What Up Games
What Up Games is a bootstrapped, founder-operated independent game studio developing freemium Unity-based titles across competitive arena (SHATTER), VR sports (Nothin' But Net), educational kids' games (Jett Swizzles: Poof), and casual simulation (CAFE EXPRESS-O) for consumer audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBonney Lake, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What What Up Games does
What Up Games, LLC is an independent game development studio founded in 2015 and based in Bonney Lake, Washington. The company is operated by co-founders Stacey Haffner (CEO) and Ben Haffner (CTO) as a small, bootstrapped operation of fewer than 10 employees. It develops and publishes a portfolio of games spanning multiple genres and platforms, including SHATTER (a competitive PvPvE arena game currently in alpha with hero-based 5v5 and 30v30 gameplay modes), Nothin' But Net (a VR basketball simulation), Jett Swizzles: Poof (an educational adventure game for children about extinct species), and CAFE EXPRESS-O (a barista management simulation).
The studio's technical foundation is built on the Unity game engine, utilizing UI Toolkit, the Addressables asset system, and behavior tree architecture for gameplay and AI systems. Beyond commercial games, What Up Games produces a Unity game development tutorial library distributed via YouTube and its website, and maintains open-source developer tools such as the Behavior Tree Visualizer on GitHub.
The business model is freemium: games are free-to-play with optional cosmetic in-game purchases, and SHATTER is explicitly designed to avoid pay-to-win mechanics. The company has not disclosed any funding rounds and appears to be entirely founder-funded. Distribution is digital-first through direct website downloads and the studio's YouTube channel, with go-to-market driven by community engagement through Discord, newsletter sign-ups, and organic social media presence on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky. Customer segments are broad and consumer-facing, spanning competitive gamers, VR enthusiasts, families seeking educational content, and casual gamers.
What Up Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- What Up Games
- Legal name
- What Up Games, LLC
- Website
- https://whatupgames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- What Up Games is a bootstrapped, founder-operated independent game studio developing freemium Unity-based titles across competitive arena (SHATTER), VR sports (Nothin' But Net), educational kids' games (Jett Swizzles: Poof), and casual simulation (CAFE EXPRESS-O) for consumer audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
What Up Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Games
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Indie Game Studios (MPAFAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sports/Racing Game Studios (MPAFAAAJ), Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)
Keywords
Where What Up Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bonney Lake
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
What Up Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Free-to-Play with Cosmetic Purchases: Core game is free-to-play with optional in-game purchases for cosmetics and non-gameplay advantages. Will never be pay-to-win.
- Alpha Access: Early access program for SHATTER game development feedback and community building
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free-to-play base game with optional cosmetic purchases |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
What Up Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
What Up Games is an independent game studio that develops and publishes virtual reality sports games and educational games for consumer audiences. Its catalog includes VR titles such as SHATTER (a PvPvE arena game) and Nothin' But Net (a VR basketball experience), as well as educational offerings like Jett Swizzles: Poof, CAFE EXPRESS-O, and the Learning Hub. The studio distributes its games primarily through a free-to-play model with optional in-game cosmetic purchases.
Product overview
What Up Games is an independent game development studio founded in 2015 and run by a husband-and-wife team. The company develops a portfolio of games across different genres and platforms, including SHATTER (a competitive arena PvPvE game with hero-based gameplay), Nothin' But Net (VR basketball simulation), Jett Swizzles: Poof (educational adventure for kids), and CAFE EXPRESS-O (barista management sim). Beyond commercial games, the studio also provides game development educational content through video tutorials on YouTube, archived written tutorials, and open-source Unity developer tools such as the Behavior Tree Visualizer.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SHATTER
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple game formats supported: free for all, 5v5, and 30v30 battles
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use What Up Games
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
What Up Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
What Up Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
What Up Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stress Level Zero: Small indie VR game developer behind Boneworks and Bonelab, comparable to What Up Games as a focused VR-focused studio building immersive sports/simulation experiences.
- Psyonix: Developer of Rocket League, a competitive arena sports game with F2P and cosmetic monetization. Directly comparable as a competitive arena title with PvP formats and esports potential.
- Filament Games: Educational game developer creating learning-focused titles for kids and schools, comparable to What Up Games' Jett Swizzles: Poof educational offering.
- Resolution Games: VR-focused game studio behind titles like Demeo and Angry Birds VR, comparable to What Up Games as a specialist developer of VR entertainment experiences.
- Frost Giant Studios: Indie studio building competitive multiplayer games like Stormgate, similar in size and competitive multiplayer focus to What Up Games' SHATTER ambitions.
- Theorycraft Games: Indie studio developing Supervive, a hero-based competitive PvP game with multiple team sizes, structurally similar to SHATTER's PvPvE hero arena concept.
- Schell Games: Independent game studio that develops both educational games (for clients like Disney and PBS) and VR titles, closely mirroring What Up Games' diversified indie portfolio across learning and VR.
Emerging players
- Supergiant Games: Boutique indie game studio with a small team producing critically acclaimed titles (Hades, Bastion), representative of the small-team indie model What Up Games aspires to at scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
What Up Games social profiles
Digital presenceWhat Up Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
What Up Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
What Up Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
What Up 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 What Up Games
What does What Up Games do?
What Up Games is an independent game studio that develops and publishes virtual reality sports games and educational games for consumer audiences. Its catalog includes VR titles such as SHATTER (a PvPvE arena game) and Nothin' But Net (a VR basketball experience), as well as educational offerings like Jett Swizzles: Poof, CAFE EXPRESS-O, and the Learning Hub. The studio distributes its games primarily through a free-to-play model with optional in-game cosmetic purchases.
Is What Up Games a public or private company?
What Up Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was What Up Games founded?
What Up Games was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is What Up Games based?
What Up Games is headquartered in Bonney Lake, United States, in the North America region.
How does What Up Games make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Free-to-Play with Cosmetic Purchases are the primary driver. The others are alpha Access.
Who are What Up Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stress Level Zero, Psyonix, Filament Games, Resolution Games, Frost Giant Studios, Theorycraft Games and Schell Games. Supergiant Games is listed as an emerging player.
Does What Up Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for What Up Games.
What industry is What Up Games in?
What Up Games's product category is Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAC, Indie Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAAAJ, Sports/Racing Game Studios. Its SIC code is 7990.