Fatshark

Fatshark is a Swedish video game developer and publisher based in Stockholm, founded in 2007. The studio develops games for PC and consoles, with a particular focus on cooperative multiplayer action, first-person melee and ranged combat, and dark fantasy and science-fiction settings. Its work spans game design, engineering, level design, character and environment art, animation, audio, quality assurance and publishing.

The company emerged from work-for-hire roots associated with the earlier contract studio Northplay. Its early development work included projects for other publishers, alongside a growing catalogue of its own games. In 2010, Fatshark released its first self-developed commercial title, Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West, a third-person western shooter published by Paradox Interactive. Subsequent projects included Hamilton's Great Adventure, Krater, War of the Roses, War of the Vikings and Bloodsports.tv. Its externally published development work also includes Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 and Escape Dead Island.

Cooperative action in the Warhammer universe

Fatshark's collaboration with Games Workshop became central to its portfolio. Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, released in 2015, established its approach to four-player cooperative horde combat. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 followed in 2018, building on the studio's emphasis on first-person combat and group-oriented play.

In November 2022, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide brought that cooperative focus into a science-fiction setting. Fatshark develops and publishes these games while supporting ongoing live operations and post-launch expansions. Community management and continued development form part of its work beyond each initial release.

The studio's history reflects a transition from subcontracting on AAA projects to developing and self-publishing its own games. Tencent first invested in Fatshark in 2019 and acquired a controlling majority stake in 2021. The supplied research describes continued operational autonomy following that investment, with the company maintaining its focus on cooperative multiplayer experiences.