Chucklefish

Chucklefish is an independent British video game developer and publisher based in London. Founded in 2011, it combines internal game production with publishing and development support for independent creators. Its work centres on retro-styled pixel art games, spanning sandbox adventures, turn-based strategy, life simulation and action RPGs.

The company began as a distributed team of first-time developers working across several continents. Its breakthrough project, Starbound, brought together exploration and sandbox adventure, entering Steam Early Access in December 2013 before its full release in 2016. The game's commercial success enabled the team to establish a physical London studio in 2014, bringing its development and publishing work into a shared base.

Chucklefish followed with Wargroove in 2019, extending its internal development into turn-based tactical strategy. It subsequently worked with German developer Robotality on Wargroove 2, released in 2023, with both companies credited as developers and Chucklefish as publisher. As of October 2026, its next major internal project is Witchbrook, an isometric magic-school life simulation and action RPG.

Publishing and developer support

Alongside its own games, Chucklefish runs a publishing and “Indie Assistance” operation for external developers. This work can encompass project financing and co-funding, production management, marketing, public relations, technical assistance, porting coordination and distribution. Its activities therefore extend from helping develop a game to supporting its release across platforms.

Its publishing portfolio includes Pixpil's Eastward, Hidden Layer Games' Inmost, Deadpan Games and Gaziter's Wildfrost, and Robust Games' Loco Motive. Other supported releases include Robotality's Halfway and Pathway, as well as Timespinner and Starmancer. Chucklefish also provided early publishing and development assistance for ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley, including console, mobile and multiplayer support, before publishing responsibilities returned to its creator. These partnerships sit alongside Chucklefish's internal productions; the partner developers retain their own independent ownership and management.