Our Business

Small Teams making Big Games for Huge Audiences

Welcome to Coffee Stain

Coffee Stain is a game developer and publisher, founded in 2010, with a portfolio of community-driven games primarily for PC and console, and with a proven track record of building successful intellectual properties including Goat Simulator, Satisfactory, Deep Rock Galactic, Valheim, Teardown, and Welcome to Bloxburg. The Group consists of 13 game studios including Coffee Stain Studios, Ghost Ship, and Tuxedo Labs – all united by the aspiration of “small teams making big games for huge audiences”.

Our organisation and operations

Coffee Stain’s studios operate under a decentralized model with lean teams. The structure creates a capital-efficient ecosystem of autonomous studios that hold full accountability for development and continuous content updates, while the small central organization provides strategic and publishing support. As a developer driven by ideas, we regard our people as our most valuable assets. Attracting best in-class talent and empowering teams to take full creative responsibility are key to sustaining long-term success.

See more about our teams

How we develop games with a long-term view

The development of games is conducted through an iterative process where independent studios drive ideas with accountability for quality, delivery, and profitability. The Group supports with strategy, knowledge sharing, and publishing, while community feedback is integrated throughout development. This structure ensures that games are continuously refined, supported with updates, and sustained over time.

Development to publishing phases for Coffee Stain and studios

1. Studios are entrusted to pursue creative ideas.
2. Each studio develops its games independently.
3. Games are iteratively refined based on feedback from community.
4. Games are released, with support from Coffee Stain.
5. Studios maintain responsible for post-launch updates, Downloadable Content (DLC) as well as overall game profitability.

Our history

Coffee Stain was founded in Skövde, Sweden, in 2010 with the goal to create innovative, player-centric games. The Company first gained international recognition with the launch of Goat Simulator (2014), which became a cultural phenomenon and established Coffee Stain’s reputation for creativity and originality.

In the years that followed, Coffee Stain expanded its portfolio and publishing activities, supporting titles such as Deep Rock Galactic (2018), Satisfactory (2019), and Valheim (2021), which each achieved global reach and built highly engaged communities. The Group further broadened its capabilities through the integration of studios such as Ghost Ship Games (2021) and Tuxedo Labs (2025).

Year	Key events
2010	Coffee Stain was founded in Skövde, Sweden by the Group’s current CEO Anton Westbergh and eight co-founders
2014	Coffee Stain’s initial release of Goat Simulator
2017	Started Coffee Stain Publishing Acquired 30% of Danish studio Ghost Ship Games (creator of Deep Rock Galactic) Acquired 60% of Lavapotion (creator of Songs of Conquest)
2018	Coffee Stain was acquired by THQ Nordic AB (currently Embracer Group) Coffee Stain published Deep Rock Galactic – created by Ghost Ship Games Acquired 60% of Coffee Stain North (formerly Gone North Games)
2019	Satisfactory released in early access Acquired 30% of Iron Gate (creator of Valheim)
2020	Acquired 70% of Box Dragon (creator of As We Descend) Acquired remaining 40% in Coffee Stain North
2021	Coffee Stain published Valheim, created by Iron Gate Embracer Group acquired the remaining 70% of Ghost Ship Games and Easy Trigger, putting them both under the Coffee Stain umbrella
2022	Embracer Group acquired Shortcake AB, a Roblox game developer which developed Welcome to Bloxburg (released as paid access in 2014) and included the company under the Coffee Stain umbrella Goat Simulator 3 released (created by Coffee Stain North)
2025	Embracer Group announced the spin-off of Coffee Stain Teardown (released 2022) creator Tuxedo Labs joined the Group from Embracer Group, which acquired the company in 2022 Kavalri Games, Frame Break, Invisible Walls and A Creative Endeavor joined Coffee Stain in internal transfers from Embracer Group