Iron Gate AB
Iron Gate AB is a Swedish game development studio that creates and distributes Valheim, a Viking-themed survival game sold to over 12 million individual gamers worldwide across multiple digital platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSkövde, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Iron Gate AB does
Iron Gate AB is a privately held Swedish game development studio founded in 2018 by industry veterans Richard Svensson and Henrik Törnqvist, headquartered in Skövde, Sweden. The studio operates with a lean team of 16 employees working in a hybrid remote/office model. Iron Gate is a single-product studio, with its entire commercial focus centered on Valheim, a Viking-themed open-world survival game featuring exploration, base-building, combat, and cooperative multiplayer gameplay set in a world inspired by Norse mythology and the Nordic landscapes of Sweden.
Valheim launched into Early Access on Steam in February 2021 and has since sold over 12 million copies worldwide across six digital distribution platforms: Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, Humble Store, Mac App Store, and PlayStation. The studio generates revenue exclusively through one-time game sales (no subscription or in-app purchase model), with pricing determined by individual storefronts. Customer engagement is driven through community channels including Discord, Twitter, YouTube, and Steam, with a product-led growth motion leveraging Early Access and word-of-mouth.
The company is founder-owned with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity. Iron Gate continues to develop Valheim toward a full release, with ongoing content updates (e.g., Mistlands, Ashlands). The studio currently shows no open hiring positions and maintains a focused, low-overhead operational posture.
Iron Gate AB firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Iron Gate AB
- Legal name
- Iron Gate AB
- Website
- https://irongatestudio.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Iron Gate AB is a Swedish game development studio that creates and distributes Valheim, a Viking-themed survival game sold to over 12 million individual gamers worldwide across multiple digital platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Iron Gate AB is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Skövde
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Iron Gate AB 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 (Direct): Iron Gate generates revenue through one-time purchases of their Viking adventure game Valheim. The game is sold as a digital download across multiple platforms including Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, Humble Store, Mac App Store, and PlayStation. No subscription or in-app purchase monetization is indicated in the available information.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
Iron Gate AB product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Iron Gate AB is a Swedish game development studio that creates and sells Valheim, a Viking-themed survival crafting adventure game. The studio designs, develops, and distributes the game as a digital title across PC and console storefronts, allowing players to explore a Nordic-inspired open world, build settlements, and battle mythological creatures either solo or in cooperative multiplayer.
Product overview
Iron Gate AB is a single-product game development studio that created Valheim, a viking adventure game. Valheim is available across multiple distribution platforms including Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox, Humble Store, Mac App Store, and PlayStation. The company continues to develop Valheim toward a full release after launching in Early Access in February 2021.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Valheim A Viking adventure survival crafting game where players explore a procedurally-influenced open world inspired by Norse mythology, build settlements, engage in base-building and combat, and play cooperatively with other players. Sold as a digital download across PC and console storefronts.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 12 million copies sold worldwide
Companies that use Iron Gate AB
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Iron Gate AB technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Iron Gate AB partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Iron Gate AB competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Coffee Stain Studios: Swedish developer and publisher (Satisfactory, Deep Rock Galactic, Goat Simulator) and the publisher of Valheim itself. Comparable as a fellow Skövde/Sweden-based game studio with survival-crafting titles; broader portfolio than Iron Gate, and a publishing partner rather than a direct competitor.
- Mojang Studios: Developer of Minecraft, the original survival-crafting blockbuster and the strategic ceiling for any indie in the genre. Comparable as a small Swedish-founded studio that built a generation-defining survival-crafting IP, later acquired by Microsoft for $2.5B.
- Larian Studios: Developer of Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin, a larger European independent studio with multi-million-selling RPG/survival-adjacent titles. Comparable as a European privately held studio with a flagship hit, though operating at much larger scale and budget than Iron Gate.
Direct peers
- Klei Entertainment: Independent studio behind Don't Starve and related survival-crafting titles. Comparable to Iron Gate as a privately held studio with a thematic survival franchise, deep community engagement, and PC-led distribution that later expanded to console.
- Studio Wildcard: Developer of ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended, a leading survival-crafting franchise across PC and console. Direct competitor in the same genre with overlapping multiplayer, open-world, and base-building mechanics.
- Hinterland Studio: Independent studio behind The Long Dark, a survival title with a strong community and ongoing content updates. Comparable to Iron Gate as a small-team survival studio operating a single enduring IP across PC and console.
- Facepunch Studios: Independent game studio behind Rust, the canonical PC survival-crafting hit. Directly comparable to Iron Gate as a privately held, small-team studio with a single mega-hit survival-crafting title that drives most of its reputation and revenue.
- Re-Logic: Independent studio behind Terraria, one of the best-selling games of all time developed by a very small team. Closely comparable to Iron Gate in operating profile: tiny team, single enduring sandbox/survival-crafting IP, multi-platform distribution, and long monetization tail.
- Endnight Games: Small independent studio behind The Forest and Sons of the Forest, survival-crafting titles with similar scale, team size, and Steam-driven commercial profiles to Iron Gate's Valheim.
- ConcernedApe: Solo developer behind Stardew Valley, a multi-million-selling indie hit built and maintained by a tiny team. Comparable archetype to Iron Gate: founder-led, single mega-hit, very small team, exceptionally capital-efficient indie success.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Iron Gate AB social profiles
Digital presenceIron Gate AB financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Iron Gate AB leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Iron Gate AB funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Iron Gate AB 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 Iron Gate AB
What does Iron Gate AB do?
Iron Gate AB is a Swedish game development studio that creates and sells Valheim, a Viking-themed survival crafting adventure game. The studio designs, develops, and distributes the game as a digital title across PC and console storefronts, allowing players to explore a Nordic-inspired open world, build settlements, and battle mythological creatures either solo or in cooperative multiplayer.
Is Iron Gate AB a public or private company?
Iron Gate AB is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Iron Gate AB founded?
Iron Gate AB was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Iron Gate AB based?
Iron Gate AB is headquartered in Skövde, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Iron Gate AB make money?
One revenue line is on record: game Sales (Direct).
Who are Iron Gate AB's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Coffee Stain Studios, Mojang Studios and Larian Studios. Direct peers are Klei Entertainment, Studio Wildcard, Hinterland Studio, Facepunch Studios, Re-Logic, Endnight Games and ConcernedApe.
Does Iron Gate AB have an API?
No public API is recorded for Iron Gate AB.