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Steel Wool Studios

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Steel Wool Studios
Information
Industry Video games, Virtual reality
Founded 2011 or 2012 (sources differ)
Founder Sequoia Blankenship, Andrew Dayton, Jonathan Hoffman, Joshua Qualtieri, Jason Topolski
Headquarters Fully remote studio (formerly Oakland, California, United States)
Notable Personnel Andrew Dayton (co-founder, CEO as of 2020), Jason Topolski (co-founder, creative director as of 2020), Joshua Qualtieri (co-founder)
Products Quar: Battle for Gate 18, Mars Odyssey, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2, Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic
Website https://www.steelwoolstudios.com


Steel Wool Studios (formerly Steel Wool Games) is an American video game developer founded by five Pixar Animation Studios artists and technical staff. After starting with a 2D mobile and PC game, it turned to virtual reality in 2014, released Quar: Battle for Gate 18 as an HTC Vive launch title in April 2016, and received a US$5 million Series A investment from HTC the same year.[1][2]

The studio is best known for its work on Scott Cawthon's Five Nights at Freddy's horror series, which it has developed for publisher ScottGames. Its VR entries in the series are Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted (2019) and Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 (2023), and it later added VR modes to Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic in 2026.[3][4] Its website describes it as "a fully remote game development studio".[5]

Reviewed 15 October 2026. Founding, Pixar founders, 2014 VR shift, HTC Series A, game list and release dates checked against GamesIndustry.biz, GamesBeat, the 2016 company press release, UploadVR, Game*Spark, Road to VR, Steam store data and the studio website. About review dates.

History

Founding as Steel Wool Games

Steel Wool Games was co-founded by Sequoia Blankenship, Andrew Dayton, Jonathan Hoffman, Joshua Qualtieri and Jason Topolski, all of whom worked at Pixar. GamesIndustry.biz reported in March 2013 that the studio had been co-founded the previous year. It later corrected its story to say that the founders had not left Pixar: the animation studio had allowed them to set up Steel Wool independently, without Pixar's involvement or endorsement.[6] The company's own 2016 press release gives 2011 as the year it was formed, and describes its founders as veterans of Pixar and Lucasfilm.[1]

In a March 2013 GamesBeat article, Jeff Grubb listed the founders' Pixar work: Dayton was an artist credited on Toy Story 3, Qualtieri a technical director on The Incredibles, Topolski global technology officer on Brave, and Blankenship an animator on Brave. The founders said the company had grown "organically", and that Pixar's legal team had approved the project on the condition that they work on it outside office hours. At that point they had brought in 11 additional employees and contractors.[7] Dayton described the studio's visual style as "grimsical", a mix of whimsical worlds and gritty tones.[6]

The first game was Flyhunter Origins, a 2D platformer published by the British company Ripstone.[6][1] It was released on Steam on 10 December 2014, still credited to Steel Wool Games.[8]

Move to VR and HTC investment

According to its 2016 press release, the studio shifted its focus to VR in 2014. Its first VR game, Quar: Battle for Gate 18, is a turn-based strategy action game in which the player commands an army from above or fights on the ground among the troops; it launched with the HTC Vive in April 2016.[1] Steam lists the game's release date as 4 April 2016, with HTC as publisher, and marks it as VR only.[9]

On 31 August 2016 the company, by then named Steel Wool Studios and based in Oakland, California, announced a US$5 million Series A investment from HTC Corporation. The money was to fund VR games, simulations and narrative projects.[1][2] The release named Charles Huang, co-founder of RedOctane and one of the creators of Guitar Hero, as an early angel investor and board member.[1] UploadVR noted that the announcement did not mention Oculus Rift support, and that HTC declined to comment on whether the investment required Vive exclusivity.[2]

The same release announced Mars Odyssey, a VR simulation in which players repair NASA spacecraft placed at their real positions on Mars; the release names Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit and Opportunity. The press release called it a passion project of Qualtieri, who studied physics at Clemson University.[1] Steam lists it as a VR-only title released on 8 September 2016.[10]

Steel Wool next developed The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth, which GamesBeat described as a larger, more dynamic version of Games Workshop's Betrayal at Calth tabletop game and headlined as the first Warhammer 40,000 VR game. It is a turn-based tactical game played in first person at human scale on PC and on PC VR headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. It includes online play against other people, and VR players can play against friends who do not have a headset. Qualtieri directed it.[11] It entered Steam Early Access on 27 February 2018 at US$29.99.[12]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

In a 2020 interview with UploadVR, Dayton, then the studio's CEO, said he had met co-founder and creative director Jason Topolski while both worked at Pixar, and that Steel Wool had been introduced to Scott Cawthon through Lionsgate Games and Striker Entertainment.[13] The result was Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted, a collection of VR minigames based on the series. It was revealed during Sony's State of Play broadcast in March 2019 and missed its original April window. After Steam listed a 21 May date, Steel Wool moved the launch back one week to 28 May 2019 for PC VR and PlayStation VR, saying the earlier date would have hurt some marketing opportunities; Game*Spark reported that Cawthon had agreed to the change.[14][15] Steam lists the game with Steel Wool Studios as developer and ScottGames as publisher.[3] The Halloween expansion Curse of Dreadbear followed on 23 October 2019.[16]

The Oculus Quest version was released on 16 July 2020.[17] Dayton told UploadVR that it "broke Oculus Quest's 1-Day sales record as well as its 1-Week sales record", without giving sales figures.[18] In the same period, Dayton said Steel Wool's VR Enterprise division was building a VR therapy application with a medical technology company.[13]

Later work

Steel Wool developed Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, a flatscreen game released on Steam on 16 December 2021, and its free story DLC Ruin, released on 24 July 2023.[19][20] For publisher tinyBuild it developed Hello Neighbor VR: Search and Rescue, a VR spin-off of Hello Neighbor that launched on Meta Quest, PC VR and PlayStation VR2 in May 2023; Steam lists 25 May 2023.[21][22]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2, the series' second VR entry, was announced during a PlayStation Showcase in May 2023.[23] It was released on PlayStation VR2 and PC VR on 14 December 2023.[24][25] The Meta Quest version followed on 9 May 2024 at US$39.99, and a flatscreen PlayStation 5 mode was scheduled for 20 June 2024 as a free update for owners of the PS VR2 version.[26]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic was first shown on PS VR2 at PAX West 2024, but after a State of Play trailer in February 2025 Steel Wool removed PS VR2 references from the game's store page, the PlayStation Blog and social media posts. The game launched without VR on PC and PlayStation 5 on 13 June 2025; game director Evan Lampi said VR support would come after launch.[27] The PS VR2 mode arrived on 28 April 2026, and SteamVR support on 20 May 2026.[28][4] Road to VR reported that the VR mode does not support room-scale play, so players move with in-game locomotion.[29] In April 2026 UploadVR reported that a Quest version was in development and expected sometime in 2026.[28]

Games

Title Year Platforms VR Notes
Flyhunter Origins 2014 PC (Steam) No Published by Ripstone; credited to Steel Wool Games[8]
Quar: Battle for Gate 18 2016 HTC Vive (SteamVR) VR only Published by HTC; Vive launch title[1][9]
Mars Odyssey 2016 SteamVR VR only Self-published[10]
The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth 2018 (Early Access) PC, PC VR Optional Games Workshop licence[11][12]
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2019 PC VR, PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest (2020) Yes Published by ScottGames[3][15][17]
Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach 2021 PC (Steam) No Flatscreen; Ruin expansion 2023[19][20]
Hello Neighbor VR: Search and Rescue 2023 Meta Quest, PC VR, PlayStation VR2 VR only Published by tinyBuild[21][22]
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 2023 PlayStation VR2, PC VR, Meta Quest (2024), PlayStation 5 flatscreen (2024) Yes Published by ScottGames[24][26]
Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic 2025 PC, PlayStation 5; PS VR2 and SteamVR modes added in 2026 Added 2026 Published by ScottGames[27][4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Steel Wool Studios Secures $5 Million Series A Investment from HTC". TriplePoint press releases. Steel Wool Studios. 2016-08-31. https://pressreleases.triplepointpr.com/?p=18695. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Joe Durbin (2016-08-31). "HTC Invests $5 Million In VR Startup Steel Wool Studios". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/htc-5-million-investment-steel-wool/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S: HELP WANTED on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/732690/FIVE_NIGHTS_AT_FREDDYS_HELP_WANTED/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mike Johnson (2026-05-21). "Five Nights At Freddy's: Secret Of The Mimic Available Now On PC VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-secret-of-the-mimic-available-now-on-pc-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  5. ↑ "Steel Wool Studios". Steel Wool Studios. https://www.steelwoolstudios.com. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Brendan Sinclair (2013-03-18). "Pixar vets form Steel Wool Games". GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/pixar-vets-form-steel-wool-games. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  7. ↑ Jeff Grubb (2013-03-20). "Why Pixar staffers decided to start their own gaming company on the side". GamesBeat. https://gamesbeat.com/why-pixar-staffers-decided-to-start-their-own-gaming-company-on-the-side/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Flyhunter Origins on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/300620/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Quar: Battle for Gate 18 on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/436940/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Mars Odyssey on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/465150/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jeff Grubb (2017-12-05). "Warhammer 40K's first VR game puts you into The Horus Heresy". GamesBeat. https://gamesbeat.com/warhammer-40ks-first-vr-game-puts-you-into-the-horus-heresy/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "'The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth' Available on Steam Early Access - Screens & Trailer". WorthPlaying. 2018-02-27. https://worthplaying.com/article/2018/2/27/news/107436-the-horus-heresy-betrayal-at-calth-available-on-steam-early-access-screens-trailer/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 David Jagneaux (2020-08-02). "How Steel Wool Studios Brought Five Nights At Freddy's To Life In VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-vr-life-steel-wool/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  14. ↑ Jamie Feltham (2019-05-08). "Five Nights at Freddy's VR Lists May Release Date On Steam". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-vr-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 RIKUSYO (2019-05-17). "VR向け『Five Nights at Freddy's VR Help Wanted』の発売は5月28日に". Game*Spark. https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2019/05/17/89733.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  16. ↑ "Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted - Curse of Dreadbear on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1126200/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Harry Baker (2020-06-24). "Five Nights At Freddy's VR: Help Wanted To Launch July 16 For Oculus Quest". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/fnaf-oculus-quest-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  18. ↑ David Jagneaux (2020-08-01). "Five Nights At Freddy's VR Is Oculus Quest's Fastest Selling Game To Date". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-vr-quest-sales/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/747660/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach - Ruin on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924720/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Harry Baker (2023-05-26). "Hello Neighbor VR: Solid Spooks & Charming Style, But Sketchy Performance On Quest". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/hello-neighbor-hands-on-solid-spooks-performance. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Hello Neighbor VR: Search and Rescue on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2206320/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  23. ↑ Harry Baker (2023-05-24). "Five Nights At Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 Coming To PSVR 2 This Year". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-2-coming-to-psvr-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Harry Baker (2023-12-05). "Five Nights At Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 Set To Scare PSVR 2 & Steam Players Next Week". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-2-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  25. ↑ "Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2287520/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Henry Stockdale (2024-05-08). "Five Nights At Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 Reaches Quest This Week". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-2-quest-release-date. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Henry Stockdale (2025-06-13). "Five Nights At Freddy's: Secret Of The Mimic Will Add VR Support Post-Launch". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-secret-of-the-mimic-vr-support-post-launch/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Mike Johnson (2026-04-28). "Five Nights At Freddy's: Secret Of The Mimic Available Now On PlayStation VR2". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-secret-of-the-mimic-available-now-on-playstation-vr2/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  29. ↑ Scott Hayden (2026-05-25). "'Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic' Finally Comes to PC VR Headsets". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/five-nights-at-freddys-secrets-mimic-pc-vr-support/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
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