencies, foundations, museums, and educational organizations.

Product overview

Paintbucket Games is an indie game development studio that creates both entertainment and impact/serious games. The portfolio consists primarily of narrative-driven games focused on historical education, political awareness, and social impact. Key products include 'The Darkest Files' (investigation of Nazi crimes in post-war Germany), 'Through the Darkest of Times' (resistance during Nazi era), 'Beholder 3' (surveillance state simulation), and numerous serious games on topics including the Holocaust, energy transition, online radicalization, and forced labor. The company also develops educational apps for children (Kikaninchen) and maintains ongoing projects in development such as the Babylon Berlin game and SOKO 1977.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Darkest Files Adventure/Detective game where players investigate real Nazi crimes in post-war Germany (1956) as prosecutor Esther Katz under Hesse's Attorney General Fritz Bauer, bringing perpetrators to justice.
• Through the Darkest of Times Turn-based strategy game with strong narrative focus where players coordinate a civilian resistance group in Nazi-era Berlin (1933-1945), managing resources and planning actions against the regime.
• Beholder 3 Political simulation/Point & Click adventure game set in a totalitarian surveillance state where players monitor tenants, spy on colleagues, and make moral decisions about career, family, and loyalty.
• ELECTRIFYtoday Education/Open World game that teaches energy transition concepts through missions about renewable energy, solar, wind, and sector coupling for apprentices and students.
• ErinnerungsZeit Visual Novel exploring non-violent resistance against Nazi injustice and contemporary discrimination, featuring perspectives from Sinti/Roma, Black, Jewish, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
• Kikaninchen Children's app for ages 3-6 featuring multisensory controls (touch, blow, clap, shake, sing) with games, videos, and creative activities in a safe, ad-free environment.
• Forced Abroad Visual Novel based on real diary entries of Jan Hendrik Bazuin, depicting deportation from Rotterdam to Germany in 1945 and experiences in Munich-Neuaubing forced labor camp.
• Max Mannheimer - ben jakov Interactive Visual Novel about Holocaust survivor Max Mannheimer, exploring his life through his paintings from childhood in Czechoslovakia through concentration camps to post-war Germany.
• Erinnern. Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm. Point-and-click adventure combining 1980s Hamburg teenagers' lives with investigation of Nazi crimes at Bullenhuser Damm school where 20 Jewish children were murdered in 1945.
• Wer ist Bilal? Adventure game about digital detective work to uncover online radicalization, following clues on social media to find a missing friend and discover extremist manipulation.
• Wer war Wilhelm? Interactive narrative/Visual Novel accompanying sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck through his life, written by Theresia Enzensberger, featuring decision-based storytelling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Through the Darkest of Times sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was multi-award-winning
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung commissioned Paintbucket Games to develop SOKO 1977, a historical political deduction game about 1970s West Germany and terrorism. The game explores the tension between security and freedom in democratic societies.
• State Government of North Rhine-WestphaliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia commissioned Paintbucket Games to develop Wer ist Bilal?, a serious game about online radicalisation and extremism prevention for young people, building on the success of Leon's Identity.
• SWRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SWR commissioned Paintbucket Games to develop One Night at Moka Efti, a narrative adventure game based on the Babylon Berlin TV series. This is part of the ARD Games Netzwerk and coincides with the fifth and final season of the award-winning series.
• Centre for Didactic Computer Game Research (University of Education Freiburg)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Centre for Didactic Computer Game Research provided educational consultation for Wer ist Bilal? and teaching concepts for various Paintbucket Games, ensuring pedagogical effectiveness of educational materials.
• Berghof Foundation Operations gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Berghof Foundation partnered with Paintbucket Games for ErinnerungsZeit, a visual novel about non-violent resistance during the Nazi era and solidarity today. The game addresses persecution of Sinti and Roma, Black, Jewish, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
• Phoenix Contact / TechEducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Phoenix Contact through its TechEducation brand partnered with Paintbucket Games to develop ELECTRIFYtoday, an educational game about the energy transition for apprentices and students. Developed with Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau.
• Foundation for Hamburg Memorials and Learning SitescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Foundation partnered with Paintbucket Games for Erinnern. Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm, a point-and-click adventure about Nazi crimes at the school on Bullenhuser Damm in 1945, developed with input from victims' relatives.
• Children of Bullenhuser Damm e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The association of descendants of victims partnered with Paintbucket Games, contributing their voices and memories to the development of Erinnern. Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm educational game.
• Alfred Landecker FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Alfred Landecker Foundation provided funding for Erinnern. Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm project, supporting the memorial's educational work through digital game development.
• Max Mannheimer Study CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The Max Mannheimer Study Centre in Dachau partnered with Paintbucket Games to develop Max Mannheimer - ben jakov, an interactive Holocaust survivor story combining Mannheimer's paintings with biographical storytelling.
• KiKA (Kinderkanal von ARD und ZDF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022KiKA is the children's channel of ARD and ZDF. They partnered with Paintbucket Games for the development of the Kikaninchen app - a safe introduction to the digital world for children aged 3-6. The app features educational content from ARD, ZDF, and KiKA programming in a text-free, child-friendly format with no advertising or in-app purchases.
• Lehmbruck Museum, DuisburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Lehmbruck Museum partnered with Paintbucket Games for Wer war Wilhelm?, an interactive narrative about sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck (1881-1919), written by Theresia Enzensberger. The free app provides an unusual access to an artist's life through interactive storytelling.
• NS-Dokumentationszentrum MünchencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Munich NS Documentation Centre partnered with Paintbucket Games for Forced Abroad, a visual novel based on the real diary of Jan Hendrik Bazuin about forced labour during WWII, with illustrations by Barbara Yelin.
• AlawarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Alawar served as publisher for Beholder 3, the third installment in the globally successful surveillance-state game series.
• HandyGamescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020HandyGames served as publisher for Through the Darkest of Times, providing distribution and publishing support for the internationally released strategy game.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mimimi Games: Munich-based indie studio known for 'Shadow Tactics' and 'Desperados III'. Comparable as a successful mid-sized German strategy/tactics developer with award recognition and console presence.
• 11 bit studios: Polish indie publisher/developer known for 'This War of Mine' and 'Frostpunk'. Highly comparable as a mid-sized studio that has built an 'impact games' brand around serious thematic content with commercial success.
• Deck13 Interactive: Frankfurt-based game developer/publisher behind 'The Surge' and 'Atlas Fallen'. Comparable as a larger German studio with cross-platform capability and a footprint relevant to Paintbucket's scaling ambitions.

Others

• Fellow Traveller: Independent publisher specializing in narrative games ('Citizen Sleeper', 'In Other Waters'). Comparable as an aligned indie publisher for narrative/story-driven titles, a likely route for Paintbucket's future commercial releases.

Direct peers

• Yager Development: Berlin-based game studio responsible for Spec Ops: The Line, where Paintbucket's co-founders built their AAA pedigree. Most directly comparable in heritage, location, and narrative/thematic ambitions.
• Studio Fizbin: German indie narrative-game studio behind 'The Inner World' and 'Say No! More'. Comparable in size, German origin, and focus on narrative-driven adventure games with a distinctive visual style.
• KING Art Games: German indie studio developing narrative and adventure games (e.g., 'The Book of Unwritten Tales', 'Lost Ember'). Closely comparable as a mid-sized German developer focused on story-rich titles.
• Slow Bros: German indie studio building narrative-driven adventure games with thematic ambition. Directly comparable in operating model, German mid-market positioning, and narrative-first product strategy.
• Inkle Studios: UK-based indie studio behind '80 Days', 'Heaven's Vault', and 'Overboard'. Closely comparable as a narrative-driven indie specialist with strong critical reputation and platform diversity.

Regional players

• HandyGames: German indie publisher that published Through the Darkest of Times. Comparable as a strategic-publishing partner in the German indie ecosystem and a benchmark for publication economics on Paintbucket's commercial titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/paintbucket_de
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwSEoadhEjqWrRzcihg7SFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/paintbucketde
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paintbucketgames
• Instagraminstagram.com/paintbucketgames
• TikToktiktok.com/@paintbucketgames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Paintbucket Games