Pastagames

What Pastagames does

Pastagames is an independent French video game development studio founded in 2000 and headquartered at 19 Rue Ligner, 75020 Paris. The studio develops and publishes both original intellectual properties — including Pix the Cat, KarmaZoo, Burn It All, and Pix'n Love Rush — and licensed titles built around major franchises such as Rayman (for Ubisoft), PAC-MAN (for Bandai Namco), ARKANOID (for TAITO), and Build-A-Bear Workshop. Pastagames also operates as a work-for-hire studio, having delivered contract projects for Ubisoft, Sony/PlayStation, Parrot, Arkedo, and Neko Entertainment. The studio's portfolio spans mobile (iOS AppStore, Google Play, Apple Arcade), PC (Steam), and console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch) platforms, with a horizontal segmentation approach targeting casual gamers, arcade enthusiasts, and party/gathering multiplayer audiences.

Technically, Pastagames maintains proprietary development tools including the Pesto scripting language for coding NPC AI — which was externally licensed to Wild Sheep Studio for the game Wild and presented at Game Camp 2017 — and the Linguini framework, which was ported from Ubisoft's UbiArt engine for mobile Rayman development. The studio also built a custom string hash implementation using the djb2 algorithm with collision detection. Revenue is generated through two streams: one-time game sales via digital storefronts (AppStore, Google Play, Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox Marketplace, Nintendo Switch) and professional services / work-for-hire contracts with publishers. Marketing is driven primarily by content marketing (technical blog), organic social media (Twitter, Facebook with ~48,674 likes), gaming conventions (Gamescom), and a permissive content creator policy. The company is privately held, founder-owned (Fabien Delpiano, founder), and self-funded with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Pastagames

Legal name

Pastagames

Website

https://pastagames.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pastagames is an independent French video game development studio in Paris creating original IPs (Pix the Cat, KarmaZoo) and licensed titles (Rayman, PAC-MAN, ARKANOID) across mobile, PC, and console platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Direct game sales through digital storefronts and publishing deals with major publishers like Ubisoft for Rayman titles and TAITO for Arkanoid.
2. Work-for-hire / Studio for Hire: Contract development work for other studios and brands, including Rayman Jungle Run (Ubisoft), A.R. Rescue (Parrot), Build a Bear Workshop, and Baby Life.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pastagames is an independent French video game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes video games across mobile, PC, and console platforms. The studio combines development of original IPs (Pix the Cat, KarmaZoo, Burn It All) with licensed franchise adaptations (Rayman, PAC-MAN, Arkanoid) and work-for-hire/contract development for major publishers such as Ubisoft, Sony, Bandai Namco, TAITO, and Parrot.

Product overview

Pastagames is an independent French game development studio that creates and publishes video games across multiple platforms. Their portfolio includes original IP games (KarmaZoo, Pix the Cat, Burn It All) and licensed titles (Rayman Mini, Rayman Legends, Rayman Jungle Run, PAC-MAN Party Royale, Build a Bear Workshop, ARKANOID Eternal Battle). They offer games through major digital storefronts including Apple App Store, Google Play, Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Pastagames also developed Pesto, an internal scripting language for coding game AI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pastagames Amusement Device: Internal branding for their game development platform referenced in Pix'n Love - Rush marketing materials

Products and services

• KarmaZoo Multiplayer co-op game where players join teams of up to 10 random players online to tackle increasingly challenging levels, earning Karma by helping each other to unlock new characters and abilities.
• ARKANOID - Eternal Battle Modernized version of the iconic 1986 Arkanoid block-breaker arcade game featuring a new Battle Royale mode with up to 25 players online, modernized graphics, new rules, effects, bonuses, and features.
• PAC-MAN Party Royale 4-player Battle Arena multiplayer game based on the PAC-MAN franchise where players compete to be the last PAC-MAN standing using power-ups, mazes, and ghost mechanics with online and local multiplayer support.
• Rayman Mini Exclusive Apple Arcade adventure game where Rayman has been shrunk to the size of an ant, with 48 levels across 6 worlds in a macro-photographic setting, featuring boss runs and 3 playable characters with unlockable costumes.
• Rayman Legends Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch port of the platformer Rayman Legends featuring local co-op for up to 4 players, Kung Foot tournament mode, 100+ maps, and musical rhythm levels. Published by Ubisoft.
• Pix the Cat Arcade game combining elements of Pac-Man, Snake, and Bomberman across 4 distinct game modes (Arcade, Nostalgia, Laboratory, Arena), with 500+ hand-made levels and competitive multiplayer for up to 4 players.
• Pix'n Love - Rush Retro-styled pixel platformer featuring a dot-matrix display with per-pixel physics and three one-touch game modes with distinctive tactile controls for mobile devices.
• Rayman Jungle Run One-touch runner game for mobile devices adapting Rayman Origins gameplay via Ubisoft's UbiArt framework. Recognized as AppStore Best of 2012 and PocketGamer Gold award winner.
• Burn It All Mobile puzzle platformer where 3 little Flames journey from the molten depths of the earth to the Sun, with 100 puzzling levels and a TimeLoop mechanic for collaborating with previous game versions.
• A.R. Rescue Augmented reality game built for the Parrot AR.Drone featuring gyroscopic controls where players help aliens collect scraps to rebuild their spaceships and return home.
• Build a Bear Workshop Licensed game based on the Build-A-Bear Workshop brand where players create and customize teddy bears through modules including Park, Kitchen, and Garden activities.
• Build a Bear Workshop 2: Welcome to Hugsville
• Arkedo Series 03: PIXEL
• Maestro! Jump in Music Musical platformer for Nintendo DS where players use the stylus to interact with music rhythm; features character Presto jumping to the beat to defeat villain Staccato. Won Milthon 2009 Best Soundtrack award.
• Baby Life

Quantifiable outcome

• GOTY 2012 Appstore recognition for Rayman Jungle Run
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wild Sheep StudiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Pastagames developed Pesto, a scripting language used to code all NPCs in Wild Sheep Studio's game Wild. This demonstrates Pastagames' capability in AI scripting tools.
• UbisoftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUbisoft published Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Legends Definitive Edition, both developed by Pastagames. Ubisoft provided access to their UbiArt framework tools for development.
• Bandai NamcocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBandai Namco licensed the PAC-MAN franchise for PAC-MAN Party Royale developed by Pastagames, a new multiplayer Battle Arena game.
• TAITO CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTAITO Corporation partnered with Pastagames for ARKANOID – Eternal Battle, a fully modernized version of the iconic 1986 arcade game with a new Battle Royale mode.
• ParrotminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParrot selected Pastagames to build A.R. Rescue for their AR.Drone platform, featuring augmented reality, gyroscopic controls, and hardware management.
• ArkedominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partnership for Arkedo Series 03: PIXEL, combining teams from both studios with Pastagames contributing one developer.
• Neko EntertainmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNeko Entertainment funded and published Maestro! Jump in Music, Pastagames' first personal/boxed game, supporting development from day one.
• Sony/PlayStationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSony partnered with Pastagames for Pix the Cat on PS4 and PSVita with cross-buy support. PS4 received exclusive Arena multiplayer mode.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dotemu: Paris-based indie developer focused on reviving and modernizing classic game IPs (Streets of Rage 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Wonder Boy). Closely mirrors Pastagames' hybrid model of working with major IP holders while developing original titles.
• Arkedo: French indie studio that co-developed Arkedo Series 03: PIXEL with Pastagames. Comparable in size and creative approach, focused on original 2D pixel-art games.
• Neko Entertainment: French publisher and co-developer that funded and published Pastagames' first boxed title Maestro! Jump in Music. Active in licensed and casual game development and a direct overlap partner in the French casual-game ecosystem.
• Motion Twin: French independent game studio behind Dead Cells, operating as a player-owned cooperative. Shares Pastagames' profile of a small, French, indie studio building original IPs without external investment, though at larger scale.
• Lizardcube: French indie studio known for hand-drawn remakes (Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, Streets of Rage 4) and often co-develops with Dotemu. Closely comparable classic-IP revival mandate and small-team profile.
• Wild Sheep Studio: French indie developer of WiFi Wild, which used Pastagames' Pesto scripting language for NPC AI. Directly familiar with Pastagames' technical stack and a comparable boutique French game studio.
• Shiro Games: French indie developer (Northgard, Evoland) operating from Bordeaux with a similar hybrid strategy of original IPs and bigger publishing partnerships. Comparable trajectory in indie/console development.

Broad incumbents

• Gameloft: Paris-headquartered mobile and console game publisher/developer with broad casual and licensed-IP portfolio. Same French ecosystem and cross-platform mobile/console delivery model Pastagames operates in.
• Ubisoft Montpellier: Internal Ubisoft studio that owns the Rayman franchise and directly contracted Pastagames on Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Legends Definitive Edition. Larger established party operating in the same arcade-platformer space.

Emerging players

• Ketchapp: French mobile game publisher and studio subsidiary of Ubisoft, focused on hypercasual and arcade-style mobile games. Directly competes with Pastagames for mobile storefront placement on the same platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pastagames
• Facebookfacebook.com/Pastagames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pastagames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Pastagames