What Tursiops Truncatus Studios does

Tursiops Truncatus Studios is a privately held, two-person independent game studio based in Madison, Wisconsin, that develops and self-publishes original indie games across mobile and PC platforms. Founded by Cathy (programmer, designer, and Gamewright-In-Chief) with artist Susan joining in 2012, the studio operates a custom native iOS game engine with Box2D physics integration and several proprietary systems, including a Custom Particle Animator, custom animation and motion systems, and a novel 4x4 matrix color transformation pipeline that uses linear algebra to apply palette swaps to neutral-color artwork, enabling rapid generation of color variants for enemy ships and UI elements without authoring multiple sprite sets. The studio has shipped The Day We Fought Space (a physics-based shoot-em-up) in May 2022 on iOS, a Comet expansion in April 2023, the Engineering Pack v1.2 update in September 2022, the reimagined Primrows puzzle game in April 2025 across iOS, Android, Steam, and itch.io, and maintains a back catalog of classic titles (Drops of Light, I Can't See A Thing) on itch.io.

The studio is women-led, majority LGBT-owned, and bootstrapped with no external institutional funding, parent company, or acquisitions disclosed. Revenue is generated through one-time game purchases for The Day We Fought Space, a freemium model with a single-purchase unlock for Primrows, and pay-what-you-want pricing for legacy itch.io titles. Go-to-market is community-led, with active Discord servers, Twitter/X and TikTok accounts, an in-depth dev blog, organic press coverage from Touch Arcade and Pocket Gamer, and a physical convention presence at PAX East, PAX South, PAX West, GDEX, and the Midwest Gaming Classic. Customer segmentation is horizontal and includes mobile/tablet action gamers, casual puzzle players, LGBTQIA+ and inclusive game enthusiasts, and accessibility-conscious players, with explicit attention to color-blindness and low-vision accommodations across the product line.

Name

Tursiops Truncatus Studios

Legal name

Tursiops Truncatus Studios, LLC

Website

https://tursiopsstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tursiops Truncatus Studios is a two-person, women-led indie game studio based in Madison, Wisconsin that develops and self-publishes original games including The Day We Fought Space and Primrows across iOS, Android, Steam, and itch.io, targeting gamers seeking thoughtfully designed, LGBTQIA+ inclusive action and puzzle experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indie Video Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Indie game development
• Mobile puzzle games
• Physics action games
• Tablet game software
• Inclusive game design

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales (The Day We Fought Space): One-time purchase price for The Day We Fought Space on iOS App Store, including complete game and expansions.
2. Freemium Model (Primrows): Free-to-play on mobile with optional single purchase to unlock all features and modes. Cross-platform availability on Steam, App Store, Google Play, and itch.io.
3. Pay-What-You-Want (Classic Games): Classic vault games (Drops of Light, I Can't See A Thing) available on itch.io with name-your-own-price model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tursiops Truncatus Studios is an independent game studio that designs, develops, and self-publishes a small catalog of indie video games for mobile and tablet platforms. Its released titles include physics-based shoot-em-ups (The Day We Fought Space), puzzle games (Primrows), lighting-based puzzle experiences (Drops of Light), and audio-driven games (I Can't See A Thing), all built on a proprietary custom game engine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Day We Fought Space Physics-based shoot-em-up game built on the studio's custom engine and released to players via mobile/tablet and indie storefronts.
• Primrows Puzzle game developed and self-published by the studio, leveraging its custom engine and 4x4 matrix color transformation capabilities.
• Drops of Light Lighting- and color-based puzzle game that showcases the studio's proprietary color transformation and rendering capabilities.
• I Can't See A Thing Audio-driven game designed around non-visual gameplay, reflecting the studio's accessibility- and inclusion-aware design approach.

Quantifiable outcome

• Primrows developed over two years with weekly challenges and seasonal content
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Panic Inc: Independent publisher/developer (Untitled Goose Game, Playdate, Firewatch). Comparable as a small-to-mid indie publisher with selective art-driven catalog.
• Finji: Indie publisher and developer (Overland, Night in the Woods). Comparable in indie co-development and publishing focus on distinctive smaller studios.
• Annapurna Interactive: Established indie game publisher behind titles like Stray and Cocoon. Relevant as a potential publishing/distribution partner given their track record with small art-driven indie studios.
• Fellow Traveller: Indie publisher focused on narrative games. Comparable in targeting story- and identity-driven indie titles and working with small development teams.
• Devolver Digital: Major indie publisher (Hotline Miami, Fall Guys, Cult of the Lamb). Comparable in targeting small/quirky indie developers for distribution, though operates at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Playdead: Small Danish indie studio behind Limbo and Inside. Comparable in compact team size, distinctive artistic identity, and atmospheric indie game development.
• Team Cherry: Tiny three-person Australian indie studio behind Hollow Knight. Comparable in micro-team scale, handcrafted art style, and cross-platform indie distribution strategy.
• Yacht Club Games: Small independent studio famous for Shovel Knight. Similar in team size, indie action-game focus, and multi-platform distribution (console + PC + mobile).
• Supergiant Games: Small independent studio (~20 people) known for distinctive action games (Bastion, Hades, Transistor) with strong narrative and art identity. Closely comparable in studio size ethos, indie action-game pedigree, and commitment to thoughtful design over volume.
• Thunder Lotus Games: Mid-sized indie studio behind Sundered and Jotun. Comparable in independent production ethos, distinctive art direction, and multi-platform console/PC release strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TursiopsStudios
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq8xCjBCRmV4zR9xG4aZ8cA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TursiopsTruncatusStudios
• TikToktiktok.com/@TursiopsStudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tursiops-truncatus-studios-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Tursiops Truncatus Studios