LGN

What LGN does

Learning Games Network (LGN) is a private, Boston-area (Brookline, MA) software company that designs and develops educational games and interactive learning experiences, primarily serving K-12, higher education, and museum audiences. The company operates at the intersection of game design and learning sciences research, partnering with academic institutions such as the Games+Learning+Society center at UW-Madison, the New York Hall of Science, the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, the Morgridge Institute for Research, and the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to develop research-validated content. Its portfolio spans biology (Virulent, Progenitor X), environmental science (Econauts), prosocial/emotional learning (Crystals of Kaydor), history (Soul of a Place), and math (Zoombinis, Quandary), deployed across Windows, Mac, mobile, and bespoke museum installations such as the Oztoc multitouch table.

LGN's underlying technology combines interactive entertainment design with a proprietary data infrastructure, ADAGE (Assessment Data Aggregator for Gaming Environments), which enables real-time telemetry collection and remote logging of player behavior across multiple titles for research and efficacy analysis. The company also maintains internal software tooling (Studio K, CALL) and uses rigorously validated animation systems (e.g., FACS-based facial animations in Crystals of Kaydor). Its revenue model is primarily project-based, drawing on licensing/royalties for educational games alongside grant funding (notably National Science Foundation support for the Oztoc project). Distribution spans direct-to-consumer software downloads, museum enterprise installations, and academic/research partnerships. Marketing is limited to organic social (Twitter, Facebook) and the company website, with no paid acquisition infrastructure evident.

The company is small (11-50 employees per firmographics, with no open positions listed as of 2024), privately held, and bootstrapped or grant-supported rather than venture-backed based on the absence of disclosed funding rounds. Its competitive positioning rests on research-backed content, a diversified cross-subject portfolio, and institutional partnerships rather than on AI/ML capabilities, consumer brand reach, or scalable distribution.

Name

LGN

Legal name

Learning Games Network

Website

https://learninggamesnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Learning Games Network (LGN) is a private Brookline, MA-based software company that designs and develops research-validated educational games across STEM, environmental science, and social-emotional subjects for K-12, higher education, and museum audiences, distributed via consumer software, museum installations, and academic partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Game Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Interactive Learning Games & Gamified Courseware (EDAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Game-Based CS & Computational Thinking Platforms (EDAFANAD)

Keywords

• Educational game development
• Game-based learning
• Learning analytics software
• Museum learning installations
• Science education technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Development and Licensing: LGN builds and licenses educational games across various platforms. The company creates award-winning games for different age groups and devices, from toddler math apps to interactive museum installations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Learning Games Network designs, develops, and licenses educational games and supporting research software for learners at every age. Its portfolio spans toddler math apps (e.g., Zoombinis), subject-specific science games (Virulent, Progenitor X, Econauts), prosocial and emotional-recognition games (Crystals of Kaydor), history games (Soul of a Place), and interactive museum installations (Oztoc). LGN also develops the ADAGE telemetry/analytics framework used to collect real-time gameplay data for researchers and educators.

Product overview

Learning Games Network is an educational game development organization that builds award-winning games across ages, content areas, and devices. The portfolio includes math apps for toddlers, biology games (Virulent, Progenitor X), environmental science games (Econauts), history games (Soul of a Place), and prosocial behavior training games (Crystals of Kaydor). LGN also develops game-based learning infrastructure including the ADAGE (Assessment Data Aggregator for Gaming Environments) framework for telemetry and research data collection, as well as software tools like Studio K and CALL. The company creates products ranging from mobile apps to museum installations featuring interactive tables at venues like the New York Hall of Science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ADAGE: Assessment Data Aggregator for Gaming Environments - a software platform for collecting and analyzing gameplay data.
• Studio K
• CALL

Products and services

• Econauts An environmental science game that immerses players in lake ecosystems, making difficult-to-observe ecological phenomena visible in a living landscape. Teaches relationships between human choices and their ecological consequences, using the ADAGE system for remote data logging.
• Oztoc A museum installation game about discovering bioluminescent creatures in an uncharted lagoon. Combines a multitouch tabletop display with tactile physical blocks, where children design virtual circuits to attract creatures.
• Crystals of Kaydor A prosocial behavior training game where players control a marooned robot explorer on an alien planet, engaging with local aliens to understand emotional cues and earn trust through positive social interactions.
• Progenitor X A narrative-driven, turn-based puzzle-solving game where players learn about relationships between cells, tissues, and organs while exploring concepts of regenerative medicine and induced pluripotent stem cell research.
• Quandary An award-winning educational game featured on the Learning Games Network homepage.
• Zoombinis A math-focused game for children featuring inspiring design and innovative pedagogy.
• Soul of a Place An educational journey game set in 1930s America where players role-play as field writers and editors working on America's first guidebooks, exploring multiple narratives through historical FWP Writers.
• Virulent A real-time strategy game that teaches systems biology, enabling players to control virus particles to infect, replicate inside, and escape from host cells while fighting off immune responses.
• Fair Play A game project listed on the projects page of Learning Games Network.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core and minor.

• Games+Learning+Society (GL+S) at University of Wisconsin-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore research and development partner for multiple projects including Oztoc and Crystals of Kaydor. GL+S provides learning sciences expertise and game design capabilities, combining academic rigor with interactive entertainment principles.
• New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-led the Oztoc museum installation project with principal investigators from NYSCI. Provides venue for hands-on museum-based learning experiences with state-of-the-art multitouch tabletop displays.
• Center for Investigating Healthy MindscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed development of Crystals of Kaydor with Dr. Richard Davidson to study whether mindfulness and kindness can be taught through game training, involving MRI scans and neurological assessments.
• Morgridge Institute for ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific content of Progenitor X based on research conducted at Morgridge Institute, exploring regenerative medicine and stem cell concepts for educational purposes.
• Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on scientific content for Progenitor X, providing medical and public health expertise for biology education game development.
• Spark MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped Soul of a Place in conjunction with Spark Media, an immersive game-based learning experience about the Federal Writers Project of the Great Depression.
• Dr. John Yin (WIDs leader)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert contributor on Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (Rhabdoviridae) who provided scientific guidance for the Virulent game, modeling the Raven virus after his area of expertise.
• Dr. Jenny Gumperz (UW-Madison)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty in UW-Madison Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology who helped simplify and design cell and immune system responses for the Virulent game.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BrainPOP: BrainPOP provides animated educational content and games for K-12 across STEM, social studies, and English - a broader incumbent with overlapping subject coverage and school-district distribution that dwarfs LGN's reach.

Others

• Games for Change: Games for Change is a nonprofit that supports and disseminates social impact games including educational titles - operates in an adjacent ecosystem role compared to LGN's game development work.
• Center for Games & Impact: An academic research center studying learning sciences and game design - comparable as an ecosystem/research partner similar to LGN's GL+S relationship at UW-Madison.

Direct peers

• iCivics: iCivics builds free educational games and curriculum to teach civics and government to middle and high school students - a peer in the grant-funded educational game development space targeting similar grade levels.
• TERC: TERC is a nonprofit education research and development organization that designs games and digital learning tools grounded in learning sciences research - structurally similar to LGN's industry-academic hybrid model.
• Schell Games: Schell Games is a Pittsburgh-based educational and entertainment game studio known for award-winning learning games like "I Expect You To Die" and museum interactive experiences - directly comparable to LGN's portfolio of STEM learning games and museum installations.
• E-Line Media: E-Line Media develops meaningful games such as "Endless Ocean" and "Never Alone" with educational and cultural impact goals - a peer in the purpose-driven educational game studio space.
• Filament Games: Filament Games is an educational game development studio that designs and develops custom learning games for K-12, museums, and corporate training - closely matching LGN's game development + institutional partnership model.

Emerging players

• Hopscotch: Hopscotch is a coding-for-kids app that uses game-based learning to teach programming concepts - tangentially comparable to LGN's STEM-themed game portfolio aimed at younger learners.
• GameSalad: GameSalad provides game-based learning environments for students to create their own games, teaching computational thinking - an emerging player with partial overlap in game-based CS education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LGamesNetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/learninggamesnetwork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 LGN