Hinterland
Hinterland Studio Inc. is an independent, self-funded Vancouver-based video game developer and publisher best known for The Long Dark, a single-player survival franchise with 10 million+ players across PC and console platforms, currently expanding into a sequel (Blackfrost).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hinterland does
Hinterland Studio Inc. is an independent, founder-owned video game development and publishing company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with a remote-first workforce of 51–100 employees. The company develops and self-publishes its own intellectual property, anchored by The Long Dark, a single-player survival simulation set in a post-apocalyptic Northern Canadian wilderness following a geomagnetic event the studio calls "the Quiet Apocalypse." The Long Dark launched on Steam in 2014 and combines a non-narrative Survival Mode (a free-form sandbox with permadeath mechanics across 75+ square kilometers and 12+ regions) with WINTERMUTE, an episodic narrative mode launched in 2017 and concluding in March 2026 with Episode Five.
The studio's underlying technology stack centers on the Unity game engine, with custom proprietary systems for survival simulation (hunger, thirst, fatigue, cold), crafting, predator AI (notably Cougar 2.0), a Cheat Death optional system, and Safehouse Customization. The company's product portfolio has expanded over time: Tales From The Far Territory (a six-part paid DLC expansion for Survival Mode released December 2022 through December 2024), three volumes of officially licensed soundtrack albums, and merchandise. Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2, a sequel featuring both solo and co-op modes, was announced at The Game Awards in December 2024 and is in development for Early Access.
Hinterland operates a direct-to-consumer business model, generating revenue through one-time game and DLC purchases distributed across Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, and Nintendo eShop, with planned expansion to GOG and WeGame. Pricing follows standard premium indie game and DLC bands; soundtrack albums are priced at $9.99 USD each. The company is self-funded with no external investors and has reported revenue stable at +/-5% year-over-year for four to five years, supported by an installed base of more than 10 million players. Marketing relies on owned channels — official website, dev diaries, YouTube, Bluesky, an active community forum, and newsletter — and direct developer-to-player engagement rather than paid acquisition.
Hinterland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hinterland
- Legal name
- Hinterland Studio Inc.
- Website
- https://hinterland.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hinterland Studio Inc. is an independent, self-funded Vancouver-based video game developer and publisher best known for The Long Dark, a single-player survival franchise with 10 million+ players across PC and console platforms, currently expanding into a sequel (Blackfrost).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hinterland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Survival Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Live-Service & MMO Game Studios (MPAFAAAD)
Keywords
Where Hinterland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hinterland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game Sales: One-time purchase model for The Long Dark, including both Survival Mode and Wintermute Story Mode. The game is available as a standalone product or as Survival Edition. Revenue from new player acquisitions and ongoing sales across multiple platforms.
- Expansion Pass (TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY): Paid DLC expansion pass for Survival Mode, released in multiple Parts over a campaign. Adds new regions, gameplay mechanics, tales (narrative objectives), and features. Includes free updates to base game for all owners.
- Episode Five (WINTERMUTE Story Mode): Final episode of the Wintermute story mode available to owners of The Long Dark, continuing the episodic narrative with additional content for story mode players.
- Soundtrack Sales: Digital soundtrack albums sold through Steam and Bandcamp. Three volumes released featuring music composed by Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan. Prices at $9.99 USD per volume with launch discounts.
- Merchandise: Physical merchandise including hoodies, mugs, posters, hatchets, and collaboration items with Granted x Hinterland. Previously sold through pop-up stores and planned new store launch.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Music for The Long Dark Volume 3 soundtrack album |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY Expansion Pass |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels7 records
Hinterland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hinterland Studio Inc. develops and self-publishes The Long Dark, a thoughtful exploration-survival video game franchise set in post-apocalyptic Northern Canada, combining a free-form non-narrative Survival Mode sandbox with the episodic WINTERMUTE Story Mode. The studio also develops and sells paid expansion content (Tales From The Far Territory), official soundtrack albums, and physical merchandise, with a sequel (Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2) currently in development for Early Access.
Product overview
Hinterland Studio Inc. is an independent video game development studio and publisher offering a portfolio of interconnected survival games centered around The Long Dark franchise. The core product is The Long Dark (2014), which combines Survival Mode (a non-narrative open-world survival sandbox) and Wintermute (an episodic story mode). The portfolio includes: The Long Dark: Survival Mode (standalone sandbox), The Long Dark: Wintermute (episodic narrative), Tales From The Far Territory (a six-part paid expansion adding new regions, mechanics, and content to Survival Mode), three Music for The Long Dark soundtrack volumes, and the upcoming Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 sequel. The company operates independently as a self-funded, self-published studio with a remote-first work environment and optional Vancouver physical studio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Long Dark: The main survival game franchise featuring Wintermute story mode and Survival Mode, set in post-apocalyptic Northern Canada
- Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2
- The Long Dark: Tales From The Far Territory
- The Long Dark: Wintermute
Products and services
- The Long Dark The flagship survival game set in post-apocalyptic Northern Canada, combining Survival Mode (free-form non-narrative sandbox) with Wintermute Story Mode (episodic narrative). Players survive in Great Bear Island following a geomagnetic disaster with no zombies, only cold and nature threats. Supports thousands of hours of gameplay and is sold to individual PC and console gamers worldwide.
- The Long Dark: Survival Mode Standalone free-form non-narrative survival sandbox featuring permadeath, over 100 gear items, five experience modes from Pilgrim to Misery, and a 75+ square kilometer Northern Canadian wilderness spanning 12 major regions. Targeted at survival game enthusiasts seeking challenging permadeath gameplay.
- The Long Dark: Wintermute Five-episode episodic narrative story mode following bush pilot Will Mackenzie and Dr. Astrid Greenwood as they race to save a remote community from the deadly wilderness. Features voice performances by award-winning actors, motion-captured performances, and over 40 hours of story-driven gameplay with more than 4 hours of cinematics.
- The Long Dark: Tales From The Far Territory Paid expansion pass for The Long Dark's Survival Mode released in six Parts. Adds new regions (Forsaken Airfield, Zone of Contamination, Mountain Pass), new gameplay mechanics (Frontier Cooking, Travois, Trader system, Cheat Death, Cougar 2.0, Safehouse Customization), objective-based Tales, and new wildlife including Cougar.
- Music for The Long Dark: Volume One Official soundtrack album featuring 100 minutes of music composed by Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan. Includes WINTERMUTE Episode One: Do Not Go Gentle, Episode Two: Luminance Fugue, and all Survival Mode ambient exploration music. Sold via Steam and Bandcamp.
- Music for The Long Dark: Volume Two Official soundtrack album with 71 minutes of music featuring the complete WINTERMUTE Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy soundtrack and additional Survival Mode ambient and exploration music. Sold via Steam and Bandcamp.
- Music for The Long Dark: Volume Three Official soundtrack album with 116 minutes of music featuring WINTERMUTE Episode Four: Fury Then Silence, Episode Five: The Light at The End of All Things, and all ambient exploration music from Tales From The Far Territory. Sold via Steam and Bandcamp at $9.99 USD.
- Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 Sequel to The Long Dark announced at The Game Awards December 2024, set a year after the Aurora's appearance in Harmont and its wild environs. Features 'Live together, or die alone' gameplay with both solo and co-op modes, currently in development for Early Access release.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 million+ players have experienced The Long Dark
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hinterland
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hinterland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Hinterland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hinterland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ConcernedApe (Eric Barone): Sole-developer indie creator of Stardew Valley with Haunted Chocolatier in development. Comparable as a self-published indie creator of a long-running, evergreen simulation/survival-leaning title.
- Klei Entertainment: Independent studio behind Don't Starve, a leading single-player survival franchise with permadeath and crafting mechanics. Closest direct peer given similar scope, indie scale, single-player survival focus, and long-term content support model.
- Re-Logic: Indie developer of Terraria, a 2D sandbox-survival game with more than a decade of post-launch content support. Comparable in indie scale, single-player survival/sandbox focus, and long-tail revenue model.
- Facepunch Studios: Independent developer of Rust and Garry's Mod, both long-running survival/sandbox titles. Comparable as self-funded indie studio with multi-decade survival franchise and large player base.
- Endnight Games: Developer of The Forest and Sons of the Forest, a small-team indie studio building premium survival-craft experiences on PC and console. Directly comparable as indie survival developer with sequel franchise.
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment: Developer of Subnautica and Subnautica 2, an independent studio focused on atmospheric survival-craft experiences. Directly comparable as indie survival studio with sequel pipeline and similar core audience.
- Iron Gate AB: Swedish indie studio behind Valheim, an early-access survival-craft phenomenon. Comparable as small independent team that broke out with a survival title and operates without traditional publisher ownership.
Broad incumbents
- Coffee Stain Studios: Developer of Satisfactory and Goat Simulator, indie-leaning studio now owned by Embracer. Comparable as indie survival-craft developer that scaled into a multi-title publisher, relevant for Blackfrost scaling.
Emerging players
- Inflexion Games: Developer of Nightingale, a multiplayer survival-craft title. Comparable as an indie studio tackling the survival-craft category with a co-op-first design, directly relevant to Blackfrost's co-op pivot.
- The Fun Pimps: Indie developer of 7 Days to Die, a survival-craft title with long post-launch support. Comparable as small independent team running a decade-plus survival franchise with episodic content updates.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hinterland social profiles
Digital presenceHinterland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hinterland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hinterland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hinterland 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 Hinterland
What does Hinterland do?
Hinterland Studio Inc. develops and self-publishes The Long Dark, a thoughtful exploration-survival video game franchise set in post-apocalyptic Northern Canada, combining a free-form non-narrative Survival Mode sandbox with the episodic WINTERMUTE Story Mode. The studio also develops and sells paid expansion content (Tales From The Far Territory), official soundtrack albums, and physical merchandise, with a sequel (Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2) currently in development for Early Access.
Is Hinterland a public or private company?
Hinterland is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hinterland founded?
Hinterland was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hinterland based?
Hinterland is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Hinterland make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are expansion Pass (TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY), episode Five (WINTERMUTE Story Mode), soundtrack Sales and merchandise.
Who are Hinterland's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ConcernedApe (Eric Barone), Klei Entertainment, Re-Logic, Facepunch Studios, Endnight Games, Unknown Worlds Entertainment and Iron Gate AB. Coffee Stain Studios is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Inflexion Games and The Fun Pimps.
Does Hinterland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hinterland.
What industry is Hinterland in?
Hinterland's product category is Survival Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAC, Indie Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAAAD, Live-Service & MMO Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.