Floating Origin Interactive
Floating Origin Interactive is a UK-based indie game development studio founded by Felipe Falanghe, creator of Kerbal Space Program. It builds and publishes physics-based RC-building sandbox games, primarily KitHack Model Club, distributed globally to PC gaming audiences via Steam Early Access with publisher Curve Games.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Floating Origin Interactive does
Floating Origin Interactive is a privately held, UK-domiciled indie game development studio founded by Felipe Falanghe (aka HarvesteR), creator and former Lead Developer of the original Kerbal Space Program. The studio focuses on physics-based building and flight simulation games, with its active flagship title KitHack Model Club — a multiplayer RC-building sandbox in which players design, construct, and fly aircraft, cars, boats, submarines, rockets, and any combination thereof. Core technology centers on a proprietary physics simulation engine built from the ground up for multiplayer, supporting a 9X larger playable map and a library of hundreds of parts versus the studio's discontinued predecessor, Balsa Model Flight Simulator.
KitHack Model Club is distributed through Steam Early Access, giving the small 1–10 person team global digital reach without the need for a traditional retail or platform-exclusivity strategy. The studio is paired with publisher Curve Games, which provides distribution, marketing, and publishing support; in exchange, Floating Origin retains product ownership and creative direction under a "true indie" operating philosophy. The business model is a one-time license purchase on Steam, with the legacy Balsa customer base having been migrated into KitHack Model Club for free to seed early community engagement.
The target customer is the global long tail of PC gaming enthusiasts and RC modeling hobbyists who want a detailed, creative, physics-accurate sandbox experience. Distribution is exclusively digital via Steam, and the studio monetizes purely through unit sales rather than subscriptions, microtransactions, or enterprise contracts. No revenue, headcount growth, or external venture funding figures beyond a 2018 Empowered Startups association are disclosed, leaving the company's commercial scale and burn rate largely opaque.
Floating Origin Interactive firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Floating Origin Interactive
- Legal name
- Floating Origin Interactive
- Website
- https://floatingorigininteractive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Floating Origin Interactive is a UK-based indie game development studio founded by Felipe Falanghe, creator of Kerbal Space Program. It builds and publishes physics-based RC-building sandbox games, primarily KitHack Model Club, distributed globally to PC gaming audiences via Steam Early Access with publisher Curve Games.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Floating Origin Interactive industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Simulation Games
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)
- SIC
- Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social/UGC & Sandbox Game Studios (Roblox-like) (MPAFAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces) (MPAFAIAG)
Keywords
Where Floating Origin Interactive is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Floating Origin Interactive business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Game Sales (KitHack Model Club): One-time purchase revenue from selling KitHack Model Club through Steam Early Access. Balsa players who previously purchased were migrated to KitHack for free.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Floating Origin Interactive product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Floating Origin Interactive develops and sells physics-based simulation/sandbox video games for PC, with KitHack Model Club as its current flagship RC-building sandbox title available on Steam Early Access. The studio focuses on multiplayer-ready, physics-driven building and piloting experiences that span aircraft, cars, boats, submarines, rockets, and any combination thereof. Its predecessor, BALSA Model Flight Simulator, has been discontinued and superseded by KitHack Model Club.
Product overview
Floating Origin Interactive is a UK-based game development studio developing simulation and building games. The company portfolio consists of two products: KitHack Model Club, the current flagship RC-building sandbox game featuring aircraft, cars, boats, submarines, and rockets (available on Steam Early Access), and BALSA Model Flight Simulator, the original game now superseded by KitHack Model Club. All original BALSA purchasers received KitHack Model Club for free as part of the evolution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KitHack Model Club: An RC-building sandbox game featuring a 9X larger map, hundreds of new parts, and support for building aircraft, cars, boats, submarines, rockets, and combinations thereof. Developed in partnership with publisher Curve Games. Available on Steam Early Access.
- Balsa Model Flight Simulator
Products and services
- KitHack Model Club An RC-building sandbox video game for PC gamers, developed with publisher Curve Games, that lets players design, build, and fly aircraft, cars, boats, submarines, rockets, and any combination thereof inside a physics-based multiplayer environment with hundreds of parts and a 9X larger map than its predecessor Balsa.
- BALSA Model Flight Simulator The studio's first game, a detailed model flight simulator with a powerful editor for designing, building, flying, and battling with model aircraft, powered by sophisticated physics simulation and built from the ground up for multiplayer; discontinued and evolved into KitHack Model Club.
Companies that use Floating Origin Interactive
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Floating Origin Interactive technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Floating Origin Interactive partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Curve GamescoreCurve Games serves as the publisher for KitHack Model Club, providing distribution, marketing, and publishing support. The partnership enabled the evolution from Balsa to KitHack Model Club with expanded features including a 9X larger map and hundreds of new parts.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Floating Origin Interactive competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Reiza Studios: Developer of high-fidelity vehicle/dynamics simulations (racing, flight), Reiza serves the same enthusiast simulation audience as Floating Origin with deep physics-based vehicle experiences.
- Keen Software House: Developer of Space Engineers and Medieval Engineers, Keen makes sandbox games with extensive building, physics simulation, and multiplayer — closely comparable to KitHack Model Club's core mechanics of physics-driven construction and shared virtual piloting.
- Studio Wildcard: Developer of ARK: Survival Evolved, a multiplayer sandbox with deep building/construction systems and physics-driven vehicle/creature mechanics — directly comparable on the dimensions of multiplayer sandbox gameplay and physics-based building depth.
- Re-Logic: Developer of Terraria, a 2D sandbox focused on building, exploration, and creation. Comparable as a small-team indie sandbox success story with strong community and ongoing content updates that sustain long-tail sales.
- Squad (KSP original studio): The original developer of Kerbal Space Program and Felipe Falanghe's former employer, Squad is the closest creative antecedent to Floating Origin's work in physics-based aerospace/flight simulation and is directly comparable in both genre and team heritage.
- Hello Games: Developer of No Man's Sky, Hello Games delivers a large-scale sandbox combining building, exploration, physics, and multiplayer in a single persistent world — directly overlapping with KitHack's value proposition of multi-vehicle building and shared multiplayer worlds.
Broad incumbents
- Mojang Studios: Developer of Minecraft, the archetypal UGC/building sandbox. Comparable at the category level as the dominant reference point for sandbox building games, though vastly larger scale and broader audience than KitHack.
- Frontier Developments: Developer of Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster/Jurassic World Evolution, Frontier is a larger established simulation-focused studio with comparable sandbox/building IP in flight and creative construction, but operates at much greater scale and broader scope.
- Private Division: Publisher of Kerbal Space Program 2 and numerous mid-to-large indie simulation/sandbox titles; comparable as the publishing peer for the predecessor franchise and adjacent simulation sandbox IP.
Others
- Curve Games (Curve Digital): Publisher of KitHack Model Club and many indie simulation/strategy titles; included as the publisher relationship rather than a product competitor, reflecting their role as a commercial partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Floating Origin Interactive social profiles
Digital presenceFloating Origin Interactive financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Floating Origin Interactive leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Floating Origin Interactive funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Floating Origin Interactive 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 Floating Origin Interactive
What does Floating Origin Interactive do?
Floating Origin Interactive develops and sells physics-based simulation/sandbox video games for PC, with KitHack Model Club as its current flagship RC-building sandbox title available on Steam Early Access. The studio focuses on multiplayer-ready, physics-driven building and piloting experiences that span aircraft, cars, boats, submarines, rockets, and any combination thereof. Its predecessor, BALSA Model Flight Simulator, has been discontinued and superseded by KitHack Model Club.
Is Floating Origin Interactive a public or private company?
Floating Origin Interactive is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Floating Origin Interactive founded?
Floating Origin Interactive was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Floating Origin Interactive based?
Floating Origin Interactive is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Floating Origin Interactive make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales (KitHack Model Club).
Who are Floating Origin Interactive's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Reiza Studios, Keen Software House, Studio Wildcard, Re-Logic, Squad (KSP original studio) and Hello Games. Broad incumbents are Mojang Studios, Frontier Developments and Private Division. Curve Games (Curve Digital) is listed as an others.
Does Floating Origin Interactive have an API?
No public API is recorded for Floating Origin Interactive.
What industry is Floating Origin Interactive in?
Floating Origin Interactive's product category is Simulation Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAF, Social/UGC & Sandbox Game Studios (Roblox-like), with a secondary code of MPAFAIAG, Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces). Its NAICS code is 33993 and its SIC code is 3944.