What Klei Entertainment does

Klei Entertainment is a Vancouver, Canada-based privately-held video game studio founded in 2005 by Jamie Cheng. The company operates two business lines: (i) first-party game development anchored by original survival and simulation IP, and (ii) a publishing service for independent developers. Its core first-party franchises are Don't Starve (a wilderness survival series launched in 2013 with multiplayer extension Don't Starve Together in 2016 and a new entry Don't Starve Elsewhere announced in 2026), Oxygen Not Included (colony simulation since 2017 with ongoing DLC), Rotwood (co-op action), and Away Team (sci-fi survival with multiplayer in development). Legacy first-party titles include Mark of the Ninja, Invisible Inc., Griftlands, and Eets (2006 Game Tunnel Casual Game of the Year). Technology centers on a proprietary engine for procedural generation and fine-grained simulation systems — including chemical reactions, convection, liquid evaporation, and oxygen management — that powers Oxygen Not Included and Away Team.

The commercial model combines one-time license game sales across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 storefronts, paid DLC packs (Aquatic Planet Pack, Cursed Confrontation, Powers-A-Plenty), a publishing revenue share via Klei Publishing with ten-plus external studios (Brace Yourself Games, Ritual Studios, Sparkypants, Blendo Games, Wishes Unlimited, Chump Squad, Everything Unlimited, kaleidoscube, Darenn Keller, Coincidence), and merchandise sales through the Klei Shop. Klei runs an active community across Discord, dedicated forums, a rewards program, and a newsletter, with marketing concentrated on platform storefronts and the annual Klei Fest event (celebrating the 2026 20-year anniversary with discounts up to 90%). End customers are individual video game consumers; the company serves no enterprise clients. Studio headcount is in the 11-50 range, the company is self-funded with no disclosed external investment, and additional co-development partnerships include IndieBox for merchandise fulfillment and a Nintendo Indie World Showcase feature placement in March 2026 for Switch/Switch 2 distribution.

Name

Klei Entertainment

Legal name

Klei Entertainment

Website

https://klei.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Klei Entertainment is a Vancouver-based privately-held video game studio (founded 2005, 11-50 employees) that develops original survival and simulation franchises including Don't Starve, Oxygen Not Included, Rotwood, and Away Team, and publishes indie titles through Klei Publishing for individual PC and console consumers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Direct sales of owned IP games (Don't Starve Together, Oxygen Not Included, Rotwood) and published titles through Steam and console platforms. One-time purchase model with DLC expansion packs.
2. DLC and Expansions: Paid downloadable content including Aquatic Planet Pack for Oxygen Not Included, Cursed Confrontation update for Don't Starve Together, music packs for Rift of the NecroDancer
3. Publishing Revenue: Revenue from publishing third-party indie titles including Fretless, Recur, Dawnfolk, Rift of the NecroDancer through Klei Publishing label
4. Merchandise Sales: Physical merchandise including shirts, posters, pins, plushies, socks sold through Klei Shop powered by IndieBox

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Klei Entertainment is a Vancouver-based video game studio that develops and publishes original video games across PC and console platforms. The studio self-develops survival and simulation franchises such as Don't Starve Together, Oxygen Not Included, Rotwood, and Away Team, and also publishes third-party indie titles through its Klei Publishing label, distributing digital content via Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo eShop alongside physical merchandise through the Klei Shop.

Product overview

Klei Entertainment is a Vancouver-based video game studio and publisher with two distinct business lines: internally developed games and a publishing service for external developers. Their core developed products include the survival franchise Don't Starve (with Don't Starve Together as the multiplayer expansion and Don't Starve Elsewhere as a new title), Oxygen Not Included (a colony simulation game), Rotwood (a co-op action game), and Away Team (a sci-fi survival game). Their publishing arm, Klei Publishing, publishes titles from independent developers including Fretless (Ritual Studios), Rift of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games), Mind Over Magic (Sparkypants), and various others. The company also operates a merchandise shop. The portfolio spans multiple genres including survival, puzzle, stealth, rhythm, RPG, and action games, available across PC (Steam), console (Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, PlayStation, Xbox), and mobile platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Don't Starve Together Standalone multiplayer wilderness survival game in the Don't Starve franchise, where players fight, farm, build and explore together in a strange world full of odd creatures, hidden dangers, and ancient secrets.
• Oxygen Not Included Colony simulation game where players manage Duplicants in space environments, handling oxygen, temperature, food, and resource management through automation and base building.
• Rotwood Co-op action game where players battle corrupted beasts across 8 unique locations using rich combat mechanics, weapon upgrades, and gear upgrades, supporting solo or co-op with up to three friends.
• Don't Starve Elsewhere All-new uncompromising survival experience in the Don't Starve franchise where players band together to craft, farm, build, and explore a world filled with strange creatures and dynamic environmental dangers.
• Away Team Science fiction survival game featuring fine-grained temperature simulation, chemical reactions, liquids that evaporate, and oxygen management systems, with multiplayer mode currently in development.
• Fretless Pixel-art turn-based RPG adventure published by Klei where players wield legendary instruments and gather riff attacks to save the land from musical hybrid monsters, developed by Ritual Studios.
• Rift of the NecroDancer Rhythm game sequel featuring musical combat with monsters, pulse-pounding Rhythm Rifts, epic boss battles and quirky minigames set to a soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky, developed by Brace Yourself Games.
• Don't Starve Original wilderness survival game that established the Don't Starve franchise, featuring procedurally generated worlds and survival mechanics.
• Mark of the Ninja Stealth action game featuring an eponymous ninja character, published by Klei Entertainment.
• Invisible, Inc. Stealth strategy game published by Klei Entertainment.
• Griftlands Roguelike game with deck-building mechanics published by Klei Entertainment.
• Crypt of the NecroDancer Rhythm-based roguelike game where movement is tied to the beat, developed by Brace Yourself Games and published by Klei.
• The Stanley Parable Narrative-driven adventure game published by Klei Entertainment, developed by Everything Unlimited.
• The Beginner's Guide Narrative game developed by Everything Unlimited and published by Klei Entertainment.
• Eets Munchies Award-winning puzzle game featuring over 100 puzzles described as 'Lemmings meets The Incredible Machine', originally receiving Game Tunnel's 2006 Casual Game of the Year award.
• Mind Over Magic Magic-themed game developed by Sparkypants and published by Klei Entertainment.
• Beastie Ball Game developed by Wishes Unlimited and published by Klei Entertainment.
• Lab Rat Game developed by Chump Squad and published by Klei Entertainment.
• Recur Game developed by kaleidoscube and published by Klei Publishing.
• Dawnfolk Game developed by Darenn Keller and published by Klei Publishing.
• Nirmana Game developed by Coincidence and published by Klei Publishing.
• Kaizen Game developed by Coincidence and published by Klei Publishing.
• Klei Publishing Klei's publishing arm that publishes games developed by external studios including Ritual Studios, Brace Yourself Games, Sparkypants, Wishes Unlimited, Chump Squad, Everything Unlimited, Blendo Games, kaleidoscube, Darenn Keller, and Coincidence.
• Klei Shop Official merchandise store selling shirts, posters, pins, plushies and socks featuring Klei game characters, with order fulfillment and customer support powered by IndieBox.

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NintendocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 March 2026Nintendo showcased Klei Entertainment titles including Rotwood in the Indie World Showcase for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch systems. Featured as indie publishing and development partner in the presentation.
• IndieBoxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndieBox powers the Klei Shop for merchandise including shirts, posters, pins, plushies and socks. Handles order fulfillment and customer support for shop inquiries.
• Ritual StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRitual Studios is the developer of Fretless, a pixel-art adventure published by Klei Publishing. The game features turn-based combat RPGs set in Rob Scallon's musical rock world.
• Brace Yourself GamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrace Yourself Games is an indie game developer based in Vancouver that Klei publishes, including Crypt of the NecroDancer and Rift of the NecroDancer.
• kaleidoscubeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Recur, a game published by Klei Publishing.
• Darenn KellerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Dawnfolk, published by Klei Publishing.
• CoincidenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Kaizen and Nirmana, published by Klei Publishing.
• SparkypantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Mind Over Magic, published by Klei Publishing.
• Wishes UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Beastie Ball, published by Klei Publishing.
• Chump SquadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Lab Rat, published by Klei Publishing.
• Everything UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide, published by Klei Publishing.
• Blendo GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Quadrilateral Cowboy, Atom Zombie Smashers, and Thirty Flights of Loving, published by Klei Publishing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Annapurna Interactive: Annapurna Interactive is an indie-focused publisher known for narrative and original-IP titles. As a publisher sourcing content from independent developers and distributing through major storefronts, it parallels Klei Publishing's role within Klei Entertainment.
• Re-Logic: Re-Logic is an indie game studio best known for the Terraria franchise, a survival/sandbox game similar to Don't Starve. As a comparable-sized independent studio with a long-running survival franchise and direct-to-consumer publishing, it is closely aligned with Klei's development and business model.
• Devolver Digital: Devolver Digital is a publicly-traded indie game publisher and developer with a portfolio spanning survival, simulation, and original IP. As both a publisher and developer with a multi-title catalog, it is directly comparable to Klei's combined development and publishing business.
• Moon Studios: Moon Studios is an indie developer known for the Ori action-platformer series. As a privately-held indie studio developing original IP across multiple titles with cross-platform distribution, it shares Klei's structural profile as a small-team independent developer.
• 11 bit studios: 11 bit studios is an indie game developer and publisher with franchises such as Frostpunk and This War of Mine. Its combined development-and-publishing structure, focus on simulation/survival, and multi-platform distribution make it a strong structural peer to Klei.
• Supergiant Games: Supergiant Games is a small, privately-held indie studio developing critically acclaimed action-RPG titles. Its team size, independent ownership structure, and focus on original IP across multiple genres mirror Klei's development philosophy and operating scale.
• tinyBuild: tinyBuild is an indie game developer and publisher with a portfolio spanning survival, simulation, and original IP. Its combined development and publishing structure and catalog distribution model align with Klei Entertainment and Klei Publishing.
• Yacht Club Games: Yacht Club Games is a small, privately-held indie developer known for Shovel Knight. As an independent studio with original IP, cross-platform distribution, and a comparable team size, it is structurally similar to Klei Entertainment.
• Team Cherry: Team Cherry is a small independent studio behind Hollow Knight, an action-survival title. Its small team, original IP focus, and multi-platform indie publishing approach closely mirror Klei's operating model.
• Raw Fury: Raw Fury is an indie game publisher that signs and distributes third-party developed titles across PC and console. Its publishing-only model and curated indie catalog are directly comparable to Klei Publishing's third-party title distribution model.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/kleient
• Instagraminstagram.com/kleientertainment
• TikToktiktok.com/@klei
• Xx.com/klei
• Facebookfacebook.com/kleientertainment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1199888

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Klei Entertainment