Piccolo Studio

What Piccolo Studio does

Piccolo Studio is an independent video game development studio headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. The company develops and self-publishes narrative-driven platforming games sold as one-time digital purchases through Steam, console storefronts, and dedicated game websites. Its commercial catalog consists of two titles: "Arise: A Simple Story" and "After Us" (released 2023), both centered on emotionally themed storytelling with platforming mechanics. The studio's target end customer is the consumer gamer segment that values artistic, story-driven experiences over purely mechanical gameplay.

The studio operates on a direct-to-consumer revenue model with no subscription, freemium, or live-service component disclosed. Underlying the games is Piccolo Tools 2.0, a proprietary in-house tool suite covering object marking, wind interaction simulation, hybrid hair simulation, and real-time vegetation systems. These tools were co-developed with public co-funding (FEDER grant via RED.es, expediente 2020/0820/00100121) and were first implemented in "After Us." The company is founder-owned by three individuals who have collaborated for approximately 25 years (including 18 years prior to founding the studio), supported by roughly 25–30 specialists across art, programming, design, animation, audio, and production. No institutional equity investors, acquisitions, or external corporate ownership are disclosed; the only external capital referenced is a 2020 EU grant of €294,635.48 against a total project budget of €654,745.52.

Name

Piccolo Studio

Legal name

PICCOLO STUDIO, S.L.

Website

https://piccolo-studio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Piccolo Studio is a Barcelona-based independent video game developer that designs and self-publishes narrative-driven platforming titles (Arise: A Simple Story, After Us) for consumer gamers via Steam and console storefronts, supported by its proprietary Piccolo Tools 2.0 simulation suite.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Video Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

akta.pro primary industry

Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios (MPAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Indie video games
• Narrative platformers
• Game development studio
• Emotional storytelling games
• Proprietary game tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Video Game Sales: Piccolo Studio generates revenue through the sale of narrative-driven platforming video games. Games are sold as one-time purchases through digital distribution platforms including Steam and console digital stores. Their published titles include 'After Us' and 'Arise: A Simple Story'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Piccolo Studio is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes narrative-driven platforming video games. Their commercial portfolio comprises two titles—"After Us" and "Arise: A Simple Story"—sold as one-time digital purchases on PC and console storefronts. The studio also internally developed the proprietary Piccolo Tools 2.0 engine suite used to build their games.

Product overview

Piccolo Studio is a Barcelona-based game developer offering a portfolio of narrative-driven video games. Their core products include two platforming games—After Us, a surrealistic post-human adventure featuring Gaia the Spirit of Life, and Arise: A Simple Story, a personal journey exploring love and time. Supporting these titles is Piccolo Tools 2.0, the company's proprietary tool suite comprising object marking, wind interaction simulation, hybrid hair simulation, and vegetation systems, which can be deployed across multiple games and scenarios.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Piccolo Tools 2.0: Proprietary tool suite developed by the company including object marking systems, wind interaction simulation, hybrid hair simulation, and real-time vegetation system. These tools were implemented in their video game AFTER US and can be used across other games and scenarios.

Products and services

• After Us A single-player platforming video game for PC and consoles in which the player controls Gaia, the Spirit of Life, traversing a surrealistic post-human world to recover the souls of extinct animals. It targets gamers who appreciate emotionally driven, narrative-rich platforming experiences with abstract worlds and themes of sacrifice and hope.
• Arise: A Simple Story

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved technological breakthrough in video games through Piccolo Tools 2.0, providing realistic environmental interactions

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tequila Works: Madrid-based independent studio focused on atmospheric, narrative-driven games such as 'Rime', 'The Sexy Brutale', and 'Gylt'. Closely comparable to Piccolo as a Spanish indie studio shipping artistic, story-led titles for global platforms.
• Moon Studios: Independent studio behind the 'Ori and the Blind Forest' / 'Ori and the Will of the Wisps' platformer series. Comparable as an indie studio focused on highly artistic, emotional action-platformers distributed through console and PC digital storefronts.
• Hello Games: UK independent studio behind 'No Man's Sky', which started as a small indie team shipping a single ambitious title globally via digital platforms. Comparable in indie studio economics and direct-to-consumer digital distribution model, though at a different scale of ambition.
• Playdead: Danish independent studio behind 'Limbo' and 'Inside', both narrative-driven platformers distributed globally via Steam and console stores. Highly comparable in genre, business model (one-time purchase), and team scale.
• ustwo games: Independent studio known for 'Monument Valley' and 'Monument Valley 2', narrative-led puzzle-platform experiences distributed through digital storefronts. Comparable in artistic positioning, narrative focus, and indie scale.
• Studio MDHR: Independent studio behind 'Cuphead', a visually distinctive action-platformer distributed through Steam and Xbox. Comparable as a small indie studio with strong artistic identity and proprietary tech, selling one-time-purchase titles globally.
• Nomada Studio: Barcelona-based indie studio that developed 'Gris', a narrative platformer celebrated for its artistic direction and emotional storytelling. Directly comparable in location, narrative-platforming genre, and small-team indie positioning.
• ThatGameCompany: Independent studio known for 'Journey' and 'Sky: Children of the Light', which are emotionally-driven, narrative-led interactive experiences. Comparable in artistic, emotional positioning and digital distribution model.
• Thunder Lotus Games: Canadian indie studio behind 'Spiritfarer' and 'Jotun', narrative-driven games with distinctive visual identity. Comparable as a small-team indie developer of emotionally resonant, narrative-led titles sold as one-time purchases on Steam and console stores.

Broad incumbents

• Deck Nine Games: Larger independent studio behind 'Life is Strange: True Colors' and other narrative adventure titles. Comparable in narrative-driven genre focus, but operates at meaningfully larger scale and with publisher backing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/piccolo_studio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgPAayBJA9NUPEzB4kod41A
• Facebookfacebook.com/piccolostudiogames
• Instagraminstagram.com/piccolostudiobcn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Piccolo Studio