Steel Crate Games
Steel Crate Games is a small Ottawa-based independent game studio and the creator of "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes," a multi-award-winning cooperative bomb-defusal puzzle game sold as a one-time purchase across multiple digital platforms to a global consumer gaming audience.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersOttawa, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Steel Crate Games does
Steel Crate Games is a privately held, founder-operated independent game studio headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The company was originated by three developers—Ben Kane, Allen Pestaluky, and Brian Fetter—who met at a Global Game Jam (circa 2013) and built a small studio around a single commercial product, "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes" (KTANE), which launched in 2016. The studio operates with fewer than 10 people, including the three co-founders and a Studio Ops & Communications Lead (Taraneh Dohmer), and publicly emphasizes a sustainable, work/life-balance-oriented, small-team model with no disclosed institutional capital.
KTANE is a cooperative bomb-defusal puzzle game built on an asymmetric information design: one player sees a bomb and its modules on screen, while a second player (the "expert") cannot see the bomb and must guide defusal using an extensive manual. The original concept integrated a VR headset, a printer, and a physical manual; the shipped product has since been ported across multiple platforms (PC, consoles, mobile) and translated into multiple languages. The title has received multiple industry awards for cooperative game design, and the co-founder Ben Kane is a Forbes 30 Under 30 (Games) honoree. Steel Crate Games is a single-product, product-led studio with a horizontal B2C go-to-market: it generates revenue through one-time purchase sales of KTANE via major digital distribution platforms and app stores. There is no disclosed subscription, DLC, live-service, advertising, or B2B revenue stream, no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, and no disclosed acquisition, partnership, or M&A activity in the source data.
Steel Crate Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Steel Crate Games
- Legal name
- Steel Crate Games
- Website
- https://steelcrategames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Steel Crate Games is a small Ottawa-based independent game studio and the creator of "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes," a multi-award-winning cooperative bomb-defusal puzzle game sold as a one-time purchase across multiple digital platforms to a global consumer gaming audience.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Steel Crate Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ottawa
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Steel Crate Games 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: One-time purchase model for video game sales across multiple platforms. The company generates revenue through direct sales of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes on various digital distribution platforms.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Steel Crate Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Steel Crate Games is an Ottawa-based independent video game studio that develops and sells the cooperative bomb defusal game "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes." The game uses an asymmetric cooperative mechanic in which one player views a bomb and its modules while another player consults an extensive manual without seeing the bomb, requiring real-time communication to defuse it. The studio has ported the title to multiple platforms, including VR, and translated it into multiple languages.
Product overview
Steel Crate Games is a single-product indie studio. Their sole offering is the multi-award-winning game 'Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes,' a cooperative bomb defusal puzzle game that has been ported to multiple platforms and translated into several languages since its 2016 launch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes A multi-award-winning cooperative bomb defusal game for two or more players. One player sees a bomb and its modules while another player consults an extensive manual without seeing the bomb, and the two must communicate clearly to defuse the bomb before time runs out. The game has been ported to multiple platforms (including VR) and translated into multiple languages for individual video game players and small groups seeking social, party-style experiences.
Companies that use Steel Crate Games
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Steel Crate Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Steel Crate Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Steel Crate Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Chucklefish: Small indie studio and publisher (Starbound, Wildfrost). Comparable in scale and indie ethos, and operates partially as a publisher that could partner with or acquire studios like Steel Crate.
Direct peers
- Innersloth: Small indie studio behind Among Us, a cooperative social/communication game. Closely comparable as a small indie team whose entire business rests on a single cooperative multiplayer hit.
- Ghost Town Games: Developer of Overcooked, a cooperative party/puzzle game built around communication under pressure. Direct analogue to KTANE in mechanics, scope, and indie-studio profile.
- SMG Studio: Developer of Moving Out and other cooperative party games. Comparable small-studio indie producer of cooperative multiplayer titles in the same genre.
- Resolution Games: VR-focused indie studio (Demeo, Angry Birds VR). Comparable because Steel Crate's founders originated KTANE around VR and have expressed interest in emerging platforms, making this peer relevant on technology axis.
- Total Mayhem Games: Creator of the We Were Here series, an asymmetric cooperative communication-puzzle franchise. Nearly identical design philosophy to KTANE (asymmetric information, communication required) at a comparable indie scale.
- Boneloaf: Independent studio behind Gang Beasts, a cooperative multiplayer party game. Comparable indie positioning and emphasis on shared social play experiences.
Broad incumbents
- Team17: Publisher of Overcooked and a large catalogue of indie titles. Operates in the same genre space but as a broad indie publisher/incumbent rather than a single-studio specialist.
- Valve: Developer of the Portal franchise, the most iconic asymmetric cooperative puzzle series in gaming. Broad incumbent in the same design lineage, though at vastly greater scale.
Others
- Devolver Digital: Major indie game publisher. Relevant as a potential publishing/distribution partner or acquirer for studios of Steel Crate's profile, rather than as a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Steel Crate Games social profiles
Digital presenceSteel Crate Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Steel Crate Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Steel Crate Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Steel Crate 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 Steel Crate Games
What does Steel Crate Games do?
Steel Crate Games is an Ottawa-based independent video game studio that develops and sells the cooperative bomb defusal game "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes." The game uses an asymmetric cooperative mechanic in which one player views a bomb and its modules while another player consults an extensive manual without seeing the bomb, requiring real-time communication to defuse it. The studio has ported the title to multiple platforms, including VR, and translated it into multiple languages.
Is Steel Crate Games a public or private company?
Steel Crate Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Steel Crate Games founded?
Steel Crate Games was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Steel Crate Games based?
Steel Crate Games is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Steel Crate Games make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are Steel Crate Games's main competitors?
Chucklefish is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Innersloth, Ghost Town Games, SMG Studio, Resolution Games, Total Mayhem Games and Boneloaf. Broad incumbents are Team17 and Valve. Devolver Digital is listed as an others.
Does Steel Crate Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Steel Crate Games.