Sixteen Tons Entertainment

What Sixteen Tons Entertainment does

Sixteen Tons Entertainment GmbH is a privately held German video game developer founded in 1993 in Tübingen, with a secondary development studio in Berlin (established 2009, relocated to central Berlin in 2017). The company operates a dual-studio model with approximately 35 employees as of early 2026 and is best known as the creator and long-standing owner of the EMERGENCY franchise — a niche strategy and simulation series centered on rescue operations, disaster response, and public safety coordination rather than combat ("Retten statt Ballern!" / "Save instead of shoot"). Its product portfolio spans classic premium PC titles (EMERGENCY 2 through EMERGENCY 20), modern free-to-play PC (EMERGENCY 2023, a co-op multiplayer RTS on Steam built on Unreal Engine 5), and mobile free-to-play titles distributed on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch (EMERGENCY HQ, the studio's breakout commercial hit, and EMERGENCY Operator). Cross-game progression is unified through the trademarked "World of Emergency" account platform.

The company monetizes primarily through a free-to-play model on current platforms, with revenue from in-app purchases of cosmetic items, boosters, consumables, and premium currency (EMeralds), and no gameplay units gated behind paywalls. Legacy PC titles continue to generate one-time purchase revenue on Steam. Under CEO Jan Richter, who took over in mid-2024 alongside co-managing director Klaas Kersting, EMERGENCY HQ monthly revenue grew by more than 200% over 18 months. In March 2026, the studio appointed Sebastian Nußbaum (formerly VP of Creative at Wooga, where he led June's Journey to over $1 billion in lifetime revenue) as Chief Creative Officer, signaling intent to scale the franchise under renewed creative leadership.

Distribution is global and channel-led: the company depends entirely on third-party storefronts — Steam (Valve), Apple App Store, Google Play, and Nintendo Switch eShop — for customer reach, with localized versions across many languages and continents. Community engagement is supported through Discord servers for EMERGENCY HQ and EMERGENCY (2023), plus official YouTube and Facebook channels. Sixteen Tons has no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, operates as a bootstrapped private GmbH, and holds GDPR and COPPA compliance certifications relevant to its consumer and minor-facing titles.

Name

Sixteen Tons Entertainment

Legal name

Sixteen Tons Entertainment GmbH

Website

https://sixteen-tons.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sixteen Tons Entertainment is a privately held German game developer founded in 1993, creator of the EMERGENCY rescue-simulation franchise across PC, console, iOS, and Android. It serves a global consumer audience via free-to-play mobile and PC titles plus legacy premium PC releases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategy Video Game Development

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console) (MPAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Real-time strategy games
• Emergency simulation games
• Free-to-play mobile games
• Cooperative multiplayer games
• PC game development

Headquarters

HQ city

Tübingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free-to-Play Mobile Games (EMERGENCY HQ, EMERGENCY Operator): Mobile games distributed free-of-charge through Apple App Store, Google Play, and Nintendo Switch eShop. Revenue generated through in-app purchases including cosmetic items (skins), boosters, consumables, and premium currency (EMeralds). No paywalls for gameplay units. Monthly revenue for Emergency HQ grew 200%+ over 18 months under new CEO leadership.
2. EMERGENCY PC Game (Free-to-Play): PC version of EMERGENCY available free on Steam. Revenue model mirrors mobile F2P approach with cosmetic in-app purchases and boosters. As an online multiplayer game, relies on maintaining large active player base.
3. Legacy PC Titles: Historical PC game sales through Steam including EMERGENCY 20 (bundling EM5, EM2016, EM2017 content), EMERGENCY 4 Deluxe, EMERGENCY 3, EMERGENCY 2, and classic titles. Revenue from one-time purchase model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sixteen Tons Entertainment develops and publishes the EMERGENCY franchise of real-time strategy and simulation games focused on emergency response coordination. The portfolio spans free-to-play mobile titles (EMERGENCY HQ, EMERGENCY Operator) on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch, a free-to-play cooperative PC game (EMERGENCY 2023) on Steam built with Unreal Engine 5, and legacy one-time-purchase PC titles such as EMERGENCY 20, EMERGENCY 4 Deluxe, EMERGENCY 3, and EMERGENCY 2.

Product overview

Sixteen Tons Entertainment is a German game developer specializing in the EMERGENCY series of real-time strategy and simulation games. The company operates two distinct product lines: (1) Mobile Games including EMERGENCY HQ (flagship free-to-play rescue strategy game on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch), and EMERGENCY Operator (casual 911 dispatch game); and (2) PC Games including EMERGENCY (2023, a free-to-play online co-op multiplayer title on Steam built with Unreal Engine 5), and EMERGENCY 20 (a compilation bundling the EMERGENCY 5, 2016, and 2017 campaigns). The portfolio spans from 1993 classics like EMERGENCY 4 Deluxe and EMERGENCY 3 to modern releases, all centered on emergency/disaster response management gameplay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMERGENCY HQ Mobile free-to-play rescue strategy game where players build and manage emergency response headquarters, coordinating firefighters, ambulances, police, and technical rescue units across missions. Available on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch with optional in-app purchases for cosmetic skins, boosters, consumables, and premium currency (EMeralds).
• EMERGENCY (2023) Free-to-play online co-op multiplayer real-time strategy game for PC where players coordinate as incident commanders to fight fires, arrest criminals, and rescue civilians. Built on Unreal Engine 5 and available on Steam for Windows, with cosmetic in-app purchases and boosters.
• EMERGENCY Operator Mobile 911/dispatch control center game where players assume the role of emergency responders (firefighter, police, ambulance) to handle rescue missions in their hometown. Free-to-play on iOS and Android.
• EMERGENCY 20 Real-time strategy game bundling campaigns from EMERGENCY 5, EMERGENCY 2016, EMERGENCY 2017, and iconic missions from 20 years of the series, reimagined with updated graphics. Available on Steam as a one-time purchase.
• EMERGENCY 4 Deluxe Classic real-time strategy game where players command firefighters, rescue services, police, and technical assistance units across 20 campaign missions in a living city with dynamic events. Available on Steam.
• EMERGENCY 3 Third installment of the EMERGENCY series featuring freely rotatable and zoomable 3D graphics, realistic lighting and weather effects, and a freeplay mode with randomly occurring emergencies. Available on Steam.
• EMERGENCY 2 Second installment of the EMERGENCY series focusing on coordinating firefighters, police, and ambulance forces to save lives and prevent disasters. Available on Steam.

Quantifiable outcome

• Emergency HQ monthly revenue grew 200%+ over 18 months under new CEO leadership (mid-2024)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Steam (Valve Corporation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSteam serves as the primary distribution platform for Sixteen Tons' PC game titles including EMERGENCY (2023), EMERGENCY 20, and legacy EMERGENCY series games. The partnership enables global digital distribution to Steam's millions of users.
• Apple Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple App Store distribution partnership for EMERGENCY HQ and EMERGENCY Operator mobile games on iOS and iPadOS devices.
• Google LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoogle Play distribution partnership for EMERGENCY HQ and EMERGENCY Operator mobile games on Android devices.
• NintendocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNintendo Switch eShop distribution for EMERGENCY HQ, making the mobile game available on Nintendo's hybrid console platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• HandyGames: German mobile and PC game developer/publisher owned by THQ Nordic. Same country ecosystem with comparable mid-size studio scale, mobile F2P expertise, and acquisition profile.

Direct peers

• Haemimont Games: Bulgarian developer of Tropico and Surviving Mars — directly comparable mid-sized management-simulation studios serving a niche simulation audience, with similar studio scale and product positioning.
• 11 bit studios: Polish developer of strategy and survival management games (Frostpunk, This War of Mine, Anomaly). Mid-sized strategy/simulation studio with PC focus, thematic positioning of purpose-driven strategy content similar to EMERGENCY's rescue-first ethos.
• Kalypso Media: German publisher specializing in strategy/management simulation titles (Tropico series on PC, Cities XXL, Dungeons). Same country and shared niche as Sixteen Tons with overlapping genre and PC distribution.
• Paradox Interactive: Stockholm-based strategy/management game publisher (Cities: Skylines, Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings). Closest publicly traded pure-play comparable focused on strategy/4X/management genre with multi-platform distribution, similar to Sixteen Tons' EMERGENCY positioning.
• Travian Games: Munich-based developer of browser and mobile strategy/MMO games (Travian, War Tribes). German F2P strategy peer with comparable scale, business model, and mid-core mobile focus.
• InnoGames: Hamburg-based developer of F2P MMO strategy games (Forge of Empires, Tribal Wars). German-domiciled F2P strategy peer with comparable mobile and PC distribution and freemium revenue model.
• Wargaming: Developer of free-to-play strategy and vehicular combat titles (World of Tanks, World of Warships). Closest large-scale F2P strategy comparable with platform-dependent revenue model analogous to EMERGENCY HQ's freemium approach.

Broad incumbents

• Ubisoft: Global AAA publisher with the Anno series (Anno 1800, Anno 2205) among other strategy franchises and a major mobile games business. Overlapping capability with EMERGENCY but as part of a much broader portfolio rather than a niche-focused studio.
• Microsoft (Xbox Game Studios): Owns the Age of Empires franchise and other strategy properties via Xbox Game Studios. Largest platform holder with adjacent PC strategy offerings and ecosystem-level distribution leverage relevant to Steam-positioned EMERGENCY (2023).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/emergency_game
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEKDtDFqJtfa24j9cZO8Dmw
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldofemergency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sixteen-tons-entertainment

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Sixteen Tons Entertainment