2UP Games

2UP Games is a New Zealand indie mobile game developer focused on cooperative, social and player-driven experiences. Founded in 2020 by Joe Raeburn and Tim Knauf, the studio develops and publishes its own games for iOS and Android rather than operating as a third-party work-for-hire provider.

The company began with an ambition to create synchronous mobile co-op games that bring players together around shared challenges. Its work has since expanded into generative-AI-integrated gameplay, using player-facing creative tools and game mechanics that encourage co-creation and social play.

Games and capabilities

Its published title, What the Draw?!, is a mobile social drawing party game in which players create sketches with “Inksi,” a generative-AI marker pen that enhances and co-creates drawings. The studio has also developed an internal real-time cooperative mobile-game prototype.

Key areas of work include:

• Mobile game development for iOS and Android
• Generative AI game mechanics and player co-creation
• Synchronous and asynchronous cooperative gameplay
• Social party and drawing games
• Live-service design and community engagement

Independent studio model

2UP Games operates as a small, remote-first studio centered in Aotearoa New Zealand, with team members working across New Zealand and Australia. Its corporate and administrative base is in Auckland, where the team also holds periodic in-person gatherings.

In November 2020, the studio announced a US$2.8 million seed round led by Supercell Ventures. The investment supported the company’s early work on cooperative mobile games; Supercell Ventures is a minority shareholder, while 2UP Games remains an independent operating studio.

The company is active as 2UP GAMES LIMITED, a New Zealand limited company. Its games combine accessible mobile formats with collaborative mechanics intended to give players a meaningful role in the creative experience.