OZWE Games
OZWE Games is a Swiss VR game studio (EPFL spin-off, 1-10 employees) developing and publishing mobile-optimized virtual reality titles — including the Anshar space-combat series and Death Lap — exclusively for the Meta/Oculus and Samsung Gear VR ecosystem under an Oculus Studios publishing partnership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What OZWE Games does
OZWE Games (legal entity: OZWE SA) is a Swiss virtual reality game development studio headquartered in Prilly, in the Lausanne area of Switzerland, with operational offices on Rue des Terreaux, Lausanne. Founded in April 2008 as an EPFL spin-off, the company is a 1-10 person studio led by founder and CEO Stéphane Intissar. OZWE develops and publishes VR games for the Meta/Oculus ecosystem — specifically Oculus Quest, Rift, Go, and Samsung Gear VR — distributed through the Oculus Store under an official Oculus Studios publishing partnership. The studio has shipped five-plus titles spanning the Anshar space-combat series (Anshar Wars, Anshar Wars 2, Anshar Online, Anshar 2: Hyperdrive), VRtillery, and Death Lap, a combat racing game. Death Lap reached top 3 best-selling on the Oculus Store within its first week of launch in December 2019.
The studio's core technology is built on the Unity engine with a proprietary mobile VR optimization layer developed over six years, including a custom dynamic batching system, advanced shaders tuned for mobile GPU constraints, baked lighting and fake volumetric techniques, particle-free VFX using animated single quads, and a cross-platform/cross-play server architecture developed in-house for Anshar Online. Anshar Wars 2 was notably the first VR title to be cross-game and cross-buy across both Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift. The studio has received formal "Pioneering VR development" recognition from Oculus for both the Rift and Go platforms, a Gold at Indigo Awards 2019, and "Business of The Year" National Winner at the European Business Awards 2019.
Revenue is generated through two channels: one-time paid game downloads on app stores (Anshar Wars 2 at $4.99, Anshar Online at $7.99) and revenue-share arrangements with Oculus Studios as publishing partner. The studio has no disclosed external funding, no institutional investors, and no enterprise customers; end users are individual VR headset owners. Institutional support is provided by Swiss public bodies Pro Helvetia and the Canton of Vaud's SPEI. The company is privately held and founder-controlled.
OZWE Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OZWE Games
- Legal name
- OZWE SA
- Website
- https://ozwe.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OZWE Games is a Swiss VR game studio (EPFL spin-off, 1-10 employees) developing and publishing mobile-optimized virtual reality titles — including the Anshar space-combat series and Death Lap — exclusively for the Meta/Oculus and Samsung Gear VR ecosystem under an Oculus Studios publishing partnership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OZWE Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Reality Games
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- VR/AR Gaming Platforms (BPAMAKAG), Game Engines (General-Purpose & Real-Time 3D) (MPAFAFAA)
Keywords
Where OZWE Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
OZWE Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Game Sales (Paid Downloads): OZWE Games generates revenue through paid game downloads sold on the Oculus Store and Samsung Gear VR. Examples include Anshar Wars 2 at $4.99 and Anshar Online at $7.99 on the Oculus platform.
- Oculus Studios Publishing Partnership: As an official partner of Oculus (Facebook-owned), OZWE Games titles are produced and distributed by Oculus Studios, generating revenue through platform publishing arrangements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Anshar Wars 2 - Standard Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Anshar Online - Standard Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Death Lap - Standard Edition |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
OZWE Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OZWE Games is a Swiss VR game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes virtual reality games for Oculus platforms (Quest, Rift, Go) and Samsung Gear VR. The studio focuses on fast-paced action VR titles (space combat and combat racing), with proprietary mobile VR optimization techniques that enable high-fidelity visuals and cross-platform multiplayer.
Product overview
OZWE Games is a Swiss VR gaming studio developing and publishing virtual reality games. The company specializes in mobile VR optimization techniques and cross-platform development. Their core product portfolio consists of VR games primarily published and distributed by Oculus Studios, including the Anshar series (Anshar Wars, Anshar Wars 2, Anshar Online) featuring space combat gameplay, and Death Lap, a vehicular combat racing game. All games are designed for Oculus VR platforms including Quest, Rift, Go, and Samsung Gear VR.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Anshar Wars 2 A VR space shooter featuring ship-to-ship combat in deep space and on planetary surfaces, with 360-degree movement, multiplayer, voice chat, and screenshot/gameplay recording. Targeted at VR gaming consumers on Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Go.
- Anshar Online A VR space shooter MMO with over 50 missions (contracts, assaults, PvP battles, space racing), cross-platform multiplayer up to 8 players in PvP and up to 5 in co-op, three ship classes, leveling and loot, and integrated VoIP. Targeted at VR gaming consumers on Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, and Oculus Rift.
- Death Lap A VR combat racing game where players race and shoot opponents with weapons and powers, in first or third-person view, on tracks with traps, secret paths, and bonuses. Supports single-player and multiplayer up to 6 players with integrated VoIP. Targeted at VR gaming consumers on Oculus Quest and Rift.
- Anshar Wars The original VR space shooter in the Anshar series, featuring ship-to-ship combat in space environments. Targeted at VR gaming consumers.
- VRtillery A VR game launched alongside the Samsung Gear VR in 2014, featuring shooting mechanics from an immobile car position. Targeted at VR gaming consumers on mobile VR platforms.
- Anshar 2: Hyperdrive A VR title in the OZWE Games product portfolio, related to the Anshar series.
Quantifiable outcome
- Death Lap reached top 3 best-selling apps on the Oculus Store within its first week of launch.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use OZWE Games
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
OZWE Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
OZWE Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Oculus (Meta/Facebook)coreOZWE Games is an official partner of Oculus, a company owned by Meta (Facebook). Their studio is a leader in VR with a deep foundation in mobile optimization. Multiple titles (Anshar series, Death Lap) have been produced and distributed by Oculus Studios. The partnership began when the Oculus team discovered Stéphane Intissar's free Samsung Gear VR demo in late 2013. OZWE Games received 'Pioneering VR development' recognition from Oculus for both Oculus Go (2018) and Oculus Rift (2016).
- Pro HelvetiaminorInstitutional support partner providing funding or promotional support to Swiss cultural and creative industries. Listed as institutional supporter alongside SPEI on OZWE Games' official website and press materials.
- Office for Economic Affairs & Innovation (SPEI)minorCantonal government body (Canton of Vaud, Switzerland) providing institutional support to innovative businesses. Listed as institutional supporter on OZWE Games' official website.
- Samsung (Gear VR)coreSamsung Gear VR serves as the mobile VR platform for several OZWE Games titles. Anshar Wars 2 achieved renown on Samsung Gear VR and was made compatible with Oculus Rift, becoming the first cross-game and cross-buy game available on both models. The studio optimized games specifically for Samsung's mobile VR ecosystem.
- EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)minorOZWE Games is described as an EPFL spin-off. Stéphane Intissar, the CEO, has connections to EPFL. The company has been featured in EPFL news coverage titled 'EPFL spin-off makes its mark in virtual reality.'
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OZWE Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fast Travel Games: Stockholm-based VR studio (Cities VR, Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife, Apex Construct). Direct peer: similar size profile, European VR-first studio publishing cross-platform titles with strong Meta publishing relationships.
- Schell Games: Pittsburgh-based independent studio and one of the most prolific VR developers (I Expect You To Die, Until You Fall, Among Us VR, Superhero League). Comparable to OZWE in being an independent studio focused on premium VR titles across multiple headset platforms with diversified publishing relationships.
- Ready at Dawn: Irvine, California studio behind Lone Echo (one of VR's highest-rated titles) and Echo VR, acquired by Meta in 2020. Direct peer: Oculus-exclusive VR developer with high-end single-player and multiplayer experiences—comparable technical ambition and Oculus publishing relationship.
- Survios: Los Angeles VR studio behind Creed, Sprint Vector, Alvo, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. Comparable premium VR developer with major IP licenses, multi-platform strategy, and similar scale to OZWE.
- nDreams: UK-based VR-only game studio (Phantom: Covert Ops, Far Cry VR, Little Cities). Direct peer: small team with deep VR specialization, partners with major platforms (Sony, Meta), develops both single-IP and licensed VR experiences, and has raised external growth capital.
- Resolution Games: Stockholm-based independent VR game studio publishing Demeo, Angry Birds VR, Cook-Out, and other cross-platform VR titles. Closest analog to OZWE: small-to-mid studio, multi-platform VR strategy, deep Meta/Oculus publishing relationship, focus on social/multiplayer experiences.
- Owlchemy Labs: Austin-based VR studio (Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator, Cosmonious High) acquired by Meta in 2021. Direct peer in VR-first casual/social gaming, originally an indie studio that scaled via Quest exclusivity—illustrating both the upside and acquisition risk facing OZWE.
- Beat Games: Czech studio behind Beat Saber, the highest-grossing VR title ever, acquired by Meta in 2019. Direct peer: small European VR studio that achieved top-3 platform hits and was acquired by the same Meta/Oculus partner OZWE works with—useful benchmark for OZWE's potential upside.
- Vertigo Games: Dutch studio behind Arizona Sunshine and After the Fall—major VR franchises with strong cross-platform multiplayer. Comparable to OZWE as a European-headquartered VR-first studio with proprietary IPs and direct relationships with Meta/Sony VR publishers.
- Archiact: Vancouver-based VR studio (Doom 3 VR, MARVEL Dimension of Heroes, Starship Troopers). Direct peer: small independent VR studio publishing cross-platform titles via Sony, Meta, and Steam, with similar VR-development focus since 2013-2014.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OZWE Games social profiles
Digital presenceOZWE Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OZWE Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
OZWE Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OZWE Games 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 OZWE Games
What does OZWE Games do?
OZWE Games is a Swiss VR game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes virtual reality games for Oculus platforms (Quest, Rift, Go) and Samsung Gear VR. The studio focuses on fast-paced action VR titles (space combat and combat racing), with proprietary mobile VR optimization techniques that enable high-fidelity visuals and cross-platform multiplayer.
Is OZWE Games a public or private company?
OZWE Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was OZWE Games founded?
OZWE Games was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OZWE Games based?
OZWE Games is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does OZWE Games make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (Paid Downloads) is the primary driver. The others are oculus Studios Publishing Partnership.
Who are OZWE Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fast Travel Games, Schell Games, Ready at Dawn, Survios, nDreams, Resolution Games, Owlchemy Labs, Beat Games, Vertigo Games and Archiact.
Does OZWE Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for OZWE Games.
What industry is OZWE Games in?
OZWE Games's product category is Virtual Reality Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAE, VR/AR/XR Game Studios, with a secondary code of BPAMAKAG, VR/AR Gaming Platforms. Its NAICS code is 33993.