Stalwart Games

Stalwart Games is an independent virtual-reality game developer and publisher based in Westlake Village, California. Founded in 2017 by Andrew Jepsen, the studio specializes in motion-controlled interaction and original VR games. Its work combines physical first-person combat with strategic systems designed around the different scales and perspectives available in virtual reality.

The company initially undertook contracted VR engineering and interaction research before moving into original intellectual property. That transition led to Barbaria, its flagship game, which brings together melee brawling, fortress construction and asynchronous multiplayer raiding. Stalwart developed and published the title across standalone headset, PC VR and console VR platforms.

Combat and realm building

In Barbaria, players act as a semi-god, assembling realms from fragments, structures, traps and minions. These defenses protect their fortress against attacks, while players enter other users’ realms to conduct raids. The design connects hands-on combat with a broader strategic layer: players both build the spaces being defended and physically fight through opposing creations.

Roomscale combat uses motion-controlled fists and weapons, including throwing axes, bows and swords. A tabletop god-mode replay system provides another perspective on the action, complementing the first-person encounters and realm-building mechanics.

Releases and continued development

Following a two-year Early Access production cycle on PC VR, Barbaria received its full commercial release on Meta Quest and SteamVR in February 2023. A PlayStation VR2 release followed in November 2023.

The studio continued supporting the game with substantial content updates, including Age of the Unknown, released as Update 1.5 in February 2024, and Age of Excess, released as Update 1.6 in June 2024. Its capabilities span VR game design, programming, cross-platform engineering, and stylized character and environment production, including modeling, rigging and physically based texturing.