Rematch Studios

Rematch Studios was an independent game development studio established in Karachi, Pakistan, around February 2016. Its work focused on virtual reality and mobile augmented reality, combining game design, programming and 3D environment production. The studio developed the Android game Whackimals AR and the unreleased PC VR adventure Area of Darkness: Sentinel.

Released in 2018, Whackimals AR represented the studio's mobile augmented reality work. Alongside that project, Rematch Studios pursued a more ambitious narrative experience for PC virtual reality headsets.

Virtual reality development

Area of Darkness: Sentinel was conceived as a psychological thriller and adventure set in the 1970s. It followed archaeologist Dr. Anne Evans as she explored ancient tombs on the remote Sentinel Islands. Built with Unreal Engine, the project combined environmental exploration, physics-based puzzles and motion-based combat designed for virtual reality. Its intended platforms included HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality.

The game was publicly unveiled in January 2019 and attracted coverage from Pakistani technology media and international VR publications. A commercial Steam release was planned, but the project encountered commercialization difficulties and ultimately did not launch. Its surviving Steam listing identifies Rematch Studios as both developer and publisher; it should be understood as an unreleased project rather than a commercially released credit.

Development history

Rematch Studios brought together programming, design and environment art teams in Pakistan during a period of growing interest in locally developed immersive games. Its production capabilities included Unreal Engine development, lighting and photogrammetry workflows.

The studio ceased operating after funding ended. Most of the development team was laid off in 2019, and the business was wound down around early 2020. Its historical website is now offline.