What curious chicken games does

Curious Chicken Games Oy is a privately held Finnish independent game studio founded in 2020 by James and Markku, who had previously taken over maintenance and development of the popular freeware top-down arcade racing game GeneRally in 2010. The studio operates with a five-person team comprising the two co-founders — James (Founder & Director, with 15 years of software engineering experience) and Markku (Founder, recently completed PhD in physics with focus on car physics and AI) — plus a developer (Annika, Bachelor of Engineering in Game Development) and a 3D/environment artist (Topi, Bachelor of Culture and Arts in 3D art and animation). The company's sole commercial product is GeneRally 2, a retro-style top-down arcade racing game for desktop PCs that builds on the legacy of the original GeneRally freeware franchise.

GeneRally 2 is powered by a custom game engine featuring retro-style top-down racing gameplay, enhanced car physics, AI-driven opponent behaviour, and user-generated content functionality that enables players to create and share in-game assets (tracks, cars, etc.) with the wider community. The product launched on Steam on May 30, 2023, and is sold as a one-time purchase (no subscription or recurring revenue model) globally through Steam's marketplace infrastructure. Distribution is exclusively digital via Steam, and GeneRally is a registered trademark of the company.

The studio operates a bootstrapped, founder-owned model with no disclosed institutional investment, debt financing, or external capital. Marketing channels are limited to Steam storefront visibility, word-of-mouth within the gaming community, and email newsletters operated through MailerLite. The target customer is the individual consumer gamer — specifically retro gaming enthusiasts familiar with or interested in the GeneRally franchise lineage. Customer acquisition is self-serve via Steam, and the company carries no enterprise contracts, named institutional customers, or B2B revenue streams.

Name

curious chicken games

Legal name

Curious Chicken Games Oy

Website

https://curiouschicken.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Curious Chicken Games is a five-person Finnish indie game studio developing GeneRally 2, a retro-style top-down racing game for desktop PCs sold via Steam. It serves retro gaming enthusiasts, building on the GeneRally franchise legacy the founders have maintained since 2010.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Game Sales (GeneRally 2): One-time purchase revenue from selling GeneRally 2 on Steam. Customers pay a one-time fee to purchase and download the game, generating revenue without ongoing subscription requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Curious Chicken Games develops and sells GeneRally 2, a retro-style top-down arcade racing game for desktop PCs. The game is sold as a one-time digital purchase on Steam and emphasizes fun, easy-to-pick-up gameplay combined with tools for users to create and share in-game content with the wider game community.

Product overview

Curious Chicken Games is a small independent game studio offering a single core product — GeneRally 2, a retro-style top-down racing game for desktop PCs available on Steam. The company has a historical connection to the original GeneRally, a freeware racing game that its founders took over maintenance and development for in 2010, and which has now evolved into the commercially released GeneRally 2. The studio focuses on delivering an engaging gameplay experience combined with user-generated content features for the game community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GeneRally: A registered trademark of Curious Chicken Games Oy. Original popular freeware top-down arcade racing game that the founders took over in 2010.
• GeneRally 2

Products and services

• GeneRally 2 A retro-style top-down arcade racing game for desktop PCs, serving as the sequel to the popular freeware GeneRally. It features fun, creative, and easy-to-pick-up gameplay combined with functionality for users to create and share in-game content with the wider game community.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sector13 Studios: Small indie studio that developed Slipstream, a retro-style top-down arcade racing game on Steam. Directly comparable as a similarly sized indie team focused on the same retro top-down racing sub-genre.
• Aquiris Game Studio: Brazilian studio behind the Horizon Chase series, a retro-inspired top-down arcade racer with commercial releases on console, PC, and mobile. Closely comparable genre and nostalgia-driven design philosophy.
• Pixel Perfect Dude: Indie developer of Super Mega Racing, a retro-styled top-down arcade racing game on Steam. Directly comparable as a small indie studio targeting the same retro top-down racing niche.
• Bugbear Entertainment: Finnish developer of FlatOut and Wreckfest, arcade-style racing games emphasizing fun, accessible physics-driven driving. Comparable as a similarly Finnish-rooted indie studio focused on arcade-leaning racing experiences.
• Reiza Studios: Developer of the Automobilista series, a PC-focused racing simulator with strong community and modding support. Comparable as a small, community-oriented racing game studio with deep technical expertise in car physics.
• Image Space Incorporated: Developer of rFactor and rFactor 2, PC racing simulators known for realistic car physics and modding ecosystems. Comparable as a small specialist racing studio with engineering-grade physics expertise and a strong community content tradition.
• Lucky Mountain Games: Developer of Hotshot Racing, a retro-style arcade top-down racer published by Sumo Digital. Directly comparable as a small studio delivering retro top-down arcade racing on PC and console.

Broad incumbents

• Criterion Games: Established EA-owned studio behind the Burnout series, known for arcade-style racing. Comparable as a much larger incumbent with deep expertise in arcade-leaning racing design, though operating across a much broader portfolio.
• Codemasters: Established publisher/developer of racing franchises including F1, DiRT, and GRID. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in the racing-game category, though its portfolio targets sim-leaning mainstream audiences rather than retro top-down arcade.
• Milestone: Italian developer and publisher of motorcycle and racing games (MotoGP, MXGP, Hot Wheels Unleashed). Comparable as an established racing-focused studio, though operating across a broader and more mainstream portfolio than a retro indie.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curiouschicken

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about curious chicken games