DAMP GNAT LIMITED
Damp Gnat Ltd is a Brighton-based independent games studio (1-10 employees) founded by Reece Millidge that develops artistic, physics-based puzzle and casual games such as Wonderputt and Icycle: On Thin Ice, plus VR/MR title Charlie Bravo SOS, distributing across Steam, Epic, Netflix, iOS, Google Play, and major headset platforms for a global consumer audience.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBrighton, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What DAMP GNAT LIMITED does
Damp Gnat Ltd is an independent games development studio founded by Reece Millidge in Brighton, United Kingdom, operating with 1-10 employees since 2011-2012. The studio produces artistic, physics-based puzzle and casual games for a horizontal consumer audience, with a signature portfolio of Wonderputt and Icycle: On Thin Ice, plus an emerging VR/MR title called Charlie Bravo SOS. Its games emphasise bespoke narrative, evolving level transformations, hand-crafted visual art, and British humour, and have accumulated recognitions including Apple Editor's Choice features, Apple Best Game of 2016 on Apple TV (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit designation for the founder, an FWA Mobile of the Day award, and IGF / Casual Connect art accolades.
The studio's underlying technology spans cross-platform development using Unity, 3DStudioMax, Adobe Photoshop, and historically Adobe Flash, with current support for PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Apple TV, and web browsers. For its VR/AR/MR roadmap, Damp Gnat has developed proprietary capabilities including GlobalMesh spatial reconstruction and on-device passthrough camera processing, with Firebase used to securely transmit reconstructed meshes for gameplay synchronisation across Meta, PICO, Apple, Google, Samsung, Valve, Sony, and HTC headsets.
Commercially, Damp Gnat operates a product-led, marketplace-distributed model with one-time purchases on Steam, Epic Games Store, iOS App Store, Google Play, Apple TV, Kartridge, and Kongregate, plus subscription residuals from Netflix Games and GameClub. PC publishing is handled by Rogue Games (Wonderputt Forever), with Chillingo historically publishing Icycle on iOS. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed external funding, and relies on platform visibility, earned media, and indie-industry event presence rather than a traditional sales organisation.
DAMP GNAT LIMITED firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DAMP GNAT LIMITED
- Legal name
- Damp Gnat Ltd
- Website
- https://dampgnat.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Damp Gnat Ltd is a Brighton-based independent games studio (1-10 employees) founded by Reece Millidge that develops artistic, physics-based puzzle and casual games such as Wonderputt and Icycle: On Thin Ice, plus VR/MR title Charlie Bravo SOS, distributing across Steam, Epic, Netflix, iOS, Google Play, and major headset platforms for a global consumer audience.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DAMP GNAT LIMITED industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indie Video Games
- akta.pro primary industry
- Game Engines (General-Purpose & Real-Time 3D) (MPAFAFAA)
Keywords
Where DAMP GNAT LIMITED is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brighton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DAMP GNAT LIMITED 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 (One-Time Purchase): Games are sold as one-time purchases on platforms like Steam, Epic Games Store, iOS App Store, and Google Play. Wonderputt Forever and Icycle: On Thin Ice are available for direct purchase.
- Subscription Distribution: Wonderputt is available through Netflix's mobile games subscription and GameClub's mobile games subscription service, generating revenue through licensing agreements with these platforms.
- Publisher Licensing: PC publishing partnerships with Rogue Games for Wonderputt Forever distribution on Steam and Epic Games Store. iOS publishing through Chillingo for Icycle: On Thin Ice.
- Platform App Store Revenue: Direct distribution through Apple's App Store and Google Play Store with standard platform revenue share arrangements.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels7 records
DAMP GNAT LIMITED product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Damp Gnat is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes artistic, physics-based puzzle and casual games for consumers across PC, Mac, mobile, tablet, and VR/AR/MR platforms. Its core products include the Wonderputt mini-golf series and Icycle: On Thin Ice platform adventure, distributed via Steam, Epic Games Store, iOS App Store, Google Play, Apple TV, Netflix, and other platforms, with publisher partnerships supporting broader reach.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wonderputt Forever A mini-golf game with unique evolving levels and three gameplay modes, in which the course transforms as ages pass from undeveloped jungle to futuristic sky cities. Available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), iOS, and Android via the Netflix app for individual gaming consumers.
- Icycle: On Thin Ice A physics-based platform adventure puzzle game for individual gamers, set on a bicycle in a hypnotic frozen world, available across iOS, Apple TV, Google Play, and Steam (PC/Mac).
- Wonderputt (original) An award-winning adventure mini-golf game with 18 unique holes and animated features, originally released as a Flash browser game and later brought to iPad. Designed for individual gamers seeking artistic, narrative-driven casual gameplay.
- Charlie Bravo SOS A VR/AR/MR title developed by Damp Gnat for immersive mixed reality gameplay across multiple headset platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35,000 downloads in first week with #1 ranking in UK
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DAMP GNAT LIMITED
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DAMP GNAT LIMITED technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature5 records
DAMP GNAT LIMITED partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Rogue Games, InccoreRogue Games serves as the publisher for Wonderputt Forever on Steam and Epic Games Store. The partnership enabled the game's PC launch on December 2, 2022, expanding distribution beyond mobile and streaming platforms to the broader PC gaming market.
- NetflixcoreNetflix distributes Wonderputt Forever on iOS and Android via the Netflix app, launching December 2, 2021. This partnership provides access to Netflix's subscriber base as a mobile games distribution channel within their entertainment ecosystem.
- ChillingocoreChillingo served as the iOS publisher for Icycle: On Thin Ice, which launched on the iOS App Store in November 2013. Chillingo is a well-established mobile games publisher known for quality indie titles.
- GameClubminorGameClub's mobile games subscription service distributes the original Wonderputt HD version on iOS and Android, providing ongoing revenue through subscription licensing.
- KongregatecoreKongregate served as the primary web sponsor and initial distribution platform for Wonderputt Flash, hosting the game's launch on August 15, 2011. The platform provided player feedback systems crucial for post-launch improvements.
- Firebase (Google)coreFirebase servers are used to securely transmit, process, store, and synchronise reconstructed spatial meshes (such as GlobalMesh) required for mixed-reality gameplay features. This is essential infrastructure for Damp Gnat's VR/AR/MR titles.
- Stilton Studios (Andrew Jacobs)minorAndrew Jacobs of Stilton Studios provided sound design services for Icycle: On Thin Ice, creating unique audio using unconventional recording techniques including using a pint glass for wind sounds and a damp flannel for ice cube effects.
- Redtone MediaminorDan Millidge of danmillidge.co.uk (Redtone Media) provided sound and music for Wonderputt, creating nostalgic and scientific-inspired audio effects mixed with modern filters to complement the game's visual aesthetic.
- Platform Providers (Meta, PICO, Apple, Google, Samsung, Valve, Sony, HTC)coreDamp Gnat's VR/AR/MR applications support headsets from Meta, PICO, Apple, Google, Samsung, Valve, Sony, and HTC. These platform providers may independently collect device identifiers, performance data, and spatial mapping information as part of their system-level operation.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
DAMP GNAT LIMITED competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Playdead: Danish indie studio behind Limbo and Inside, known for artistic, narrative-driven 2D puzzle-platformers with strong critical acclaim — directly comparable in artistic DNA, small team size, and award-led positioning.
- Team Cherry: Australian indie trio behind Hollow Knight; comparable as a small, founder-led indie studio producing a single high-quality, art-driven IP with strong critical reception across multiple platforms.
- Hello Games: British indie studio behind No Man's Sky; comparable as a small Brighton-adjacent UK indie developer with multi-platform reach and a track record of long-running, ambitious creative projects.
- Simogo: Swedish indie duo behind Year Walk, Device 6, and Sayonara Wild Hearts — comparable as a micro-studio shipping visually distinctive, narrative-led mobile and multi-platform games with strong art-direction credentials.
- ustwo games: Independent games studio behind the artistic mobile hit Monument Valley; comparable as a small, design-led indie studio producing high-craft, narrative/art-driven mobile and multi-platform games with Apple Design Awards pedigree.
- Bossa Studios: London-based indie studio behind Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread; comparable as a UK-headquartered indie developer producing distinctive, mechanically experimental multi-platform games.
- Amanita Design: Czech indie studio behind Machinarium and Botanicula; comparable as an art-led, narrative-puzzle indie developer with cross-platform distribution and award recognition.
- The Fullbright Company: Small US indie studio behind Gone Home and Open Roads; comparable as a narrative-led, art-forward indie developer operating at small team scale with multi-platform releases.
- Motion Twin: French indie cooperative behind Dead Cells; comparable as a small, artistically distinct indie studio with multi-platform reach and a strong art-direction identity.
Broad incumbents
- Media Molecule: Sony-owned studio behind LittleBigPlanet and Dreams; comparable on the cross-platform creative-tool dimension (Dreams' UGC tooling overlaps with Damp Gnat's MR development stack), though operating at significantly larger scale as part of PlayStation Studios.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DAMP GNAT LIMITED social profiles
Digital presenceDAMP GNAT LIMITED financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DAMP GNAT LIMITED leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DAMP GNAT LIMITED funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DAMP GNAT LIMITED 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 DAMP GNAT LIMITED
What does DAMP GNAT LIMITED do?
Damp Gnat is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and publishes artistic, physics-based puzzle and casual games for consumers across PC, Mac, mobile, tablet, and VR/AR/MR platforms. Its core products include the Wonderputt mini-golf series and Icycle: On Thin Ice platform adventure, distributed via Steam, Epic Games Store, iOS App Store, Google Play, Apple TV, Netflix, and other platforms, with publisher partnerships supporting broader reach.
Is DAMP GNAT LIMITED a public or private company?
DAMP GNAT LIMITED is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DAMP GNAT LIMITED founded?
DAMP GNAT LIMITED was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DAMP GNAT LIMITED based?
DAMP GNAT LIMITED is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does DAMP GNAT LIMITED make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (One-Time Purchase) is the primary driver. The others are subscription Distribution, publisher Licensing and platform App Store Revenue.
Who are DAMP GNAT LIMITED's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Playdead, Team Cherry, Hello Games, Simogo, ustwo games, Bossa Studios, Amanita Design, The Fullbright Company and Motion Twin. Media Molecule is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does DAMP GNAT LIMITED have an API?
No public API is recorded for DAMP GNAT LIMITED.
What industry is DAMP GNAT LIMITED in?
DAMP GNAT LIMITED's product category is Indie Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAFAA, Game Engines (General-Purpose & Real-Time 3D).