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Bitwave Games

Games & Interactive
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Founded
2013
Employees
11-50
Offices
1

About Bitwave Games

Bitwave Games is a game developer, porter and publisher based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its work combines original modern retro games with the restoration of classic arcade titles and technical adaptations for contemporary platforms. Founded in 2013 as Retroid, the studio adopted its current public name in February 2022. It joined Embracer Freemode later that year and continues operating within the group.

Original games and classic releases

The studio’s early original releases included the mobile auto-runner Cow Dash and the Wii U drawing party game PictoParty. In 2020, it released Wunderling, a single-button puzzle platformer, followed by the expanded Wunderling DX in 2022. These projects sit alongside its capabilities in 2D pixel art, character animation and physics-based platformer design.

Bitwave developed Gimmick! 2, the official mainline sequel to Sunsoft’s 1992 NES platformer. The game launched on PC and Nintendo Switch in September 2024, with PlayStation and Xbox versions following. The studio also served as the Western digital publisher and a porting partner for Gimmick! Special Edition, working with Sunsoft and City Connection.

Its arcade restoration work includes four volumes of the Toaplan Arcade Shoot ’Em Up Collection. Across these releases, Bitwave handled emulation enhancements, porting and development for modern PC and console editions of titles including Truxton, Twin Cobra, Out Zone, Zero Wing and Batsugun.

Development and porting

Alongside its own productions, Bitwave provides console porting, optimization and quality assurance for other developers. Its portfolio includes adaptations of Songs of Conquest, Ultros, Lonely Mountains: Downhill, Alwa’s Awakening, Alwa’s Legacy and Curious Expedition.

The studio offers full-cycle development spanning design, programming, art, sound integration and production for original and licensed intellectual property. Its technical services cover performance optimization, console compliance and platform-specific features. Supported target platforms include PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Digital publishing and distribution management complement its development and porting work.

More about Bitwave Games

Leadership

  • Founder Niklas Istenes serves as CEO. The reported leadership team also includes COO Marcus Karlsson Drake, Lead Developer Olof Karlsson and Video Game Producer Marco Podda.

Restoration methods

  • Arcade modernization features include custom dip-switch settings, rewind, assist modes, CRT scanline filters and online leaderboards.

Collaboration and support

  • Tatsujin manages the Toaplan catalog and collaborates directly with Bitwave on its modern PC and console editions, linking development work with the catalog's IP custodian.
  • Sister publisher Clear River Games handles physical boxed editions of Bitwave-developed releases, complementing the studio's digital publishing activities.
  • Development of Wunderling received support from an Epic MegaGrant.
  • David Wise composed the soundtrack for Gimmick! 2.

Open-source release

  • Bitwave released the source code for its 2014 mobile game Cow Dash on GitHub in 2022.

Notable credits

22 credits
  • Gimmick! 2
  • Wunderling DX
  • Wunderling
  • PictoParty
  • Cow Dash
  • Gimmick! Special Edition — Western digital publishing and porting
  • Toaplan Arcade Shoot 'Em Up Collection Vol. 1
  • Toaplan Arcade Shoot 'Em Up Collection Vol. 2
  • Toaplan Arcade Shoot 'Em Up Collection Vol. 3
  • Toaplan Arcade Shoot 'Em Up Collection Vol. 4
  • Truxton — emulation enhancement and porting
  • Twin Cobra — emulation enhancement and porting
  • Out Zone — emulation enhancement and porting
  • Zero Wing — emulation enhancement and porting
  • Songs of Conquest — console porting
  • Ultros — console porting
  • Lonely Mountains: Downhill — console porting
  • Alwa's Awakening — console porting
  • Alwa's Legacy — console porting
  • Curious Expedition — console porting
  • Hayfever — console porting
  • Hellfront: Honeymoon — console porting

Offices

Where Bitwave Games is based

1 location

  • Gothenburg office

    Headquarters
    Kungsgatan 18, 411 19 Göteborg, SwedenGothenburg, Västra Götaland County, Sweden

    Global studio headquarters and central engineering, art, production and console porting facility.

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