Harebrained Schemes
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersKirkland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Harebrained Schemes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Harebrained Schemes
- Legal name
- Harebrained Schemes
- Website
- https://harebrained-schemes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Harebrained Schemes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kirkland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Harebrained Schemes 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: Traditional PC game sales through digital distribution platforms (Steam, Epic Games Store). Revenue generated from initial game purchases with no ongoing subscription model currently disclosed.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels12 records
Harebrained Schemes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Harebrained Schemes is an independent video game developer that designs and develops narrative-driven PC games. Its current flagship project is GRAFT, a post-cyberpunk survival horror RPG in which players explore a dying space station, scavenge and craft resources, and transform their character by grafting enemy body parts that grant new abilities and alter identity. The studio also publishes world-building content such as The Dead Empty novella to support its games.
Product overview
Harebrained Schemes is an independent game development studio that develops narrative-rich games. Their current primary product is GRAFT, a post-cyberpunk survival horror RPG. The studio also publishes The Dead Empty, an original novella set in the GRAFT universe. Previously, the studio developed BATTLETECH, The Lamplighters League, and the Shadowrun Trilogy, which remain owned by Paradox Interactive.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- GRAFT A post-cyberpunk survival horror RPG set on the Arc, a dying space station the size of a continent. Players explore, scavenge, craft, and engage in real-time combat while customizing their character through a grafting system that transforms their body and identity. Features player choice-driven narrative with meaningful consequences. Targeted at PC gamers.
- The Dead Empty An exclusive novella set in the GRAFT universe, written by Andrew McIntosh (Narrative Lead). Published serially to introduce players to the game's setting and lore, preceding the events of the game.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70,000+ wishlists accumulated since game announcement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Harebrained Schemes
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Harebrained Schemes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Harebrained Schemes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Harebrained Schemes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Obsidian Entertainment: Independent narrative RPG developer (Pentiment, The Outer Worlds, Pillars of Eternity). Direct peer: comparable studio size and mission around player-choice-driven narrative RPGs on PC, serving the same audience as Harebrained's GRAFT and prior Shadowrun/BATTLETECH work.
- inXile Entertainment: Narrative RPG studio (Wasteland 2/3, Bard's Tale IV, Torment: Tides of Numenera). Direct peer: comparable indie-to-mid-size narrative RPG developer focused on deep choice/consequence systems on PC, very similar to HBS's design philosophy.
- Supergiant Games: Critically acclaimed indie narrative game studio (Hades, Bastion, Transistor, Pyre). Direct peer at smaller scale: equally talent-driven narrative indie developer building premium PC experiences with strong artistic identity, similar GTM (organic community + wishlists).
- Frictional Games: Indie survival horror developer (Amnesia series, SOMA). Direct peer: closest comparable indie studio making narrative-driven survival horror with scarce resources — directly competes for the same survival horror PC audience GRAFT targets.
- Bloober Team: Survival horror developer (Layers of Fear, Observer, The Medium, Silent Hill 2 remake). Direct peer: comparable narrative-driven horror developer whose storytelling-plus-psychological-horror positioning most closely matches GRAFT's survival horror RPG niche.
Broad incumbents
- Larian Studios: Large narrative RPG developer (Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity). Broad incumbent: a much larger established leader in the same narrative RPG category HBS competes in; sets the bar for player-choice-driven PC RPGs but is operating at materially greater scale.
- Remedy Entertainment: Narrative-driven action developer (Alan Wake, Control, Max Payne). Broad incumbent: comparable premium narrative-first developer targeting the same 'story-rich PC/console' audience that GRAFT will pursue, though at greater scale and broader genre reach.
- Arkane Studios: Immersive-sim/RPG developer (Dishonored, Prey, Deathloop). Broad incumbent: comparable premium narrative-first developer whose player-agency systems and atmospheric world-building map closely to GRAFT's post-cyberpunk RPG ambitions.
Emerging players
- Nightdive Studios: Indie studio remastering classic narrative and horror titles (System Shock, Quake). Emerging peer: comparable small indie developer operating in narrative PC gaming, though focused on remasters rather than original narrative RPGs like GRAFT.
Others
- Annapurna Interactive: Publisher of premium narrative and artistic indie games (Stray, Cocoon, Outer Wilds). Adjacent: not a developer but the kind of publishing partner HBS may pursue for GRAFT; representative of buyers/distributors in the indie narrative RPG space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Harebrained Schemes social profiles
Digital presenceHarebrained Schemes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Harebrained Schemes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Harebrained Schemes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Harebrained Schemes 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 Harebrained Schemes
What does Harebrained Schemes do?
Harebrained Schemes is an independent video game developer that designs and develops narrative-driven PC games. Its current flagship project is GRAFT, a post-cyberpunk survival horror RPG in which players explore a dying space station, scavenge and craft resources, and transform their character by grafting enemy body parts that grant new abilities and alter identity. The studio also publishes world-building content such as The Dead Empty novella to support its games.
Is Harebrained Schemes a public or private company?
Harebrained Schemes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Harebrained Schemes founded?
Harebrained Schemes was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Harebrained Schemes based?
Harebrained Schemes is headquartered in Kirkland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Harebrained Schemes make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are Harebrained Schemes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Obsidian Entertainment, inXile Entertainment, Supergiant Games, Frictional Games and Bloober Team. Broad incumbents are Larian Studios, Remedy Entertainment and Arkane Studios. Nightdive Studios is listed as an emerging player. Annapurna Interactive is listed as an others.
Does Harebrained Schemes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Harebrained Schemes.