Cyber Manatee

Cyber Manatee was an independent game development studio based in Cologne, Germany. It developed original games and provided contract production services across game development, interactive software, visual art and audio. Its work combined narrative projects with stylized puzzle and strategy games.

Development activities began in summer 2019, followed by the studio’s formal organization in October 2020. The business initially operated as a partnership before incorporating as a GmbH in July 2021. Its founding team came from the Cologne Game Lab at TH Köln, bringing together programming, creative direction, production, audio and 3D art experience.

Original games

The studio worked on two principal original projects. Hinterland, a working title, was a first-person psychological mystery thriller set in Franco-German woodland during the 1980s. Developed in Unreal Engine 5 for PC and consoles, it was showcased at Gamescom 2022.

Pizzabot explored a different style of play: a turn-based puzzle and strategy game built around robot delivery and navigation. Its design featured customizable robots moving through humorous, stylized 3D diorama environments. The supplied history documents these projects as development work rather than establishing completed commercial releases.

Contract production

Alongside its own intellectual property, Cyber Manatee offered full-cycle game design and programming, co-development and engineering. Its production capabilities included 3D environments and props, UX/UI design, interactive prototypes, web development, sound design and original music. The studio worked with both Unreal Engine 5 and Unity.

Cyber Manatee ceased operations and entered formal liquidation in January 2024. Its former website domain subsequently lapsed and was re-registered by an unrelated business in September 2026.