Hardsuit Labs
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 51-200
- Offices
- 1
About Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs is a Seattle-based AAA game development and co-development studio focused on technical production across PC, console, mobile, and live-service games. Founded in 2015 by industry veterans Andy Kipling and Russell Nelson, the company formed following the closure of Zombie Studios and initially continued support for Blacklight: Retribution after acquiring its intellectual property and development assets.
The studio’s work is centered on Unreal Engine development, with experience spanning UE3, UE4, UE5, and Unreal Editor for Fortnite. Its teams support full-cycle game production as well as distributed co-development engagements, combining gameplay and platform engineering with technical art, optimization, porting, and implementation work.
Development capabilities
- Full game design and production
- Co-development and engineering support
- Cross-platform porting, engine upgrades, and multi-SKU adaptation
- Multiplayer networking and backend optimization
- Technical art integration, custom shaders, Niagara VFX pipelines, and tooling
- UI/UX implementation, level design, greyboxing, and systemic gameplay
- Console optimization, memory management, and production troubleshooting
Hardsuit Labs has worked across PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms. Its technical focus includes adapting games for different hardware targets, optimizing performance, and integrating content and gameplay systems into production pipelines.
Selected work
The studio’s credited projects include Fortnite, Fortnite Creative, LEGO Fortnite, Chivalry 2, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, Blacklight: Retribution, Killing Floor 2, Gears of War 4, State of Decay, and BioShock Infinite. Hardsuit Labs was also the lead developer of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from 2016 until the project was reassigned in February 2021.
In May 2023, Keywords Studios acquired Hardsuit Labs, Inc. and integrated the active studio into its Create service line. Hardsuit Labs continues to operate as a game-development and co-development studio.
More about Hardsuit Labs
Founders and early history
Andy Kipling and Russell Nelson founded Hardsuit Labs after Zombie Studios closed; Kipling had been Zombie Studios’ Director of Production and Nelson its Lead Engineer. The founders sought to keep their veteran development team together while launching the new studio.
Company milestones
Paradox Interactive acquired a 33% minority interest in Hardsuit Labs in January 2018. After Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was reassigned in February 2021, the studio restructured and refocused on engineering and technical-art disciplines. Keywords Studios acquired 100% of Hardsuit Labs in May 2023, including Paradox Interactive’s former shareholding.
Notable credits
14 creditsOffices
Where Hardsuit Labs is based
- 4025 Delridge Way SW, Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98106, USASeattle, Washington, United States
Seattle office
HeadquartersPrimary physical studio premises, administrative headquarters, and engineering facility.
Open roles
Find your next role at Hardsuit Labs