Coal Car Studio

Coal Car Studio is an independent game-development and extended-reality production studio based in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in September 2015 by brothers Shane Nilsson and Tyler Nilsson, the company develops social, collaborative experiences across virtual reality, mixed reality, mobile, and PC platforms.

The studio’s work is shaped by a commitment to making immersive technology more communal. Its games revisit the shared-play energy of couch co-op through asymmetric designs that connect players using headsets with companions on phones or computers.

Games and immersive experiences

Coal Car Studio develops proprietary interactive software as well as custom XR projects. Its flagship game, Fruit Golf, is an asymmetrical multiplayer VR party game in which a headset player navigates miniature-golf courses while companion players on iOS and Android create physics-based obstacles. The game moved from Early Access to its 1.0 launch in September 2026 and was nominated for Best VR/AR Game at the Canadian Game Awards.

The studio also released Cross Craft, a mixed-reality crafting application for Meta Quest devices. Its broader portfolio includes interactive installations, virtual showrooms, educational media, WebXR activations, augmented-reality games, and experimental hand-tracking and haptic-input work.

Development and R&D services

Alongside original game production, Coal Car Studio works with enterprise clients, educational organizations, and brands on technical prototyping and immersive applications. Its supported services include:

• End-to-end VR, AR, and MR software design and engineering
• Technical feasibility testing, proof-of-concept development, and rapid R&D
• Full-cycle game production for headsets, mobile devices, and PC
• Strategic ideation and consulting for adapting intellectual property and new concepts to immersive platforms

Its capabilities include cross-platform social gaming, spatial-computing systems, hand tracking, asymmetric multiplayer design, and interactive retail and training experiences. The studio operates with a hybrid, distributed team structure while maintaining its leadership and primary development hub in the Greater Vancouver area.