What Kodu Game Lab does

Kodu Game Lab, operated by InfiniteInstant (a Washington-state LLC headquartered in Redmond), is a free 3D game development environment that teaches children basic programming principles through a tile-based visual programming language. Originating in 2009 as a project within Microsoft Research and originally targeted at the Xbox 360, the software was ported to PC with keyboard, mouse, and touch input support and was released as open source in November 2020 when original developer Stephen Coy left Microsoft. The tile-based "Kode" uses an event-driven When...Do... paradigm with continuous evaluation, enabling creators to build 3D terrain, populate it with characters and props, and program behaviors without abstract syntax. The software integrates with BBC micro:bit for physical computing and is supported by classroom curriculum developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, NASA, and other educational organizations. Kodu is distributed at no cost through the Microsoft Store and direct desktop builds (EXE/MSI installers) and is localized in 25+ languages.

The business model is freemium in structure but generates no direct product revenue: there are no paid tiers, subscriptions, or product keys, and the EULA explicitly forbids commercial software hosting. GTM is product-led growth—users download directly, share user-created games through the Community Feature, and access freely available curriculum resources. Outreach partnerships with NCWIT and Microsoft DigiGirlz extend reach into underrepresented student demographics. The legal entity is private with 11-50 employees and a single full-time developer. The latest documented release is v1.6.18.0 (April 2023), characterized as maintenance/bug-fix oriented rather than feature-expansive.

Name

Kodu Game Lab

Legal name

InfiniteInstant

Website

https://kodugamelab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kodu Game Lab, operated by InfiniteInstant, is a free open-source 3D game development environment that teaches children programming via a tile-based visual language. It serves kids, educators, and schools worldwide, distributing through the Microsoft Store with curriculum support from Carnegie Mellon and NASA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Educational Software

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Game-Based CS & Computational Thinking Platforms (EDAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE), Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios (MPAFAAAI), Simulation-Based Learning & Virtual Labs (EDAGAEAG), UGC Game Creation Platforms (Roblox-like, Fortnite Creative, Core) (MPAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Visual programming language
• 3D game development
• Children's coding education
• Educational game creation
• Computational thinking tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Redmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Free Software Distribution: Kodu Game Lab is completely free to use and requires no product keys. The software is offered at no cost to all users. This is an educational tool that originated from Microsoft Research and was released as open source. No revenue is generated from the product itself.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kodu Game Lab is a free 3D game development environment that teaches children basic programming principles through a bespoke tile-based visual programming language ("Kode"). Users build 3D terrain, populate it with characters and props, and program behaviors and game rules using high-level visual tiles representing real-world events, actions, and objects, with continuous code evaluation for immediate feedback.

Product overview

Kodu Game Lab is a single unified product—a 3D game development environment designed to teach children basic programming principles through a visual, tile-based programming language called 'Kodu'. The product is offered as both a Microsoft Store application and a Desktop Build (EXE and MSI installers). It is accompanied by the Kodu Game Lab Community online platform for sharing user-created games. Educational curriculum and resources are provided separately as downloadable teaching materials. The platform supports multiple input methods including keyboard/mouse, Xbox controllers, and touch interfaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kodu Game Lab A free 3D game development environment that teaches kids basic programming principles through a visual tile-based programming language. Users build terrain, populate it with characters and props, and program behaviors and game rules. Supports keyboard, mouse, touch, and game controller input.
• Kodu Game Lab Touch Version Touch-enabled variant of Kodu Game Lab with curriculum materials for learning the touch interface, including finger-based navigation, zoom, orbit, drag, and pitch camera controls.
• Kodu Game Lab Community Online community platform that lets users share games they create, browse and download shared worlds, and connect with other Kodu creators.
• Kodu Classroom Curriculum Lesson plans and educational resources for educators covering programming concepts, game design, keyboard/mouse control, Xbox controller use, and cross-curricular applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Kodu Cup 2017/2018 Slovakia engaged 281 students from 18 schools with 22 finalists

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Microsoft ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKodu originated as a project in Microsoft Research. The original target platform was the Xbox 360 using C#, XNA. The software was developed within Microsoft before being released as open source. Stephen Coy, one of the original Kodu developers, worked on Kodu for 14 years at Microsoft Research before leaving Microsoft. Microsoft kindly allowed the team to take over the community database and website.
• NCWITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKodu has teamed up with NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) as part of outreach and educational initiatives.
• DigiGirlzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKodu partnered with Microsoft DigiGirlz program, which aims to get girls interested in technology careers.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid S. Touretzky of Carnegie Mellon University developed extensive Kodu curriculum materials. The curriculum helps explain program behavior, predict program behavior from code, and construct programs by applying design patterns and computational principles. Carnegie Mellon curriculum is featured prominently in Kodu's official resources.
• BBC micro:bitcoreTechnology or IntegrationKodu programming tiles allow interaction with the BBC micro:bit. Users can control character movement using the accelerometer, jump and shoot with button presses, display animations and scrolling text, and interface with other devices through the IO pin. Kodu supports both micro:bit V1 and V2.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA and Kodu Game Lab partnered to create a Mars Edition that shows what it is like to explore the surface of Mars, how to program an autonomous vehicle to scan and inspect unique features in the terrain, and allows students to recreate and simulate their experiences after researching a Mars landscape.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Code.org: Non-profit CS education provider whose Hour of Code and K-12 curriculum reach tens of millions of students annually. Comparable as a free K-12 CS learning platform with broad school-district adoption and content partnerships.
• LEGO Education SPIKE / Mindstorms: LEGO's robotics + visual programming kits for K-12 STEM, comparable in audience (kids learning programming) and partially overlapping with Kodu's BBC micro:bit physical-computing integration.
• ScratchJr: Younger-kid (ages 5–7) variant of Scratch from Tufts/TUMI/MIT. Comparable as a free visual programming environment for young learners, though focused on tablet 2D rather than desktop 3D.
• Hopscotch: iPad-based visual programming app for kids to build games and interactive projects. Comparable as a free kids coding + game-creation platform, but mobile-first rather than desktop-3D.
• App Inventor: MIT's block-based mobile app creation platform for students and hobbyists. Comparable as a free MIT-developed visual programming environment that lowers the barrier to software creation, though focused on mobile apps rather than 3D games.

Direct peers

• Roblox Studio: UGC 3D game creation platform that lets young creators build and publish games with a built-in audience and monetization. Comparable to Kodu as a UGC game creation platform for kids, but at vastly greater scale with a creator economy.
• Tynker: Commercial coding-for-kids platform with school-license distribution and game-creation tools. Direct peer in the kids coding-and-game-creation category, with stronger monetization and school procurement posture.
• Scratch: MIT's block-based visual programming platform for kids, the most widely adopted kids coding tool globally. Directly comparable as a free, visual, kids-targeted programming learning environment — though Scratch is browser-native and 2D while Kodu is desktop-3D with game-creation focus.
• Alice: Carnegie Mellon University's 3D programming environment for storytelling and game creation, targeting middle-school and high-school students. Direct peer in the 3D-for-education space, sharing a CMU institutional link with Kodu.

Broad incumbents

• GameMaker: Long-established 2D game development tool with a drag-and-drop mode aimed at beginners and a path to real scripting. Comparable as a beginner-friendly game creation tool, though broader and more commercially oriented than Kodu.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KoduTeam
• Xx.com/koduteam
• Facebookfacebook.com/Koduteam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kodu Game Lab