Studio Evil

What Studio Evil does

Studio Evil S.r.l. is an independent video game development studio founded in 2011 in Bologna, Italy, by three co-founders (Luca Marchetti, Marco DiTimoteo, and Christian Meneghini) with a combined decade-plus of art and programming experience dating to the 1980s games era. The company operates a hybrid business across two segments: consumer video games distributed via Steam, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Google Play, and the App Store, including the Syder arcade-shooter series, Super Cane Magic ZERO (a co-op action RPG co-developed with cartoonist Sio), Dice of Arcana, Retro Gadgets, and educational titles Relive and Maggie - The Treasure of Seshat; and a B2B division delivering custom VR/AR experiences, real-time simulations, generative graphics, and interactive installations for enterprise clients such as Heineken, Ducati, Motul, FAAC, MG2, Fom Industrie, Macron, and IRC Edu.

The studio's technology foundation is built on the Unity engine with proprietary components including a custom generative graphics engine, a photogrammetry pipeline for photorealistic 3D reconstruction, motion capture integration for VR training simulations, and projection mapping capabilities. Notable technical achievements include the Heineken Unlimited Edition generative graphics project, which produced 60+ million unique bottle labels using a seeded algorithm inspired by the Champions League anthem, computed across 10 machines with 200GB total RAM, and the VR-CPR training environment developed with the Italian Resuscitation Council.

Studio Evil monetizes through one-time perpetual licenses on premium consumer titles, freemium distribution for educational titles (Maggie and Relive are free-to-download with over 70,000 downloads for Relive on Steam), and professional services contracts for B2B VR/AR engagements distributed through direct sales, contact-form inquiries, and trade show presence at venues including VivaTech, EICMA, MotoGP, and Milano Design Week. The company remains privately held and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Studio Evil

Legal name

Studio Evil S.r.l.

Website

https://studioevil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studio Evil is an independent Bologna-based video game studio founded in 2011 that develops consumer games (Syder, Super Cane Magic ZERO, educational titles) and delivers custom B2B VR/AR experiences and generative graphics for enterprise clients including Heineken, Ducati, and Motul.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Game Development and Interactive VR/AR Experiences

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH), VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Video game development
• Virtual reality experiences
• Augmented reality applications
• Generative graphics software
• Interactive simulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Bologna

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Video Game Sales: Sale of video games through digital distribution platforms including Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation Store. Games include both free-to-play titles (Maggie, Relive) and premium titles (Super Cane Magic ZERO, Syder Reloaded)
2. B2B VR/AR Interactive Experiences: Custom VR and AR development services for enterprise clients including virtual showrooms, training simulations, marketing experiences, and interactive installations for trade shows and events
3. Educational Games Development: Development of educational games for institutional clients, including projects funded by organizations like Games for Health Europe

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Studio Evil is an independent video game development studio that publishes consumer games (retro-inspired shooters, action RPGs, educational titles) on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and mobile app stores. Through its B2B division, the company designs and develops custom VR/AR interactive experiences, real-time simulations, generative graphics campaigns, and immersive training tools for enterprise clients across industries including automotive, beverage, pharmaceutical, security, and sportswear.

Product overview

Studio Evil is an independent video game development studio founded in Bologna in 2011, offering a portfolio of consumer video games and B2B interactive experiences. The consumer games include retro-inspired shooters (Syder Arcade, Syder Reloaded), action RPGs (Super Cane Magic ZERO), and educational games (Maggie - The Treasure of Seshat, Relive). The B2B division specializes in custom VR and AR experiences, real-time simulations, generative graphics, and interactive installations for clients including Ducati, Motul, Heineken, FAAC, FOM, and Macron. Technologies employed include photogrammetry, motion capture, projection mapping, and Unity-based development. The company also developed the generative graphics project Heineken Unlimited Edition producing 60+ million unique labels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Syder Arcade A free scrolling, multidirectional shoot 'em up game delivering an old-school experience inspired by European Amiga-era classics, focused on player skill and challenging gameplay; sold to individual game players on Steam.
• Syder Reloaded A revival of the Syder series with upgraded graphics and refined gameplay, offering challenging levels, a fleet of ships, and numerous alien invaders; sold to individual game players on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.
• Super Cane Magic ZERO A local co-op action RPG for 1 to 4 players featuring exploration, unlockable characters, collectible items, and 8 local PVP arenas, based on the story and characters from cartoonist Simone 'Sio' Albrigi; sold to individual game players and co-op groups on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation.
• Maggie - The Treasure of Seshat A mobile puzzle game designed to help primary school students (ages 7-12) overcome the fear of mathematics through 20 puzzles covering 5 mathematics topics; distributed free to consumers on Google Play and the App Store, with development supported by Soroptimist International Club di Italia.
• Relive A sci-fi first person graphic adventure created to encourage teenagers and adults to learn about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), teaching the basics of CPR through an adventure set on Mars; distributed free on Steam with over 70,000 downloads, with development funded by Games for Health Europe.
• Dice of Arcana A roguelite dice game where players net their fingers, break the rules, face major arcana, and prevail; sold to individual game players on Steam.
• Retro Gadgets A sandbox game where players build, code, and customize gadgets inspired by old-school electronics; sold to individual game players on Steam.
• Custom VR/AR Interactive Experiences (B2B) Custom virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, real-time simulations, interactive installations for museums and live events, training and educational tools, and Industry 4.0 solutions for marketing campaigns; developed for enterprise clients including Ducati, Motul, Heineken, FAAC, MG2, FOM Industrie, MT, and Macron.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000+ downloads for Relive CPR training game
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Games for Health EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Funding and support for Relive educational game development focused on CPR training and awareness
• Sio (Simone Albrigi)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Comic book artist collaboration for Super Cane Magic ZERO game, developed based on story and characters from Sio's work after a successful crowdfunding campaign
• Soroptimist International Club di ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Maggie - The Treasure of Seshat educational math game for primary school students

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MixedBag: Italian indie game studio (Bologna-adjacent) shipping multi-platform games and dabbling in experimental interactive work; comparable in scale, geography and indie catalog to Studio Evil's consumer pipeline.
• 34BigThings: Italian indie game studio shipping racing/action titles on PC and consoles; comparable to Studio Evil in team size, Italian base and indie multi-platform publishing model.
• Magnopus: Los Angeles-based studio building immersive VR/AR experiences, real-time 3D simulations and virtual production for major brands and entertainment — directly comparable to Studio Evil's B2B VR/AR services practice.
• UNIT9: Global production company building interactive experiences, VR/AR activations and branded content for enterprise clients; directly comparable to Studio Evil's B2B VR/AR for marketing and trade shows.
• Ovosonico: Italian indie game studio focused on narrative/artistic titles (e.g., Murasaki Baby); directly comparable as a small Italy-based indie studio shipping on console platforms with similar headcount profile.

Emerging players

• Rewind: UK immersive content studio delivering VR, AR and real-time 3D experiences for brands and broadcasters; comparable to Studio Evil's B2B VR/AR marketing and broadcast-grade deliverables.
• Make Real: UK immersive technology studio focused on VR/AR for enterprise training, simulation and marketing; comparable to Studio Evil's B2B VR/AR services for clients like IRC Edu and trade-show activations.
• nDreams: UK VR games and experiences studio with both consumer VR titles and B2B location-based VR; comparable to Studio Evil's VR/AR work but with a heavier consumer VR focus.

Broad incumbents

• Thunderful Group: Nordic indie game developer and publisher with multiple subsidiaries shipping on console/PC; broader incumbent comparable to Studio Evil on indie publishing and co-development models.
• Tarsier Studios: Established Swedish indie studio with multi-platform game development and co-development work; broader incumbent operating in the same indie/serious-games category as Studio Evil.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Studio Evil