Vanimals
Vanimals is an independent game studio developing single-player narrative-driven survival games, with its core product UNDYING distributed globally on Steam and Epic Games Store through publisher Skystone Games.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBeijing, China
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Vanimals does
Vanimals is a privately held independent game development studio founded in 2017 and focused on a single shipped product, the zombie apocalypse survival title UNDYING. The studio designs and develops narrative-driven, single-player experiences built around character relationships and emotional storytelling — UNDYING centers on Anling and her son Cody navigating a post-apocalyptic world, with crafting, branching narrative choices, and multiple endings driving gameplay. The technical architecture is a low poly, standalone offline game that stores data locally on player devices, with procedurally generated dungeon layouts across 14 major locations, a character teaching system with over 100 learnable skills, and a branching narrative engine. Distribution is executed through Skystone Games as publisher across Steam and Epic Games Store globally, with Vanimals capturing per-unit revenue from a one-time purchase premium model. The studio's go-to-market is product-led through major digital storefronts, supported by a multi-channel community layer (Discord, Comment Wall, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube). Notable design credibility comes from David Brevik, co-creator of Diablo, who contributed to dungeon design, and the title has earned editorial recognition (GodisaGeek 9/10; KeenGamer 8/10) and prior indie festival placements (IndieX, MWU 2020, Golden Tea, IndiePlay 2019). No external funding rounds, revenue figures, or headcount data are disclosed in the available source material.
Vanimals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vanimals
- Legal name
- Vanimals
- Website
- https://vanimals.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Vanimals is an independent game studio developing single-player narrative-driven survival games, with its core product UNDYING distributed globally on Steam and Epic Games Store through publisher Skystone Games.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Vanimals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beijing
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Vanimals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales: One-time purchase model for the game Undying sold through Steam and Epic Games Store platforms. Players pay upfront to acquire the full game.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Vanimals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vanimals develops and sells UNDYING, a story-driven zombie apocalypse survival video game where players guide Anling and her son Cody through a post-apocalyptic world. The game features crafting systems, branching narrative choices, procedural dungeon layouts, character progression with over 100 teachable skills, rogue-lite mechanics, and multiple endings. UNDYING is available for one-time purchase on Steam and Epic Games Store.
Product overview
Vanimals is a game development studio offering a single core product: UNDYING, a zombie survival game. The game is a standalone offline experience featuring story-driven gameplay with branching narrative choices, crafting mechanics, procedural dungeon generation designed by industry veteran David Brevik, and rogue-lite elements. The 1.0 release introduced additional features including mini-games, a companion kitten system, and a global Comment Wall feature for community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Undying: A zombie apocalypse survival game featuring Anling and her son Cody, available on Steam and Epic Games Store.
Products and services
- UNDYING A story-driven zombie apocalypse survival PC game where players guide Anling and her son Cody through a post-apocalyptic world, featuring crafting systems, branching narrative choices, procedural dungeon layouts, over 100 teachable character skills, rogue-lite elements, and multiple endings. Targeted at individual PC gaming consumers who enjoy narrative-driven survival horror.
Quantifiable outcome
- Rated 9/10 by GodisaGeek.com - 'One of the best zombie games ever'
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Vanimals
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Vanimals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Vanimals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Skystone GamescoreSkystone Games is the publisher of Undying. The partnership involves publishing services including distribution support, marketing coordination, and platform relationships for the game's retail availability.
- David BrevikcoreLegendary game designer known as the godfather of Diablo and co-creator of Diablo. Contributed to dungeon design for Undying, bringing expertise in ARPG mechanics and satisfying loot systems to enhance the game's dungeon crawling experience.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vanimals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Motion Twin: Indie cooperative that developed 'Dead Cells' before spinning out Evil Empire. Comparable as a small indie developer with a single major roguelike title on Steam.
- Hopoo Games: Developer of 'Risk of Rain' and 'Risk of Rain 2.' Comparable as a small indie studio with a roguelike franchise on Steam.
- Klei Entertainment: Developer of the 'Don't Starve' survival franchise. Comparable as an indie studio specializing in narrative-driven survival games with crafting and procedural elements distributed on Steam.
- Capybara Games: Developer of 'Dead Cells' and other indie titles with roguelike/rogue-lite elements. Comparable for the rogue-lite mechanic overlap with UNDYING and indie PC distribution model.
- Endnight Games: Independent developer of 'Sons of the Forest' (and 'The Forest'), a survival game with narrative elements. Most direct comparable: small indie studio building a single high-quality survival title and distributing through Steam.
- Iron Gate AB: Developer of 'Valheim,' a survival crafting game sold on Steam. Comparable as a small indie studio that achieved breakout success with a single Steam-distributed survival title.
- Heart Machine: Developer of 'Hyper Light Drifter' and 'Solar Ash.' Comparable as a small indie studio with stylized, narrative-forward action games distributed on Steam and Epic.
- Mega Crit: Small indie studio behind 'Slay the Spire,' a roguelike distributed on Steam. Comparable as a tiny indie team running a single high-quality PC roguelike title with long-tail sales.
- Red Hook Studios: Developer of 'Darkest Dungeon,' a narrative-driven roguelike with dark themes distributed on Steam. Comparable for indie scale, roguelike mechanics, and dark/narrative positioning.
Broad incumbents
- 11 bit studios: Developer of 'Frostpunk' and 'This War of Mine' — narrative-driven survival games. Comparable for emotionally themed survival game design; broader/established public company versus Vanimals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Vanimals social profiles
Digital presenceVanimals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vanimals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vanimals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vanimals 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 Vanimals
What does Vanimals do?
Vanimals develops and sells UNDYING, a story-driven zombie apocalypse survival video game where players guide Anling and her son Cody through a post-apocalyptic world. The game features crafting systems, branching narrative choices, procedural dungeon layouts, character progression with over 100 teachable skills, rogue-lite mechanics, and multiple endings. UNDYING is available for one-time purchase on Steam and Epic Games Store.
Is Vanimals a public or private company?
Vanimals is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Vanimals founded?
Vanimals was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Vanimals based?
Vanimals is headquartered in Beijing, China, in the Asia region.
How does Vanimals make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are Vanimals's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Motion Twin, Hopoo Games, Klei Entertainment, Capybara Games, Endnight Games, Iron Gate AB, Heart Machine, Mega Crit and Red Hook Studios. 11 bit studios is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Vanimals have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vanimals.