18Light Game
18Light Game is an independent, narrative-driven indie game studio in Taipei, Taiwan, founded in 2015. It develops and self-publishes original games including Behind the Screen, Pronty, and NanoApostle across Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox for global gaming consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersTaipei, Taiwan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What 18Light Game does
18Light Game (光穹遊戲股份有限公司) is an independent narrative-driven game development studio headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of young game enthusiasts who originally formed as a team in 2012 in a shared apartment on the 18th floor — the origin of the studio's name. It operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and focuses on creating culturally grounded, story-driven indie games that address social themes such as public opinion, bullying, discrimination, and domestic violence, alongside more speculative sci-fi and underwater settings.
The studio's portfolio consists of three titles, each spanning a different genre: Behind the Screen (螢幕判官), a narrative puzzle game based on true 1970s-80s Taiwan stories featuring multiple gameplay styles (Sokoban, stealth, fighting, parkour); Pronty (棄海), an underwater Metroidvania action-adventure built around the proprietary Javelin Combat System using a robotic swordfish companion; and NanoApostle (奈米使徒計畫), a sci-fi boss rush action game featuring a novel Destruction Point combat mechanic and a Skill Point Progression System. The games are distributed globally across Steam, Nintendo Switch eShop, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store.
The business model is a one-time purchase digital distribution model targeting individual gaming consumers seeking narrative depth and unconventional indie experiences. The studio monetizes through game sales with pricing set by individual digital storefronts. Marketing is conducted through the company website, press kits, email newsletters, and gaming press outreach. The studio has received industry recognition including an IMGA Southeast Asia award for Behind the Screen and displays 15 award badges on its website. No external funding, acquisitions, parent company, or institutional investors are disclosed.
18Light Game firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 18Light Game
- Legal name
- 光穹遊戲股份有限公司 (18Light Game Ltd.)
- Website
- https://18light.cc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 18Light Game is an independent, narrative-driven indie game studio in Taipei, Taiwan, founded in 2015. It develops and self-publishes original games including Behind the Screen, Pronty, and NanoApostle across Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox for global gaming consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
18Light Game industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indie Video Game Development
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)
Keywords
Where 18Light Game is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Taipei
- HQ country
- Taiwan
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
18Light Game business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales: 18Light Game generates revenue through one-time purchase sales of their independently developed video games across multiple digital platforms including Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
18Light Game product offering
Product offeringCore offering
18Light Game is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes its own narrative-driven video games. Its commercial portfolio currently consists of three titles — "Behind the Screen" (a true-story-based narrative puzzle game), "Pronty" (an underwater Metroidvania), and "NanoApostle" (a sci-fi boss rush action game) — sold as one-time-purchase digital software through Steam, Nintendo Switch eShop, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store to global consumers.
Product overview
18Light Game is an independent game development studio that creates narrative-driven games with distinctive artistic styles. The company portfolio consists of three games: 'Behind the Screen' (a narrative puzzle game based on true stories), 'Pronty' (an underwater Metroidvania adventure), and 'NanoApostle' (a sci-fi boss rush action game). All three titles feature distinct gameplay mechanics and artistic styles, distributed across major gaming platforms including Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 18Light Game Ltd. The primary company brand used internationally.
Products and services
- Behind the Screen (螢幕判官) A narrative mystery-solving game based on true stories set in 1970s-80s Taiwan. Players uncover the truth behind a matricide accusation through puzzles, stealth mechanics, and multiple gameplay styles including Sokoban, fighting, and parkour. Designed for narrative-game enthusiasts seeking culturally and socially themed indie experiences. Distributed on Steam (app id 821560) and Nintendo Switch.
- Pronty (棄海：波弟大冒險) An underwater Metroidvania action-adventure game where players guide Pronty and its robotic swordfish companion Bront to defend the fallen underwater city of Royla from mutant sea creatures corrupted by toxic waste, featuring a Javelin combat system, customizable skill boards, multiple difficulty levels, and Boss Rush mode. For players who enjoy Metroidvania exploration and action combat. Distributed on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
- NanoApostle (奈米使徒計畫) A dark sci-fi boss rush action game featuring reaction-based combat and the proprietary "Destruction Point" system. Players control Anita, a girl augmented with nanomachines, battling twisted cybernetic experiments to escape a top-secret facility. Includes up to 24 customizable skills. For fans of hack-and-slash and boss-rush combat. Distributed on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Companies that use 18Light Game
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
18Light Game technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
18Light Game partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
18Light Game competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Thunder Lotus Games: Independent studio behind Jotun and Spiritfarer, narrative action-adventure titles on Steam, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Comparable as a small-team narrative indie publisher-developer with a similar release cadence and platform footprint.
- Studio MDHR: Creator of Cuphead, a critically acclaimed indie action game with distinctive hand-drawn art shipped on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Comparable to 18Light's NanoApostle as a small indie studio combining custom art style with tight action mechanics.
- Playdead: Independent studio behind Limbo and Inside, two critically acclaimed narrative-driven indie games on PC and console. Highly comparable to 18Light as a small team focused on atmospheric, story-led single-player experiences.
- Team Cherry: Australian indie studio behind Hollow Knight, a celebrated metroidvania on Steam, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Directly comparable to 18Light's Pronty as a small narrative-action team shipping across the same console footprint.
- Moon Studios: Independent developer of Ori and the Blind Forest / Will of the Wisps, narrative metroidvania/action-platformers distributed on PC and consoles. Comparable scope and genre positioning to 18Light's narrative action portfolio.
- Red Barrels: Montreal-based indie studio behind the Outlast series, narrative-driven horror-action titles on PC and consoles. Comparable as a small independent studio shipping story-led premium games across the same platform footprint as 18Light.
Broad incumbents
- Annapurna Interactive: Major indie publisher of narrative and artistic games such as What Remains of Edith Finch, Stray, and Cocoon across PC and consoles. Comparable as the type of publishing partner 18Light could partner with and as a benchmark for narrative indie catalog scale.
- Devolver Digital: Established indie publisher with a portfolio spanning narrative, action, and experimental indie titles on PC and consoles. Comparable as a relevant publishing/distribution counterparty and indirect competitor in the indie discovery layer that 18Light operates within.
Regional players
- Eastasiasoft Limited: Hong Kong-based indie publisher focused on Asian-developed games for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC. Directly comparable as a regional indie counterpart and a potential publishing/distribution partner for Taiwan-developed titles.
Emerging players
- Ackk Studios: Small independent developer of narrative-driven experimental games such as Two Brothers and Year Walk-like titles. Comparable as a similarly sized narrative indie studio pursuing artistic, story-led single-player experiences on PC and consoles.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
18Light Game social profiles
Digital presence18Light Game financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
18Light Game leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
18Light Game funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
18Light Game 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 18Light Game
What does 18Light Game do?
18Light Game is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes its own narrative-driven video games. Its commercial portfolio currently consists of three titles — "Behind the Screen" (a true-story-based narrative puzzle game), "Pronty" (an underwater Metroidvania), and "NanoApostle" (a sci-fi boss rush action game) — sold as one-time-purchase digital software through Steam, Nintendo Switch eShop, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store to global consumers.
Is 18Light Game a public or private company?
18Light Game is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 18Light Game founded?
18Light Game was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 18Light Game based?
18Light Game is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, in the Asia region.
How does 18Light Game make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are 18Light Game's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Thunder Lotus Games, Studio MDHR, Playdead, Team Cherry, Moon Studios and Red Barrels. Broad incumbents are Annapurna Interactive and Devolver Digital. Eastasiasoft Limited is listed as a regional player. Ackk Studios is listed as an emerging player.
Does 18Light Game have an API?
No public API is recorded for 18Light Game.
What industry is 18Light Game in?
18Light Game's product category is Indie Video Game Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAK, Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFABAA, Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing). Its NAICS code is 5132.