Long Hat House
Long Hat House is an independent two-person indie game studio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, developing mechanically innovative multi-platform games (Dandara, Magenta Arcade series) and selling them as premium titles across consoles, PC, and mobile storefronts to consumer gaming audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBelo Horizonte, Brazil
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Long Hat House does
Long Hat House is an independent indie game studio founded in 2014 and based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, operating as Long Hat House Jogos Eletronicos LTDA. The studio is led by two co-founders, Lucas Mattos and João Brant — computer scientists who have collaborated since 2014 — supported by an extended network of freelance contributors for art, music, narrative, and UI. The studio designs and develops games with mechanically distinctive player inputs, most notably Dandara (a metroidvania with gravity-defying movement), Magenta Arcade and Magenta Arcade II (finger-based top-down shooters where the player's finger serves as the in-game ship), and various game-jam prototypes. Technology is built on Unity (Unity 5), Godot Engine, Citrus Engine with Starling, and Flixel, with multi-platform deployment spanning mobile (iOS, Google Play, Amazon App Store), PC (Steam), and consoles (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One).
The company's commercial model is built on premium one-time-purchase game sales distributed through major digital storefronts, supplemented by free post-launch expansions (Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition in 2020) used to extend product lifecycle and re-engage the player base. Dandara's console distribution is facilitated through publisher Raw Fury, which handles marketing and platform relationships. Marketing channels are primarily organic: the studio's own website and newsletter (used to recruit alpha/beta testers), a Reddit community forum, press kits distributed via Google Drive and Dropbox, and event participation at BIG Festival, The Mix at E3 2017, and Stugan 2017. Most recent activity (Magenta Arcade II, launched in 2025) was funded by a Brazilian cultural grant through the Paulo Gustavo Law (LC 195/2022) rather than institutional investment. The studio's customer base consists entirely of individual video game players reached through horizontal segmentation across indie gaming enthusiasts, mobile/console cross-platform players, and casual/browser gamers; no enterprise or B2B customers are present in the data.
Long Hat House firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Long Hat House
- Legal name
- Long Hat House Jogos Eletronicos LTDA
- Website
- https://longhathouse.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Long Hat House is an independent two-person indie game studio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, developing mechanically innovative multi-platform games (Dandara, Magenta Arcade series) and selling them as premium titles across consoles, PC, and mobile storefronts to consumer gaming audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Long Hat House industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indie Game Development
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console) (MPAFAAAA)
Keywords
Where Long Hat House is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belo Horizonte
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Long Hat House business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Premium game sales: Long Hat House sells full games (Dandara) at premium prices across multiple digital storefronts (Steam, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, App Store, Google Play). This is a one-time purchase revenue model per platform.
- Free expansion content: Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition was released as a free, huge expansion to Dandara's world, expanding the player base and driving engagement with the base game.
- Mobile app store sales: Miguel: The Incredible was released on iOS App Store, Google Play, and Amazon App Store as a paid mobile application.
- Publisher partnership (Raw Fury): Raw Fury, a game publisher, facilitated the distribution and marketing of Dandara across multiple platforms, including console releases on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Raw Fury is credited as the publisher on Dandara's game pages.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Magenta Arcade II premium purchase |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition expansion |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Long Hat House product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Long Hat House is an independent indie game studio that develops and publishes original video games, with a flagship catalog led by the Dandara metroidvania series and the Magenta Arcade finger-based shooters. The studio self-publishes on mobile (iOS, Android, Amazon App Store) and Steam, and partners with publisher Raw Fury for console distribution on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Products are sold as one-time premium purchases, supplemented by free post-launch expansions (e.g., Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Magenta Arcade II Bigger and wackier finger-based shooter sequel targeted at mobile gamers; built in Godot Engine; published on App Store and Google Play.
- Dandara A metroidvania exploration game with a gravity-defying movement mechanic, designed for both touchscreen and gamepad input, available across mobile, PC, and consoles via publisher Raw Fury.
- Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition A free, substantial expansion to Dandara that adds new areas, bosses, powers, music, story content, and accessibility/quality-of-life improvements for existing Dandara players.
- Magenta Arcade A finger-based top-down shooter in which the player's finger acts as the in-game ship, built in Citrus Engine with Starling and released on mobile storefronts.
- River Rage A local multiplayer boat-handling party game supporting up to eight players across four controllers, produced as a game-jam entry.
- Under Pressure A short drama-filled adventure and puzzle game produced for the Ludum Dare #29 game jam.
- You're it! A browser-based online multiplayer tag game produced for Ludum Dare #33, in which the 'it' player loses time until eliminated and the last player remaining wins.
- I wanna play snake A snake-style gameplay game produced for the Global Game Jam 2015 in response to the theme 'What do we do now?'.
- Miguel: The Incredible An imaginative juggling mini-game for mobile devices (App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store), built in Unity.
- Just Politics A corrupt-politician simulator game produced for Ludum Dare #25 around the theme 'You are the villain', built in Flixel.
Quantifiable outcome
- Dandara named TIME Magazine Top 10 of 2018
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Long Hat House
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Long Hat House technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Long Hat House partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Raw FurycoreRaw Fury is the publisher for Dandara, facilitating distribution and marketing across multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam, iOS, and Google Play. Raw Fury is credited as the publisher on Dandara's official game pages.
- Game MineminorGame Mine is the co-working space in Belo Horizonte where Long Hat House works alongside other creative people and game developers. It represents the 'House' concept of creating a welcoming space to collaborate.
- UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais) - Professor Vivi MotaminorLong Hat House is collaborating with UFMG professor Vivi Mota to make Magenta Arcade II more accessible, specifically for accessibility improvements.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Long Hat House competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Lucas Pope: Solo/small-team indie developer behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn — premium games with novel mechanics and strong critical reception. Comparable as a model for high-impact, mechanically-novel indie releases from tiny teams.
Broad incumbents
- Annapurna Interactive: Major indie game publisher of premium, narrative-driven, mechanically-distinct titles (Florence, What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds). Directly comparable to Raw Fury as a publishing model Long Hat House could partner with for Dandara sequels.
- Devolver Digital: Major indie game publisher with a broad portfolio of premium small-studio titles (Hotline Miami, Fall Guys, Cult of the Lamb). A relevant incumbent that demonstrates the publisher path available to Long Hat House beyond the current Raw Fury partnership.
Direct peers
- Hopoo Games: Two-person indie studio behind Risk of Rain and Risk of Rain 2, available across PC, consoles, and mobile with premium monetization. Directly analogous to Long Hat House in team size and premium cross-platform indie model.
- Motion Twin: Small French worker-cooperative indie studio behind Dead Cells, a premium cross-platform (mobile/console/PC) metroidvania-roguelike. Directly comparable to Long Hat House in team size, premium pricing model, cross-platform distribution, and metroidvania-adjacent design.
- Supergiant Games: Small (~20 person) indie studio behind Hades, Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre — premium critically-acclaimed games across PC and consoles. Comparable in narrative-driven, mechanically-distinct premium titles released by a small focused team.
- Mega Crit: Two-person indie studio behind Slay the Spire, a premium cross-platform hit (PC, console, mobile) with strong critical reception. Closely matches Long Hat House's structure (two founders), premium one-time-purchase revenue model, and simultaneous multi-platform release strategy.
- Capybara Games: Canadian indie studio behind Super Time Force, Below, and Grindstone — premium cross-platform titles with distinctive mechanics. Comparable in small-team innovative mechanic-driven premium indie releases distributed across consoles and PC.
Others
- Raw Fury: Stockholm-based indie game publisher of Dandara, Sable, Norco, and Kingdom Two Crowns. Ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but the publishing template Long Hat House uses and a potential additional comparison point for premium cross-platform indie economics.
Regional players
- JoyMasher: Brazilian indie studio behind Oniken and Odall: The Dark Call — small-team retro-inspired premium games for PC and consoles. Most directly comparable Brazilian peer for studio size, regional context, and premium retail indie positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Long Hat House social profiles
Digital presenceLong Hat House financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Long Hat House leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Long Hat House funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Long Hat House 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 Long Hat House
What does Long Hat House do?
Long Hat House is an independent indie game studio that develops and publishes original video games, with a flagship catalog led by the Dandara metroidvania series and the Magenta Arcade finger-based shooters. The studio self-publishes on mobile (iOS, Android, Amazon App Store) and Steam, and partners with publisher Raw Fury for console distribution on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Products are sold as one-time premium purchases, supplemented by free post-launch expansions (e.g., Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition).
Is Long Hat House a public or private company?
Long Hat House is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Long Hat House founded?
Long Hat House was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Long Hat House based?
Long Hat House is headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Long Hat House make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Premium game sales are the primary driver. The others are free expansion content, mobile app store sales and publisher partnership (Raw Fury).
Who are Long Hat House's main competitors?
Lucas Pope is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Annapurna Interactive and Devolver Digital. Direct peers are Hopoo Games, Motion Twin, Supergiant Games, Mega Crit and Capybara Games. Raw Fury is listed as an others. JoyMasher is listed as a regional player.
Does Long Hat House have an API?
No public API is recorded for Long Hat House.
What industry is Long Hat House in?
Long Hat House's product category is Indie Game Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAB, Mobile & F2P Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAAAA, AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console). Its NAICS code is 5132.