What Toukana Interactive does

Toukana Interactive GmbH is an independent, privately held game development studio headquartered in Berlin, Germany, founded in April 2020 by four game design students from HTW Berlin — Luca Langenberg, Sandro Heuberger, Timo Falcke, and Zwi Zausch. The studio's flagship IP is Dorfromantik, a relaxing tile-placement strategy and puzzle game where players place hexagonal tiles to build village landscapes, built on a proprietary hexagonal tile placement engine. Dorfromantik launched on Steam Early Access on March 25, 2021, achieved a full PC release in April 2022 on Steam and GOG, and expanded to Nintendo Switch in September 2022 with the Cherry Blossom update. The studio's second major IP, Star Birds, is an asteroid base-building and resource management game developed in co-development partnership with the YouTube animation brand kurzgesagt – in a nutshell; it entered Steam Early Access on September 10, 2025, with full release planned for autumn 2026.

Name

Toukana Interactive

Legal name

Toukana Interactive GmbH

Website

https://toukana.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Toukana Interactive GmbH is a Berlin-based indie game studio founded in 2020 by four HTW Berlin game design students. It develops relaxing digital games (Dorfromantik, Star Birds) and licenses IP for board game adaptations, serving casual and strategy gamers worldwide via Steam, GOG, Nintendo eShop, and retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Video Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Indie video games
• Puzzle strategy games
• Tile placement games
• Board game publishing
• City builder games

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Video Game Sales: One-time purchase of Dorfromantik on PC (Steam, GOG) and Nintendo Switch. Revenue generated from direct digital sales to consumers at fixed price points.
2. Physical Board Game Sales: The Dorfromantik board game series (original, The Duel, Sakura, Light Luggage) is produced in collaboration with Pegasus Spiele and sold through retail and online channels in Europe and North America. Toukana Interactive receives licensing/royalty revenue from the partnership.
3. Star Birds Digital Sales (Upcoming): Star Birds is planned for full release in autumn 2026 with a one-time purchase model on Steam for Windows. Early Access pricing and full release pricing to be determined regionally via Steam.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Toukana Interactive is an independent Berlin-based game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes relaxation-focused video games (Dorfromantik, Star Birds) for PC and Nintendo Switch. The studio also licenses its flagship Dorfromantik IP to Pegasus Spiele for a multi-title physical board game series distributed across Europe and North America. Revenue is generated through direct digital sales on Steam, GOG, and Nintendo eShop, plus licensing royalties from board game publications.

Product overview

Toukana Interactive is an independent game development studio offering a portfolio of digital video games and physical board game adaptations. The core product is Dorfromantik, a relaxing tile-placement strategy game that originated as a student project in 2020 and has grown into a multi-platform franchise with PC (Steam/GOG), Nintendo Switch versions, and multiple award-winning board game adaptations developed with Pegasus Spiele. The second major title, Star Birds, is a collaborative project with kurzgesagt – in a nutshell, featuring asteroid base-building and resource management gameplay. The board game lineup includes The Board Game (Spiel des Jahres 2023 winner), The Duel (competitive variant), Sakura (Japan-themed expansion), and Light Luggage (compact travel edition).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dorfromantik: A relaxing building strategy and puzzle game where players create village landscapes by placing hexagonal tiles. The studio's debut title and flagship product.
• Star Birds

Products and services

• Dorfromantik A relaxing soft-strategy city-builder and puzzle game where players place hexagonal tiles to create ever-growing, idyllic village landscapes, combining accessible meditation-style gameplay with strategic depth for high-score chasing. Available on PC (Steam/GOG) and Nintendo Switch.
• Star Birds

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150,000 players in first week of Early Access
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pegasus SpielecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPegasus Spiele is the board game publishing partner for the Dorfromantik board game series. The collaboration brought the relaxing digital Dorfromantik experience to physical tabletop format. The original board game won 'Spiel des Jahres' (Game of the Year) in 2023, and subsequent editions (The Duel, Sakura, Light Luggage) have followed. Pegasus Spiele handles production, distribution, and retail sales across Europe and North America.
• DE:HIVE Institute (HTW Berlin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DE:HIVE Institute at HTW Berlin (University of Applied Sciences Berlin) supports Toukana Interactive through their in-house incubation program. The founding team studied Game Design together at HTW Berlin, making this both a formative and ongoing supportive relationship for the studio.
• kurzgesagt – in a nutshellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerkurzgesagt – in a nutshell is the renowned YouTube animation studio collaborating with Toukana Interactive on Star Birds. This is a co-development partnership combining kurzgesagt's distinctive visual style and storytelling with Toukana's game development expertise. kurzgesagt provides the colorful space-themed art style inspired by their videos, while Toukana builds the asteroid base-building and resource management gameplay.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Thunder Lotus Games: Independent studio behind Spiritfarer and other cozy/meditative indie titles. Closely comparable in size, philosophy, and award-winning approach to crafting relaxing, narratively rich indie experiences similar to Dorfromantik.
• Studio MDHR: Canadian indie studio behind Cuphead, known for hand-crafted art direction, premium pricing, and cross-platform success. Comparable as a small premium indie studio with strong brand identity and awards recognition.
• Amanita Design: Czech indie studio behind Machinarium and Samorost, known for charming, hand-crafted puzzle adventure games. Comparable as an established European indie studio producing stylized, accessible puzzle titles.
• Mega Crit Games: Two-person indie studio behind Slay the Spire, a defining roguelike deck-builder with strong Steam sales and ongoing expansion. Comparable as a tiny, profitable indie studio with a beloved, long-selling premium PC title.
• FuturLab: UK-based indie studio best known for PowerWash Simulator, a defining hit in the 'cozy/relaxation' PC gaming category. Direct competitor for the same relaxation-focused gamer audience.
• Playdead: Danish indie studio behind Limbo and Inside, both atmospheric puzzle-platformers with minimalist design and critical acclaim. Comparable as a small premium indie studio with a strong auteur-driven design identity.
• thatgamecompany: Studio behind Journey and Sky: Children of the Light, pioneers of emotional, meditative, accessible gaming experiences. Comparable as a premium indie developer targeting non-traditional, relaxing gameplay moments.
• Witch Beam: Australian indie studio behind Unpacking and Unpacking-inspired cozy puzzle gameplay. Highly comparable as a small-team developer of meditative, critically acclaimed premium indie games.
• Supergiant Games: California-based indie studio behind Hades, Bastion and Transistor. Comparable as a small, award-winning premium indie developer with strong craft, narrative depth, and consistent commercial success.

Emerging players

• Dire Wolf Digital: Studio behind digital adaptations of popular card and board games (e.g., Eternal, Munchkin, Root). Comparable as an indie studio operating at the intersection of digital and physical tabletop gaming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_toukana
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@toukana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/toukana-interactive
• Instagraminstagram.com/toukana_interactive
• TikToktiktok.com/@toukana_interactive
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Toukana Interactive