What Mimimi Games does

Mimimi Games GmbH was an independent video game development studio founded in 2008 in Munich (later headquartered in Grünwald), Germany, that operated until 2023, when it announced that Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew would be its final game. The studio specialized in stealth-oriented real-time tactics — what it branded "stealth strategy" — reviving a dormant genre comparable to the classic Commandos franchise, with settings spanning the Japan Edo era (Shadow Tactics), the Wild West (Desperados III), and an original pirate IP (Shadow Gambit). Its core technology stack centered on a proprietary game engine supporting non-linear mission design, free character selection, living hub environments, and character-specific magical or tactical skills; games were built for simultaneous multi-platform release on PC (Steam, GOG, Humble), consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and mobile (iOS, Android).

The studio generated revenue almost entirely through one-time premium game sales and DLC (e.g., Shadow Gambit: Yuki's Wish, Zagan's Ritual), with no subscription or live-service component. GTM was split between publisher-led distribution (Daedalic Entertainment for Shadow Tactics; THQ Nordic for Desperados III) and self-publishing (Shadow Gambit, financed in part by German government BMVI co-funding and an undisclosed private investor). Customers were individual gamers worldwide — primarily tactical strategy enthusiasts and indie-game fans — reached through Steam, console storefronts, Discord, newsletters, and organic social. The company is now in wind-down with no active hiring or new title pipeline.

Name

Mimimi Games

Legal name

Mimimi Games GmbH

Website

https://mimimi.games

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mimimi Games was an independent German game studio (2008–2023) based in Munich/Grünwald that developed premium stealth strategy and real-time tactics games such as Shadow Tactics, Desperados III, and Shadow Gambit for PC, console, and mobile gamers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Mimimi generated revenue primarily through one-time game sales across multiple platforms (Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, mobile). Games were sold as standard purchases with no subscription component.
2. Downloadable Content (DLC): DLC content such as Shadow Gambit: Yuki's Wish and Shadow Gambit: Zagan's Ritual expansions provided additional revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mimimi Games is an independent video game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes stealth strategy and real-time tactics games for PC, console, and mobile platforms. The studio's portfolio includes titles such as Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Desperados III, and Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, sold as one-time purchases through major digital distribution platforms including Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Product overview

Mimimi Games was an independent video game studio based in Munich, Germany, that operated from 2008 to 2023. The studio specialized in stealth strategy and real-time tactics games. Their core portfolio included: Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew (their final self-published stealth strategy game featuring cursed pirates); Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (their breakthrough stealth tactics success set in Japan); Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice (a standalone expansion); and Desperados III (a real-time tactics prequel published with THQ Nordic). Earlier in their history, they developed mobile games including daWindci, The Last Tinker: City of Colors, The Trip to Panama, and Ooops! Noah is Gone. Games were released across PC (Steam, GOG, Humble), PlayStation (PS4/PS5), Xbox (One/Series X|S), Nintendo Switch, and mobile (iOS/Android) platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew A stealth strategy game featuring cursed pirates as the crew. It is an original IP completely owned by Mimimi Games, with brand new magical skills, non-linear mission design, free character selection, and a living ghost ship as the game hub. Released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun A stealth-oriented real-time tactics game set in Japan during the Edo era. Often described as 'Commandos with ninjas', it was Mimimi's first major commercial success and spawned a dedicated community.
• Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice A standalone expansion to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun set in Japan around the Edo era. Players rejoin favorite characters from Shadow Tactics to hunt down the ghosts of Aiko's past.
• Desperados III A real-time tactics game and natural follow-up to Shadow Tactics, published with THQ Nordic for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It is a prequel to the classic Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive franchise.
• The Last Tinker: City of Colors A puzzle-adventure game featuring colorful fantasy creatures that marked Mimimi's first full-time project and their transition from mobile to PC, Mac, Linux, and consoles. Started as a university project.
• daWindci Deluxe A unique shoot 'em up / puzzle game that was Mimimi's very first proper release. Originally a PC game, it was developed into a touchscreen puzzle game for iOS and later re-released as a deluxe version on Android with a more vibrant color palette.
• Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew DLCs (Yuki's Wish, Zagan's Ritual, Treasure Hunt Update) DLC expansions and a free Treasure Hunt update for Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, providing additional content for the game on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
• The Trip to Panama A mobile game released for iOS and Android, featuring an interactive story / ebook format aimed at children.
• Ooops! Noah is gone... A mobile puzzle game released for iOS and Android, created alongside The Trip to Panama.
• Whoowasit? An iOS mobile game released in 2012.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shadow Tactics became their first big success and continues to be the foundation of their future as a game studio
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• THQ NordiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTHQ Nordic published Desperados III for PC and consoles as a natural follow-up to Shadow Tactics. Mimimi thanked THQ Nordic for believing in them and taking a huge risk in helping to resurrect the real-time tactics genre. Mimimi referred to THQ Nordic as 'farmer' in internal communications during the Kartoffel project.
• Daedalic EntertainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDaedalic Entertainment was a previous publishing partner for Mimimi's real-time tactics games, publishing Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Mimimi thanked Daedalic for believing in them and publishing their games.
• Steam (Valve Corp)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary PC distribution platform for Mimimi games. Games can be downloaded via Steam which also offers in-game purchases and other services.
• PlayStation Store (Sony)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConsole distribution for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Mimimi games are available through Sony's platform.
• Xbox (Microsoft)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConsole distribution for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through Microsoft Store.
• Nintendo Switch eShopcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNintendo Switch digital distribution for Shadow Tactics titles and other games.
• Apple App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile iOS distribution for daWindci and other mobile titles.
• Google Play StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMobile Android distribution for daWindci Deluxe and other titles.
• GOGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDRM-free PC game distribution platform where Mimimi games are available.
• Humble BundleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital distribution platform for indie games where Mimimi titles are available.
• Discord Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCommunity chat platform used by Mimimi for direct community engagement. Mimimi maintains an active Discord server for fan communication.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harebrained Schemes: Independent US studio producing turn-based tactical games including Shadowrun Returns and BattleTech — comparable small-team indie approach to tactical/strategy RPGs with similar self-publishing and Kickstarter-backed distribution patterns.
• Spellbound Entertainment: German developer of the original Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive (2001) and Desperados 2, the franchise that Desperados III is a prequel to. Closest historical peer given shared German origin, similar team size, and identical genre focus on real-time tactics.
• Snapshot Games: Founded by Julian Gollop (X-COM creator), Snapshot develops tactical strategy games such as Phoenix Point. Closest active direct peer in scope, scale, and tactical-strategy genre focus.
• Pyro Studios: Spanish developer of the original Commandos series (Behind Enemy Lines, Commandos 2, Commandos 3) — the spiritual predecessor genre that Mimimi's Shadow Tactics and Desperados III explicitly revived. Both studios operated at similar small scale in the stealth-tactics niche and Pyro's defunct status makes its Commandos IP the most directly analogous case for Mimimi.

Others

• Daedalic Entertainment: German publisher that published Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun for Mimimi. Functions as a comparable German indie ecosystem player and historical channel partner, though as a publisher/adventure specialist rather than a direct genre competitor.
• THQ Nordic: Austrian publisher that published Desperados III for Mimimi and now owns several revived dormant strategy/tactics IPs (e.g., Commandos remakes). Most relevant as the counterparty most likely to acquire or revive Mimimi-style stealth tactics properties.

Broad incumbents

• Relic Entertainment: Developer of Company of Heroes, Dawn of War, and Age of Empires — established real-time tactics and strategy studio with comparable genre focus but significantly larger studio size and live-service product lines.
• Creative Assembly: Developer of the Total War franchise (real-time tactics blended with turn-based strategy). Much larger incumbent with overlapping genre DNA but broader portfolio and AAA production scale.
• Firaxis Games: Developer of XCOM (stealth-tactics adjacent), Civilization, and Sid Meier franchises. Much larger studio operating broadly in strategy/tactics; XCOM in particular overlaps with Mimimi's stealth-tactics DNA at scale.
• Larian Studios: Belgian developer of Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity: Original Sin, and other tactical RPGs. Comparable European indie-origin studio that scaled into a major franchise; relevant for understanding tactical-genre monetization at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MimimiProd
• YouTubeinstagram.com/mimimigames
• Facebookfacebook.com/mimimiprod
• Instagraminstagram.com/mimimigames

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 Mimimi Games