Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games (operating as Thunderful Games) is a privately held UK-based indie video game publisher, founded in 2004, that distributes action-adventure, puzzle, survival, and VR titles across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, GOG, and Epic Games Store to a global consumer gaming audience, also offering publishing services through an indie developer pitch program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersHitchin, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Rising Star Games does
Rising Star Games, operating under the trade name Thunderful Games (per available legal/DBA records), is a privately held video game publisher founded in 2004 and headquartered in Hitchin, United Kingdom. The firm publishes and distributes a portfolio of indie video games across all major consumer gaming platforms — Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, GOG, and Epic Games Store — making its catalog available to a global consumer audience. Its published titles span action-adventure (the Planet of Lana series, REPLACED), first-person puzzle (Viewfinder), survival/village-building (ASKA), action (GODBREAKERS, Lost in Random – The Eternal Die), and VR experiences (LEGO Bricktales on Meta Quest). The company operates with 11-50 employees and supports indie developers through a formal pitch-a-game submission program, providing publishing and multi-platform distribution services.
The company's business model is built on a one-time license sales model: it earns revenue by publishing and selling games to end consumers through digital storefronts, with pricing determined by individual game/platform rather than a uniform company-level price list. Go-to-market relies on digital distribution partnerships with first-party platform holders (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Valve, CD Projekt, Epic) combined with an organic social presence across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Twitch, TikTok, Discord, and Bluesky, plus an email newsletter and a press/IR channel pointing to the Thunderful Group investor site. Customer segmentation is horizontal, targeting general gamers across genres and geographies rather than a narrow vertical. The most recent strategic activity (2023-2026) reflects an aggressive multi-title release cadence, including franchise extensions (Planet of Lana II, Lost in Random expansion), a Nintendo Switch port (Viewfinder, December 2025), VR expansion (LEGO Bricktales on Meta Quest), and addition of Epic Games Store as a distribution channel — all consistent with a publisher broadening its platform footprint and monetizing proven IP.
Ownership, financial, and leadership details are not disclosed in the available data: there is no public funding history, no named management team, no disclosed revenue, and no parent-company structure explicitly confirmed beyond an IR website pointing to thunderfulgroup.com. AI/ML capabilities are not referenced in any product or technology description; the offering is grounded in conventional game development and publishing rather than AI-native functionality.
Rising Star Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rising Star Games
- Legal name
- Thunderful Games
- Website
- https://risingstargames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rising Star Games (operating as Thunderful Games) is a privately held UK-based indie video game publisher, founded in 2004, that distributes action-adventure, puzzle, survival, and VR titles across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, GOG, and Epic Games Store to a global consumer gaming audience, also offering publishing services through an indie developer pitch program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rising Star Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Game Publishing
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)
Keywords
Where Rising Star Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hitchin
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Rising Star Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales: Thunderful Games generates revenue through publishing and selling video games across multiple digital distribution platforms. They publish a portfolio of games spanning various genres including action-adventure, platformers, puzzle adventures, and quest games.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
Rising Star Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rising Star Games (operating as Thunderful Games) is a video game publisher that publishes and distributes a portfolio of indie games across major digital platforms including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, GOG, and Epic Games Store. The company offers publishing services for indie developers through a pitch submission program and distributes a diverse catalog of action-adventure, puzzle, and narrative-driven game titles globally.
Product overview
Thunderful Games is a game publisher and developer offering a diverse portfolio of video games across multiple platforms. The company publishes and distributes games including action-adventure titles (Planet of Lana series, REPLACED), puzzle games (Viewfinder), survival/action games (ASKA, GODBREAKERS), VR experiences (LEGO Bricktales on Meta Quest), and narrative-driven titles (Lost in Random – The Eternal Die). Games are distributed through major platforms including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, GOG, and Epic Games Store. The company also offers publishing services for indie developers through their pitch submission program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf Action-adventure game and sequel to Planet of Lana, featuring puzzle-solving and narrative-driven gameplay. Available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
- REPLACED Action-adventure game developed by SadCat Studios, released on PC, Xbox, and GOG platforms.
- Viewfinder First-person puzzler game featuring innovative photography-based puzzle mechanics. Award-winning puzzle adventure available on multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch.
- Planet of Lana Adventure game featuring puzzle-solving and narrative-driven gameplay.
- LEGO Bricktales LEGO-themed game available on Meta Quest VR platform, featuring brick-building gameplay.
- ASKA Action game featuring survival and village-building mechanics, available on Steam.
- GODBREAKERS Action game released on Steam, PS5, and Epic Games Store.
- Lost in Random – The Eternal Die
Companies that use Rising Star Games
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Rising Star Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Rising Star Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rising Star Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Devolver Digital: Independent publisher of indie games across PC and consoles with a portfolio spanning multiple genres and a reputation for curated, high-quality indie titles — directly comparable as a multi-platform indie publisher.
- Team17: Long-standing UK-based indie game publisher and developer, distributing across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch with a diverse multi-genre catalog — closely comparable model and footprint.
- Annapurna Interactive: Indie-focused publisher of narrative and adventure titles across major consoles and PC, with a curated portfolio of critically recognized games — comparable indie publishing model and platform mix.
- Raw Fury: Indie game publisher releasing titles on PC and consoles, with a portfolio covering puzzle, adventure, and action genres — comparable in scope, scale, and indie-publishing focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rising Star Games social profiles
Digital presenceRising Star Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rising Star Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Rising Star Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rising Star Games 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 Rising Star Games
What does Rising Star Games do?
Rising Star Games (operating as Thunderful Games) is a video game publisher that publishes and distributes a portfolio of indie games across major digital platforms including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, GOG, and Epic Games Store. The company offers publishing services for indie developers through a pitch submission program and distributes a diverse catalog of action-adventure, puzzle, and narrative-driven game titles globally.
Is Rising Star Games a public or private company?
Rising Star Games is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Rising Star Games founded?
Rising Star Games was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rising Star Games based?
Rising Star Games is headquartered in Hitchin, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Rising Star Games make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are Rising Star Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Devolver Digital, Team17, Annapurna Interactive and Raw Fury.
Does Rising Star Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rising Star Games.
What industry is Rising Star Games in?
Rising Star Games's product category is Video Game Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFABAA, Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing). Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 2741.