Motion Twin achieved success with their roguelike Dead Cells, first released in 2018, and transferred ongoing development of the game's expansions to Evil Empire. Following the success of Dead Cells, Motion Twin abandoned its web-based offerings to focus on premium indie titles. The studio maintains creative independence and cooperative governance while publishing through partnership models, positioning itself as a high-quality indie developer targeting engaged gaming audiences.
Cyborg Score Rationale
Motion Twin has proven execution with Dead Cells (10M+ players globally) and an established new title in active development. The cooperative structure and focused portfolio suggest sustainable operations, though limited scale and private funding structure present growth constraints.
Top Insights
Motion Twin annual revenue was $11 million in 2026
The company operates as a worker cooperative with equal salary and decision-making power between members since 2004
Motion Twin established Evil Empire in 2019 to handle Dead Cells development and support, while Motion Twin retains creative control over the franchise
Motion Twin has made the source code for many of its games available to the public under a creative commons license
Named Competitors
Hades — Action roguelike with mythological narrative and stylized art
Risk of Rain 2 — Co-op action roguelike shooter with procedural progression
Slay the Spire — Deck-building roguelike with strategic turn-based gameplay
Recent Developments
(October 2024) Windblown entered early access on Windows
(February 2024) Motion Twin began alpha testing Windblown with about 300 users
(December 2023) Motion Twin announced Windblown at The Game Awards 2023
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Strategic research, analyst-debate audio, full Cyborg Score breakdown across 11 dimensions, and saved-company audio playlists.