Pocketwatch Games

Pocketwatch Games is an independent video game developer based in California’s San Diego County. Founded in 2005 by programmer, game designer and artist Andy Schatz, the studio creates original games spanning ecological simulation, cooperative stealth-action and real-time strategy. Its work emphasizes experimental mechanics, iterative development and accessible controls, supported by internally developed technology.

The studio began with Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa, released in October 2005, followed by Venture Arctic in May 2007. These early ecosystem simulations established a foundation in games built around interacting systems. Pocketwatch later expanded into cooperative heists and strategy games while continuing to develop its own intellectual property.

From ecosystems to cooperative heists

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine became a defining project for the studio. Released in April 2013, it combines top-down stealth with cooperative play and character classes whose different abilities encourage players to coordinate their approach. The game brought Pocketwatch’s interest in systemic design into a setting built around infiltration, improvisation and escape.

Released in September 2017, Tooth and Tail adapted real-time strategy for gamepad controls. Its animal revolution setting accompanies streamlined resource management and fast-paced tactical play, reducing the micromanagement associated with traditional RTS games. The project reflects the studio’s broader interest in making complex genres approachable through focused control schemes.

Monaco 2, released on Steam on April 10, 2025, carries the cooperative heist concept into three-dimensional environments. Procedurally generated levels and vertical spaces extend the original game’s emphasis on replayability and coordinated character abilities.

Development approach

Pocketwatch builds multiplatform games using proprietary C++ technology and a limited set of external dependencies. Its development capabilities include procedural generation, engine architecture and interactive interface design. The studio develops and publishes its own titles and also works with publishing and technical partners on individual releases. Its leadership and corporate operations remain centered in San Diego County, coordinating a distributed team across the United States.