Maschinen-Mensch
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2014
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Maschinen-Mensch
Maschinen-Mensch is an independent game development studio founded in Berlin in April 2014 by Riad Djemili and Johannes Kristmann. Its work combines procedural gameplay with hand-crafted elements to create emergent stories, exploration systems and replayable adventures for PC and consoles. The founders previously worked together at Yager Development on Spec Ops: The Line, bringing experience from large-scale game production into an independent studio.
The studio's debut, Curious Expedition, is a turn-based procedural roguelike set in an alternate late-nineteenth-century expeditionary world. It entered Early Access in 2015 and reached its full release in September 2016. Its combination of exploration, unpredictable encounters and resource management established the studio's focus on stories shaped by interacting gameplay systems. Subsequent development included the free Arctic Expanse expansion and Curious Expedition: RIVALS, an experimental multiplayer mode released as an update to the original game. A publishing partnership with Thunderful brought the game to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Curious Expedition 2 entered Early Access in 2020 and launched fully in January 2021. The sequel introduced a visual style inspired by classic Franco-Belgian comics while continuing the series' procedural exploration and narrative approach. Three expansions followed through 2022: The Highlands of Avalon, Shores of Taishi and Robots of Lux, the latter featuring a crossover with SteamWorld Heist.
The studio later developed Mother Machine, a cooperative action-RPG platformer for one to four players, released on PC on March 26, 2025. This broadened its portfolio from turn-based expedition adventures into cooperative action and platforming. Its development capabilities encompass concept development, prototyping, game design, systems programming, production and post-release expansions.
On July 31, 2025, Maschinen-Mensch announced an indefinite hibernation after it could not secure financing for a follow-up project amid difficult industry conditions. Production operations were suspended and its core team was laid off. The co-founders retain the legal entity and continue managing the existing catalog, with Curious Expedition, Curious Expedition 2 and Mother Machine remaining available and playable.
More about Maschinen-Mensch
Leadership
Riad Djemili and Johannes Kristmann are the company's managing directors and legal representatives.
Development tools and collaboration
- Codecks began as an internal project management tool for Curious Expedition. Djemili and Daniel Berndt co-founded its separate software business in 2019; Maschinen-Mensch invested in the venture and used the tool internally.
- In 2015, Maschinen-Mensch and Studio Fizbin co-founded Saftladen to create collaborative working space for independent developers.
- Early development received grant support from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
Recognition
- Curious Expedition received Best Indie Game at the 2015 German Developer Awards.
- Curious Expedition 2 won Best Indie Game at Gamescom 2020.
Notable credits
10 creditsOffices
Where Maschinen-Mensch is based
- Berlin, Germany
Berlin offices
HeadquartersAbout this office
**Office** Status: active Headquarters Address: c/o Saftladen, Normannenstraße 1-2, 10367 Berlin, Germany Phone: +49 1575 170 8988 / +49 177 2348027 Headquarters, registered legal office and primary studio premises. The registered domicile and physical mail presence remain active during production hibernation. --- **Office** Status: inactive / historical Address: Singerstraße 109, 10179 Berlin Former registered address, superseded by the Normannenstraße address in July 2023.
Open roles
Find your next role at Maschinen-Mensch