gamedevmap

What gamedevmap does

gamedevmap is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 39-4687228) that operates the world's first and largest curated interactive map and searchable database of game development organizations. Founded in 2004 by Gaurav Mathur and sustained for over two decades through volunteer effort, the platform catalogs 9,697+ entries across 100+ countries, organized by organization type (Developer, Publisher, XR, Health, Incubator/Accelerator, Investment, Microstudio, Mobile, Online, Serious Games, Social, etc.) and by geography. The product is delivered as a free public web resource at gamedevmap.com, with an interactive map featuring colored location dots, a Ghosty indicator for remote-friendly studios, and free-text search across company, city, state/province, or country. Data currency is maintained through structured monthly data drops and a public community-submission form for additions, corrections, and deletions.

The underlying technology is a curated, manually maintained dataset rather than an automated aggregation platform; inclusion criteria explicitly exclude middleware vendors, outsourcing service providers, recruiting firms, passive IP holders, educational institutions, and individual talent. The organization is governed by a volunteer Working Board (President Gaurav Mathur, Treasurer Chitvan Gupta, Secretary Dr. JC Lau, Director of Business Development Tiffany Smith) and an Advisory Board, with vendor relationships limited to accounting (Caccamo Accountancy, Rising Sun Accounting) and legal services (Odin Law and Media).

The business model is donation-based: gamedevmap charges no fees for access, sells no advertising, offers no API or data licensing, and accepts voluntary contributions to support infrastructure and ongoing dataset maintenance. Distribution is exclusively direct via the website, with awareness driven through Bluesky and LinkedIn organic social channels and word-of-mouth among game industry professionals, including cited users at Tencent Games and LUDiMUS Inc. There are no funding rounds, no institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed M&A activity.

Name

gamedevmap

Legal name

gamedevmap

Website

https://gamedevmap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

gamedevmap is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a free, curated interactive map and searchable database of 9,697+ game development organizations across 100+ countries, serving nearly 100,000 industry professionals annually and funded entirely through voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Industry Directory

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Modding Platforms & Tooling (mods, maps, servers, script hubs) (MPAFAIAB)

Keywords

• Game development directory
• Interactive studio map
• Gaming industry database
• Industry directory services
• Studio discovery tool

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: gamedevmap operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 39-4687228) funded through voluntary donations. Donations support infrastructure and operating costs, and ongoing dataset maintenance and monthly data drops. Monthly donations are encouraged for long-term organizational stability. Donations may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

gamedevmap is a free, web-based interactive map and searchable database that catalogs game development organizations worldwide, including studios, publishers, incubators, accelerators, investment firms, and nonprofit industry organizations. Users explore entries by clicking geographic dots on a map, searching by company/city/country, or filtering by organization type and country/region, with a dedicated Ghosty indicator for remote-friendly studios. The platform is sustained through volunteer curation, monthly data drops, and community submissions.

Product overview

gamedevmap is a single unified product—a curated global directory and interactive map of game development organizations. The offering consists of a searchable database that categorizes studios by type (Developer, Publisher, Mobile, XR, Health, Incubator/Accelerator, Investment, Microstudio, Online, Organization, Serious Games, Social), geographic location, and country/region. The database supports exploration via an interactive map interface with colored dots, a Ghosty feature for remote-friendly studios, and a search field for specific entries. Data is updated through monthly structured data drops and community submissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ghosty: The gamedevmap mascot character used to identify remote-friendly studios on the map.

Products and services

• gamedevmap Database/Directory World's first and largest curated map and dataset of game development organizations, serving nearly 100,000 users across 100+ countries. The database contains 9,697+ entries of studios, publishers, incubators, accelerators, investment firms, and supporting organizations, explorable by clicking colored dots on an interactive map, searching by company/city/state/country, or filtering by organization type and country/region. Includes a Ghosty indicator for remote-friendly studios.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• eBoyminorOthersCreated the gamedevmap Wordmark and Ghosty mascot asset
• Caccamo AccountancyminorOthersProvides accounting services
• Rising Sun AccountingminorOthersProvides accounting services
• Odin Law and Media (Brandon Huffman, Connor Richards)minorOthersProvides legal services
• Newman LLP (Leeor Neta)minorOthersProvided legal services (2015)
• IGDA Game Credits Special Interest GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral resource for video game credit standards

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GameDev.net: Long-running game developer community and resource site with forums, articles, and industry coverage. Comparable as a community hub serving game developers with discovery and networking utilities.
• MobyGames: Long-running curated database of video games and the companies that made them. Closely comparable as a community-curated, vertical-specific reference dataset for the game industry.
• GameCompanies.com: Game industry company directory with listings, jobs, and studio profiles. Directly comparable directory product serving the same discover-the-game-studio use case for industry professionals.
• Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra): Leading game industry publication and community covering studios, developers, and trends. Comparable as a discovery and industry-intelligence resource for the same game-professional audience gamedevmap serves.
• International Game Developers Association (IGDA): Global nonprofit membership organization serving game developers with chapters, networking, and industry resources. Directly comparable mission of advancing the game development community, and gamedevmap lists IGDA as a partnership touchpoint.

Emerging players

• GameJolt: Indie game platform and community where developers host and showcase games. Comparable as a discovery layer for indie game creators and studios, serving a related audience.
• IndieDB: Indie game tracking and community platform featuring developer profiles and studio listings. Overlaps with gamedevmap's indie/microstudio discovery use case, particularly for smaller and emerging teams.
• Game World Navigator: Game industry company directory and discovery platform. Directly comparable product concept (a directory of game companies) and competes for the same BD, recruiter, and investor personas.

Broad incumbents

• GamesIndustry.biz: Major game industry trade publication owned by a larger media group. Comparable as a destination for game-industry news, studio coverage, and BD signals for the same enterprise readership.
• Crunchbase: Major business information platform tracking companies, funding, and people. Comparable as a directory/data product used by investors and BD teams to map industry players, though broader than gaming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gamedevmap
• Xx.com/gamedevmap
• Facebookfacebook.com/gamedevmap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 gamedevmap