Italic Pig

What Italic Pig does

Italic Pig Limited is an independent entertainment studio headquartered in Holywood, Northern Ireland (140 High Street, BT18 9HS), founded around 2013 by CEO Kevin Beimers, who serves as writer, director, programmer and animator across the studio's projects. The company designs and develops narrative-driven video games across PC, console, mobile and VR platforms, with a portfolio of original IP including Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark (quantum-physics puzzle-platformer, published by Team17), Paleo Pines (dinosaur-ranching social simulation, originally with The Irregular Corporation), Mona Lisa (Renaissance heist and forgery stealth-platformer, with a custom speed-painting engine), The Infinite Hotel (vertical-reality VR adventure, ILMxLAB-mentored), and Quest Quest: The Quest for Quests (RPG genre deconstruction). The studio has begun extending into animation and series IP with two Northern Ireland Screen-funded shorts, 'Colour' and 'Stan by Me'.

Revenue mechanics combine four streams: one-time game sales via self-serve digital storefronts (Steam, Microsoft Store/Xbox One, PlayStation Store, mobile platforms); publishing/licensing royalties through channel partners (Team17 historically; The Irregular Corporation for Paleo Pines until the November 2021 split); public-sector development grants, principally three Creative Europe MEDIA awards totalling €397,500 (2015, 2018, 2020) with matching Northern Ireland Screen support; and animation development funding under the Northern Ireland Screen Creative Animation Scheme. Headcount stood at approximately 19 employees operating under a four-day workweek, with reported zero voluntary turnover across seven years.

The go-to-market motion mixes direct-to-consumer publishing on storefronts, channel-partner publishing on individual titles, and event-driven visibility through GDC, PocketGamer Connects, Game Connection, Casual Connect, Raindance Film Festival, and Big Indie Pitch competitions. Customer end-users are broadly segmented into casual and mid-core gamers (with secondary VR-enthusiast and relaxation/simulation-fan segments); the company's B2B counterparties are a small, named set of publishers and grant-making bodies. Disclosed pricing is set by platform holders and publishers rather than Italic Pig directly, and unit economics on individual titles are not publicly reported.

Name

Italic Pig

Legal name

Italic Pig Limited

Website

https://italicpig.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Italic Pig is an independent Northern Ireland entertainment studio that designs and develops narrative-driven video games and animation across PC, console, mobile and VR, serving casual and mid-core gamers globally via digital storefronts and named publisher partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Video Game Development

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

akta.pro primary industry

Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios (MPAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

Keywords

• Indie game development
• Narrative video games
• VR game development
• Animation production
• Multi-platform publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Video Game Sales: Italic Pig develops and sells narrative-driven video games across multiple platforms (PC/Steam, Xbox One, PS4, mobile/tablets). Their published titles include Schrödinger's Cat and The Raiders of the Lost Quark, with games in development including Paleo Pines, Mona Lisa, The Infinite Hotel, and Quest Quest.
2. Publishing Partnerships: Partnership deals with publishers like The Irregular Corporation and Team17 for game publishing, distribution, and production funding. Paleo Pines represents the largest video game production deal in Northern Ireland history.
3. Creative Europe Media Grants: Multiple grant awards from Creative Europe Media Sub-Programme for narrative-led video game development: €122,500 for Mona Lisa (2015), €125,000 for The Infinite Hotel (2017), and €150,000 for Quest Quest (2020).
4. Animation Development: Expansion into animation and series development, with Creative Animation funding from Northern Ireland Screen supporting projects like 'Colour' and 'Stan by Me'.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Italic Pig develops and self-publishes narrative-driven video games across PC (Steam), Xbox One, PS4, mobile/tablet, and VR, with proprietary mechanics tied to each title's theme (quantum physics, Renaissance forgery, vertical reality). The studio also develops short-form animation projects with funding support from Northern Ireland Screen's Creative Animation scheme.

Product overview

Italic Pig is a Northern Irish entertainment studio that creates narrative-driven video games and animation content. Their core product portfolio includes Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark (a quantum physics themed action-adventure platformer), Paleo Pines (a dinosaur ranching social/management simulation), Mona Lisa (a Renaissance heist and forgery stealth-platformer), The Infinite Hotel (a VR adventure about an elevator operator in an infinite hotel), and Quest Quest: The Quest for Quests (an RPG deconstruction game). The studio has recently begun branching into animation and series development, producing short films such as 'Colour!' and 'Stan by Me' with funding from Northern Ireland Screen. The company operates a four-day work week and focuses on sarcastically epic, narrative-driven storytelling across all platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark Quantum physics themed puzzle-laden action-adventure platformer starring a purple cat and adorable subatomic particle creatures (quarks, leptons, gluons, bosons) sorting out the chaotic Particle Zoo. Released on Steam (PC), Xbox One, and PS4.
• Paleo Pines Casual social/management simulation in which players escape to a peaceful island, run a dinosaur ranch, befriend and care for friendly dinosaurs, and ride trusted steeds across the countryside. Released on Steam (PC).
• Mona Lisa Renaissance heist and forgery stealth-platformer adventure in which players control Mona Lisa — a sleek Renaissance automaton built by Leonardo da Vinci for art thievery and forgery — and produce slapdash forgeries of masterpieces mid-heist. In development for PC and mobile/tablet.
• The Infinite Hotel Character-driven VR adventure in which players operate the elevator of an infinite-star resort hotel with an infinite number of rooms and floors; a 'vertical reality' design that solves the room-scale VR space constraint by stacking environments vertically.
• Quest Quest: The Quest for Quests Farcical and poignant fantasy RPG adventure about an old-time hack-and-slash hero in an enlightened new world in which the only quest left is to discover his own purpose; part narrative adventure, part rogue-like dungeon basher.
• Animation Concepts and Short Films (incl. Colour! and Stan by Me) Short-form animation projects produced under Northern Ireland Screen's Creative Animation Scheme, leveraging Italic Pig's art, animation, and writing talent to develop irreverent concepts from pre-school through 18+ audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Northern Irish game released to Xbox One and PS4
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Industrial Light and Magic (ILMxLAB)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2019ILMxLAB is LucasFilm's division dedicated to the future of immersive storytelling. Italic Pig was selected as one of five UK companies for mentorship by ILMxLAB through StoryFutures Academy's Creative Mentoring Scheme. The Infinite Hotel was selected for this program, benefiting from access to creative experts, knowledge sharing, and exclusive masterclasses. ILMxLAB praised The Infinite Hotel as 'so perfectly simple that it's frustrating.'
• The Irregular CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 November 2019The Irregular Corporation is UK-based developer/publishers and sister company to Mediatonic. They partnered with Italic Pig and Northern Ireland Screen on Paleo Pines, representing the largest video game production deal in Northern Ireland history. Italic Pig and The Irregular Corporation parted ways in November 2021, with Italic Pig seeking a new publishing partner.
• Games NIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGames NI is the association of Games Developers and Producers in Northern Ireland. Kevin Beimers serves as Chair of Games NI. The organization creates a collaborative network connecting NI companies and freelancers with other developers and publishers internationally.
• Team17minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTeam17 (creators of Worms, and 2015 Publishing Hero from Develop Industry Excellence Awards) published Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark. This was Italic Pig's first major game release.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Supergiant Games: ~20-employee US indie studio known for narrative action-RPGs (Bastion, Transistor, Hades). Comparable size, hand-crafted narrative design, and award-winning critical reputation.
• Playdead: Danish indie studio (~30 employees) focused on narrative-driven puzzle-platformers (Limbo, Inside). Closely comparable in team scale, narrative-first design philosophy, and premium quality-over-quantity output.
• Heart Machine: Indie studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash. Similar small-team indie model with distinctive visual storytelling and narrative-action games.
• inkle Studios: UK indie studio behind narrative adventure games (80 Days, Heaven's Vault, Overboard). Closely comparable as a small narrative-driven UK/European indie with strong critical reception.
• Hello Games: UK indie studio behind No Man's Sky. Comparable as a UK indie with ambitious, narrative-rich, multi-platform games and award-winning original IP.

Broad incumbents

• Annapurna Interactive: Major indie games publisher (Stray, What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds). Comparable as a narrative-indie publisher that often partners with smaller studios of Italic Pig's profile.

Regional players

• Ninja Theory: UK-based narrative game studio (Hellblade, DmC) focused on character-driven storytelling. Comparable as a UK narrative-driven games studio, though now owned by Microsoft and considerably larger.
• Media Molecule: UK-based narrative games studio (LittleBigPlanet, Dreams). Comparable as a UK creative-first studio with original-IP focus, though considerably larger and Sony-owned.

Others

• Devolver Digital: Independent games publisher specializing in premium indie titles. Comparable as a publishing counterpart that often partners with narrative-driven indie studios similar to Italic Pig.
• Team17: UK-based games publisher (Worms, Overcooked) that previously published Italic Pig's Schrödinger's Cat and Raiders of the Lost Quark. Comparable as a partner/publisher rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/italicpig
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/italic-pig

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Italic Pig