Kinetic Games
Independent UK game studio founded in 2020, developer of Phasmophobia — a four-player online co-op psychological horror title sold to over 28 million PC and console players globally — now also running Kinetic Publishing, an indie game publishing label.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSouthampton, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Kinetic Games does
Kinetic Games is an independent UK-based video game studio founded in 2020 by Daniel Knight and headquartered in Southampton (registered as Kinetic Games Limited, company number 12966685). Its flagship product is Phasmophobia, a four-player online co-op psychological horror game in which teams of paranormal investigators use ghost-hunting equipment to identify and survive hauntings; the game launched in Steam Early Access in June 2020 and has accumulated over 28 million copies sold across PC (Steam), PlayStation, and Xbox, with a Nintendo Switch 2 port aligned to the 1.0 release in H2 2027. The title is built on the Unity engine (upgrading to Unity 6 in October 2026), uses Exit Games for multiplayer infrastructure, Unity Gaming Services for cloud save, and Unity Gaming Services (Vivox) for voice/voice-recognition features, and supports cross-platform play plus full VR.
The studio generates revenue primarily through one-time game sales across digital storefronts, supplemented by official merchandise (own storefront plus Amazon US). In January 2026, Kinetic Games launched Kinetic Publishing, a wholly-owned indie publishing label providing $50K-$2M in funding alongside development, marketing, PR, and operational support to small teams with PC/console titles 12-18 months from release, with an explicit exclusion of blockchain, web3, and AI-generated games. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, with no disclosed external investors, and operates with a small team of 11-50 employees. Distribution is digital-first via Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store, supported by an active community stack (Discord, YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram) and event presence including Galaxies Showcase and TwitchCon San Diego 2025.
Kinetic Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kinetic Games
- Legal name
- Kinetic Games Limited
- Website
- https://kineticgames.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Independent UK game studio founded in 2020, developer of Phasmophobia — a four-player online co-op psychological horror title sold to over 28 million PC and console players globally — now also running Kinetic Publishing, an indie game publishing label.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kinetic Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cooperative Horror Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)
Keywords
Where Kinetic Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Southampton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kinetic Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales: One-time purchase revenue from Phasmophobia sold on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store. The game launched in Early Access in 2020 and has sold over 28 million copies across all platforms.
- Merchandise Sales: Official merchandise store selling Phasmophobia branded products including clothing and accessories.
- Publishing Revenue: Kinetic Publishing will support indie developers with funding and advisory services, providing a new revenue stream through publishing partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Base game purchase - one-time purchase for full game access |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Kinetic Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kinetic Games develops and sells Phasmophobia, a four-player online co-op psychological horror game in which teams of paranormal investigators use ghost-hunting equipment to gather evidence in haunted locations; the game is sold on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store, with a Nintendo Switch 2 port upcoming. The studio has also launched Kinetic Publishing, a separate publishing arm that provides funding (typically $50,000 to $2 million), development guidance, marketing, PR, and operational support to indie developers 12-18 months from release.
Product overview
Kinetic Games operates as an independent UK-based game developer and publisher with two main offerings: Phasmophobia, the company's flagship four-player online co-op psychological horror game launched in Early Access in 2020 and still in active development with plans for 1.0 release; and Kinetic Publishing, a publishing division established in January 2026 to support indie developers with funding and advisory services. The company has sold over 28 million copies of Phasmophobia across all platforms including PC (Steam), PlayStation, Xbox, and upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kinetic Publishing: Publishing division of Kinetic Games established to support indie developers with funding, development guidance, marketing, PR, and operational support for games 12-18 months from release.
Products and services
- Phasmophobia A four-player online co-op psychological horror game where teams of paranormal investigators use ghost-hunting equipment to gather evidence in haunted locations. Available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, with full VR support, voice recognition, and cross-platform multiplayer.
- Kinetic Publishing An indie game publishing label offering funding (typically $50,000 to $2 million), development guidance, marketing, PR, and operational support to small indie studios with PC or console games 12-18 months from release. Excludes blockchain, web3, and AI-generated games.
Companies that use Kinetic Games
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kinetic Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Kinetic Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Remedy EntertainmentcoreKinetic Games collaborated with Remedy Entertainment on the 'Phasmophobia by Alan Wake' crossover event, marking Phasmophobia's first major franchise collaboration. The event featured unique story content written by Remedy's Sam Lake (creative director), new skins, reworked maps, and narration by Matthew Porretta. No microtransactions were planned for unlockable content. Both studios expressed openness to future collaborations, with Remedy noting Alan Wake's lore 'expressly allows reality to be rewritten.'
- Sam Lake (Remedy Entertainment)minorSam Lake, Remedy Entertainment's creative director and original writer of the Alan Wake franchise, wrote the crossover event story for Phasmophobia.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kinetic Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Devolver Digital: Independent game publisher with a portfolio of indie hits (Hotline Miami, Fall Guys, Cult of the Lamb). Devolver is comparable to Kinetic Publishing as an indie-focused publishing partner, though at significantly larger scale and with a public-market listing.
Broad incumbents
- Behaviour Interactive: Developer of Dead by Daylight, the dominant asymmetric/co-op live-service horror game. Behaviour is a broad incumbent in the multiplayer horror space, competing with Phasmophobia for the same player wallet and attention but with a much larger team, live-ops cadence, and licensed content partnerships.
- Supermassive Games: Developer of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology under Bandai Namco. Supermassive is a broader incumbent in narrative horror, overlapping with Phasmophobia's horror audience and cross-platform console presence, but operating at AAA production scale rather than indie.
- Remedy Entertainment: Developer of Alan Wake, Control, and Max Payne. Remedy is a broad incumbent in narrative-led single-player action/horror and is also Kinetic's first major IP collaboration partner. Comparability comes from overlapping horror audience and the precedent of cross-franchise collaboration now in place.
Direct peers
- Endnight Games: Developer of The Forest and Sons of the Forest, small-team co-op survival horror titles on PC and console. Endnight directly competes with Phasmophobia for co-op horror players' time and is comparable in team size, indie origin, and platform distribution.
- Innersloth: Developer of Among Us and operator of the Outersloth indie game fund. Innersloth is the closest direct peer: a small founder-led studio behind a single breakout co-op multiplayer hit that subsequently launched a publishing arm with comparable $50K–$2M cheque sizes. Both studios monetize through community-led, no-microtransaction models.
- Frictional Games: Swedish indie developer of the Amnesia and SOMA series. Frictional is a direct peer in the indie psychological horror category — small studio, PC-led horror games with strong mod/community engagement and a similar emphasis on atmosphere over action.
- Pocketpair: Developer of Palworld and operator of its own indie publishing arm. Pocketpair is explicitly grouped with Kinetic Games in the data as a comparable small studio that converted a breakout hit into a publishing initiative, sharing the same founder-led indie model and publishing strategy.
- Red Barrels: Montreal-based developer of the Outlast franchise, including The Outlast Trials (co-op horror). Red Barrels directly competes with Phasmophobia in the multiplayer/cooperative psychological horror niche, serving the same horror enthusiast segment on PC and consoles.
- Landfall: Swedish developer of Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and Content Warning. Landfall is referenced in the data alongside Kinetic as a small indie studio that has launched its own funding initiative to support other developers, making it a direct peer on both the studio and the publishing-side business models.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kinetic Games social profiles
Digital presenceKinetic Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kinetic Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kinetic Games subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kinetic Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kinetic Games 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 Kinetic Games
What does Kinetic Games do?
Kinetic Games develops and sells Phasmophobia, a four-player online co-op psychological horror game in which teams of paranormal investigators use ghost-hunting equipment to gather evidence in haunted locations; the game is sold on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store, with a Nintendo Switch 2 port upcoming. The studio has also launched Kinetic Publishing, a separate publishing arm that provides funding (typically $50,000 to $2 million), development guidance, marketing, PR, and operational support to indie developers 12-18 months from release.
Is Kinetic Games a public or private company?
Kinetic Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kinetic Games founded?
Kinetic Games was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kinetic Games based?
Kinetic Games is headquartered in Southampton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Kinetic Games make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and publishing Revenue.
Who are Kinetic Games's main competitors?
Devolver Digital is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Behaviour Interactive, Supermassive Games and Remedy Entertainment. Direct peers are Endnight Games, Innersloth, Frictional Games, Pocketpair, Red Barrels and Landfall.
Does Kinetic Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kinetic Games.
What industry is Kinetic Games in?
Kinetic Games's product category is Cooperative Horror Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAC, Indie Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAKAM, Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 5945.