GLITCHERS

GLITCHERS is an independent British game development studio based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in 2013, it creates interactive experiences that connect game design with cognitive neuroscience, medical research and wider social applications. Its work spans entertainment games, digital health assessment tools and scientific data collection platforms, with a particular focus on Games for Good.

The studio develops for mobile devices, virtual reality, PC and consoles. Alongside conventional game production, it works with academic researchers, healthcare organisations and commercial partners to turn research questions into playable experiences. These collaborations bring game mechanics into settings such as spatial navigation research, financial literacy, public health awareness and ecological education.

Games and research

Its best-known project, Sea Hero Quest, launched in 2016 through a collaboration with Deutsche Telekom, Alzheimer’s Research UK, University College London and the University of East Anglia. Designed around navigation challenges, the game enabled players to contribute behavioural data to research on human spatial navigation. The supplied research reports participation by more than 4.3 million players across 195 countries and a resulting body of 29 peer-reviewed papers. The project subsequently expanded into virtual reality and a specialised research edition for clinical cohorts.

The broader portfolio includes Drive Buy, a multiplayer vehicle combat and delivery game; Nestlums, developed with Cauldron around financial literacy; and Crush Your FOFO, a health awareness game created with AbbVie and the Patients Association. Restore, developed with the University of Stirling and RESTOREID, explores ecological decision-making and landscape restoration. Earlier releases include the arcade game Kano, the management simulator Chippy and the bite-controlled game Gumulon.

Originally established in London, GLITCHERS moved its operational headquarters to Edinburgh in 2020. Its subsequent work continues to connect entertainment design with applied research, including cognitive assessment projects intended to help researchers investigate dementia risk factors. This combination of independent game production and research collaboration defines the studio’s approach across its entertainment and applied-game projects.