About Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs is a Media & Entertainment company based in Seattle (United States) founded in 2015 by Andy Kipling, and was acquired by Keywords in May 2023. Independent game development is conducted by the Seattle-based studio. Hardsuit Labs has raised $2 million across 1 funding round from investors including Paradox Interactive and Keywords Studios. The company has 94 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Andy Kipling. Hardsuit Labs offers products and services including Game Design Services, Game Development Services, Co-Development Services, Engineering Services, and Porting Services. Its focus areas include Gaming, PC & Console Gaming, Game Developers and PC & Console Games. Its legal entity is BUILDER BOX LLC, DBA HARDSUIT LABS. Its competitors include Take-Two Interactive, Nexon and Nintendo.
Company details
Hardsuit Labs was founded in 2015 in Seattle, United States, as an independent studio in the video game sector. A free-to-play FPS title, Blacklight: Retribution, was developed in partnership with Zombie Studios and made available on Steam and PlayStation Store. Services have been extended to projects including Killing Floor 2, Bioshock: Infinite, and Chivalry, with operations centered in the Pacific Northwest region.
- Headquarters Seattle, United States
- Employees 94
- Founders Andy Kipling
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Website hardsuitlabs.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Keywords (May 2023)
- Legal Name Builder Box Llc, Dba Hardsuit Labs
- Total Equity Funding$2M (USD)
in 1 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$2M (USD), Series A
Jan 2018
- InvestorsParadox Interactive
& 1 more
- Employee Count94
- Acquired byKeywords
(May 2023)
Products & Services of Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Game Design Services, Game Development Services, Co-Development Services, Engineering Services, and Porting Services.
Services for creating game concepts and designs
Full production of video games from concept to completion
Partnering with clients on shared game projects
Technical engineering for game features and optimizations
Adapting games across different platforms and devices
Funding Insights of Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs has successfully raised a total of $2M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $2 million completed in January 2018. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $2M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Series A β $2M
- First Round $2M
(Jan 2018)
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of Hardsuit Labs with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2018 | $2M | Series A | β | β |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs has secured backing from 2 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Paradox Interactive and Keywords Studios.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Strategy and role-playing games for PC and consoles are published. | 1999 | paradoxinteractive.com | Stockholm, Sweden | |
Game development, art, engineering, and localization services are provided. | 1998 | keywordsstudios.com | Dublin, Ireland |
Investor details for Hardsuit Labs
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Hardsuit Labs
23 people are tracked at Hardsuit Labs (5 in leadership, 18 in team); the tracked headcount is 94.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Andy Kipling | Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Thanh Pham | Studio Art Director | Leadership |
Dee Kong | Director of Finance | Leadership |
John Mulkey | Director of Design | Leadership |
Russell Nelson | Studio Head Of Operations | Leadership |
Nhu-Dao Tran | Staff Accountant | Team |
Austen Seeberg | Technical Artist II | Team |
Brian Sprague | UI Technical Artist | Team |
Kael Hammond | Senior Technical Designer | Team |
Christopher Irwin | Environment Artist | Team |
Kayla Oswald | Environment Artist | Team |
Amy Hua | Tech Artist II | Team |
Kyle Glackin | Level Designer | Team |
Mads Poff | Systems Designer II | Team |
Jarrod Ehlert | Level Designer | Team |
Jay Nielsen | Senior Designer | Team |
Alexander Wilkinson | Senior Systems Designer | Team |
Tadd Foote | Lead Animator | Team |
Vincent Amsden | Systems Designer | Team |
Brandon Borah | Senior Animator | Team |
3 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Hardsuit Labs
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Hardsuit Labs
3 dated milestones of Hardsuit Labs across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Hardsuit Labs is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $2.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Keywords.
Competitors of Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs has 3 listed competitors in our database. They include Take-Two Interactive, Nexon and Nintendo.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| take2games.com | 1993 | New York, United States | 11,580 | Video games for PC and console platforms are developed. | ||
| nexon.com | 1994 | El Segundo, United States | Nexon is recognized as a leading developer of online games. | |||
| nintendo.com | 1980 | Redmond, United States | 1,677 | Nintendo is recognized for developing gaming consoles and software. |
Detailed competitors of Hardsuit Labs
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in MMORPG & Online Gaming
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Hardsuit Labs (MMORPG & Online Gaming) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Casual games developer and publisher for mobile and web platforms | 2007 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 525.6 M | USD 49.68 M | 2,916 | |
Provider of cross-platform game engine technology | 1991 | Cary, North Carolina, United States | USD 8.13 B | 11,961 | ||
Mobile games are developed and published by Jam City. | 2007 | Culver City, California, United States | USD 499.49 M |
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Related news about Hardsuit Labs
Complete news archive for Hardsuit Labs
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Frequently Asked Questions about Hardsuit Labs
Hardsuit Labs was founded in 2015 and raised its 1st funding round 3 years after it was founded.
Hardsuit Labs is headquartered in Seattle, United States. It is registered at Seattle, Washington, United States.
Andy Kipling is the CEO of Hardsuit Labs, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Hardsuit Labs is a funded company, having raised a total of $2M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $2M, raised on Jan 2018.
Hardsuit Labs has 94 employees.
Hardsuit Labs was founded in 2015 in Seattle, United States, as an independent studio in the video game sector. A free-to-play FPS title, Blacklight: Retribution, was developed in partnership with Zombie Studios and made available on Steam and PlayStation Store. Services have been extended to projects including Killing Floor 2, Bioshock: Infinite, and Chivalry, with operations centered in the Pacific Northwest region.
Hardsuit Labs's top competitors include Nexon, Take-Two Interactive and Nintendo.
Hardsuit Labs offers Game Design Services, Game Development Services, Co-Development Services, Engineering Services, and Porting Services.
Hardsuit Labs has 2 investors. Key investors include Paradox Interactive, and Keywords Studios.
Hardsuit Labs operates through Builder Box Llc, Dba Hardsuit Labs.
Yes. Hardsuit Labs was acquired by Keywords in May 2023.

