Funomena

Funomena was an independent game development and interactive entertainment studio founded in January 2013 by Robin Hunicke and Martin Middleton. Based in San Francisco, it created experimental games for PC, consoles, virtual reality and augmented reality. Its work combined playful interaction, tactile activities and emotionally focused storytelling, often exploring friendship and positive social connections.

Games and interactive experiences

Luna (2017) was a narrative puzzle adventure for PC and virtual reality systems. It brought together music, tactile crafting and themes of emotional reconciliation, reflecting the studio’s interest in expressive interaction and personal stories.

Funomena collaborated with game designer Keita Takahashi on two distinctive projects. Woorld (2016) was an augmented reality sandbox developed for Google Tango devices. Wattam (2019), published by Annapurna Interactive for PlayStation 4 and PC, used physics-based exploration and whimsical interactions to explore friendship. These collaborations extended the studio’s experimental approach across both emerging hardware and conventional gaming platforms.

Its spatial computing work also included Stickies for Magic Leap One. Beyond entertainment games, Funomena participated in health research through Terra, a gamified experience developed with academic and research partners. In 2021, it produced Ralph Lauren: The Winter Escape on Roblox, extending its interactive production work into branded virtual experiences.

Company history

Across its projects, Funomena combined game design, multidisciplinary software engineering and prototyping for emerging interactive platforms. It operated as an independent company, with external publishing and creative partnerships rather than a network of subsidiary studios.

The studio ceased operations in 2022 after a pending financing round fell through and its workforce was laid off. Its former official website is inactive.