Quill Studios
Quill Studios is a Toronto-based indie game studio developing narrative visual novels set in a sci-fi battle royale universe featuring anthropomorphic dog characters, selling to individual consumers via Steam and major console platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Quill Studios does
Quill Studios (also operating as Quill Game Studios) is a privately held, Toronto-based independent game development studio founded in 2017. The studio specializes in narrative-driven visual novels set within a shared sci-fi battle royale universe populated by anthropomorphic dog characters. Its core technology is a visual novel engine built around interactive choice mechanics and a branching narrative architecture; the debut title features approximately 70,000 words of hand-authored story, three main protagonist endings, more than ten secondary character endings, and thirty unlockable achievements.
The company's product portfolio centers on the 'Shiba Inu' series. Its first commercial release, 'A Summer with the Shiba Inu' (featuring Syd the Shiba Inu returning to Shiba Island after a ten-year absence), has sold approximately 10,000 copies across Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. A second title, 'Autumn with the Shiba Inu' (featuring Quei-li the Labrador Retriever as an undercover hacker), is currently in development and is designed as a standalone story within the same universe. The studio serves indie game enthusiasts and visual novel fans seeking story-rich, choice-driven interactive entertainment, distributing directly to consumers through major global digital storefronts under a one-time purchase model.
Quill Studios firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Quill Studios
- Website
- https://quill-studios.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Quill Studios is a Toronto-based indie game studio developing narrative visual novels set in a sci-fi battle royale universe featuring anthropomorphic dog characters, selling to individual consumers via Steam and major console platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Quill Studios industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indie Visual Novel Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)
Keywords
Where Quill Studios is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Quill Studios business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales: One-time purchase revenue from selling visual novel games directly to consumers through digital storefronts (Steam) and console platforms. First title sold approximately 10,000 copies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Quill Studios product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Quill Studios is an indie game development studio that creates and sells visual novel games featuring anthropomorphic dog characters in a sci-fi battle royale universe. The studio sells its games directly to consumers via Steam and console storefronts as one-time digital purchases, with each title offering branching narrative choices, multiple endings, and unlockable achievements. Its released catalogue currently consists of one title, 'A Summer with the Shiba Inu', with a second title, 'Autumn with the Shiba Inu', in development.
Product overview
Quill Studios is a game development studio that creates visual novels about dogs in a sci-fi battle royale world. Their portfolio consists of two titles within the 'Shiba Inu' series: the released 'A Summer with the Shiba Inu' (featuring Syd the Shiba Inu returning to Shiba Island), and the in-development 'Autumn with the Shiba Inu' (featuring Quei-li the Labrador Retriever as a hacker). The games share the same universe but are standalone experiences. The first title sold approximately 10,000 copies across Steam and all console platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- A Summer with the Shiba Inu A visual novel game with interactive, meaningful choices set in a sci-fi battle royale world. Players follow Syd the Shiba Inu, who returns to Shiba Island after a ten-year absence and sets off events that overturn the lives of the dogs she left behind. Features a ~70,000-word story, 3 main endings for Syd, 10+ endings for other dogs, and 30 unlockable achievements.
- Autumn with the Shiba Inu A visual novel game with interactive choices set in the same universe as A Summer with the Shiba Inu. Players control Quei-li the Labrador Retriever as an undercover hacker uncovering secrets of the Shiba Inu government, in a mystery story with twists and turns. Designed as a standalone story so prior play of 'Summer' is not required.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~10,000 copies sold across Steam and all console platforms for debut title
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Quill Studios
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Quill Studios technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Quill Studios partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights3 records
Quill Studios competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Inkle: Small indie studio specializing in narrative-driven interactive fiction and visual novels (80 Days, Sorcery! series). Highly comparable in team size, premium indie distribution model, and story-first game design.
- Hanako Games: Small indie studio developing visual novels and simulation games with strong narrative focus. Comparable sub-10-person indie scale and visual novel genre focus.
- Choice of Games: Indie publisher/developer of choice-based interactive fiction and visual novels. Directly comparable in targeting story-driven gamers with branching narrative mechanics and digital distribution.
- Love Conquers All Games (Christine Love): Solo indie developer of visual novels and narrative games (Analogue: A Hate Story, Ladykiller in a Bind). Comparable in solo/small-team scale and visual novel genre.
- Winter Wolves: Indie developer and publisher of visual novels and adventure games. Comparable in narrative game genre focus and indie distribution across Steam and console platforms.
Broad incumbents
- Annapurna Interactive: Indie publisher known for narrative and story-driven games (What Remains of Edith Finch, Stray). Comparable in premium narrative game distribution though at significantly larger scale.
- Devolver Digital: Major indie publisher distributing narrative and visually distinctive games (e.g., Katana ZERO, Fall Guys). Comparable in indie premium distribution model though operates at much larger scale.
- MAGES. Inc. Japanese visual novel publisher (SteinsGate series, Chaos;Child). Comparable in visual novel genre focus and branching narrative mechanics, though at substantially larger scale.
- Sekai Project: Established visual novel publisher bringing narrative games to Western audiences. Comparable in visual novel genre focus though operates at significantly larger scale as publisher.
Emerging players
- Donkey Crew: Indie game studio behind battle royale title 'CRSED: F.O.A.D.'. Comparable in indie scale and battle royale thematic overlap with Quill's sci-fi battle royale universe.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Quill Studios social profiles
Digital presenceQuill Studios financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Quill Studios leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Quill Studios funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Quill Studios 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 Quill Studios
What does Quill Studios do?
Quill Studios is an indie game development studio that creates and sells visual novel games featuring anthropomorphic dog characters in a sci-fi battle royale universe. The studio sells its games directly to consumers via Steam and console storefronts as one-time digital purchases, with each title offering branching narrative choices, multiple endings, and unlockable achievements. Its released catalogue currently consists of one title, 'A Summer with the Shiba Inu', with a second title, 'Autumn with the Shiba Inu', in development.
Is Quill Studios a public or private company?
Quill Studios is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Quill Studios founded?
Quill Studios was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Quill Studios based?
Quill Studios is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Quill Studios make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales.
Who are Quill Studios's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Inkle, Hanako Games, Choice of Games, Love Conquers All Games (Christine Love) and Winter Wolves. Broad incumbents are Annapurna Interactive, Devolver Digital, MAGES. Inc. and Sekai Project. Donkey Crew is listed as an emerging player.
Does Quill Studios have an API?
No public API is recorded for Quill Studios.
What industry is Quill Studios in?
Quill Studios's product category is Indie Visual Novel Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAG, Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 7372.