Lazy Bear Games

Lazy Bear Games is an independent video game development studio based in Vilnius, Lithuania. The company was founded in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia, by video game developers Nikita Kulaga and Svyatoslav Cherkasov. It initially operated under the names GameJam and Game Jam Studio before adopting the Lazy Bear Games identity in April 2015. During its early period, the studio worked on several projects, although its first three games, developed between 2010 and 2012, were either cancelled or transferred to another company. This period also included a co-development project with Game Garden: Fairy Kingdom HD, a story-driven city-building game for mobile platforms, produced between 2012 and 2013. The studio gained early public recognition through the Next Castle Party 2013 contest. During the one-week competition, the team created Rabbit Must Die, an arcade-style two-dimensional multiplayer online battle arena and platformer project. The game ran through the Unity Web Player browser plug-in and received two awards: best eSports game and the audience award. Although the project was developed in a short contest setting, it demonstrated the team's interest in combining arcade action, competitive play, and distinctive game concepts. In 2014, the studio was developing VHS Story, a management simulation with a fighter and brawler theme. The project reached an online alpha release on Game Jolt. Following the studio's 2015 renaming, the game was renamed Punch Club, while development continued under the new Lazy Bear Games brand. Punch Club was released in 2016 and became the studio's most prominent early commercial title. Its design combined character management, training, scheduling, resource allocation, and combat-oriented progression. Lazy Bear Games has also been associated with Graveyard Keeper, a management and simulation title centered on building and operating a medieval graveyard. The studio frequently collaborates with the publisher and developer tinyBuild, as well as with Uroboros Games. These relationships have supported the development and distribution of games made by the studio, while Lazy Bear Games has retained its identity as a focused independent developer. The studio's creative profile is characterized by management-heavy gameplay, progression systems, dark or irreverent humor, and settings that turn ordinary or socially unusual activities into structured simulations. Its documented work spans mobile co-development, browser-based experimental projects, contest prototypes, and commercially released PC and console-oriented games. Publicly available reference material identifies the company as operating from Vilnius and originating in Russia, but does not provide detailed information about its ownership structure, financial performance, employee count, or current executive organization.

Lazy Bear Games began in 2010 as GameJam, also referred to as Game Jam Studio, in St. Petersburg, Russia. The studio was established by Nikita Kulaga and Svyatoslav Cherkasov. Its earliest years were exploratory: the first three projects developed from 2010 through 2012 were either cancelled or transferred to another company, so they did not become established releases under the studio's original label. From 2012 to 2013, the team co-developed Fairy Kingdom HD with Game Garden. This story-driven city-building game was made for mobile platforms and represents one of the studio's early collaborative projects rather than a fully independent flagship release. The studio received attention in 2013 through the Next Castle Party contest. Over the course of one week, its developers created Rabbit Must Die, an arcade two-dimensional MOBA/platformer project. The game operated through the Unity Web Player browser plug-in and won both the best eSports game award and the audience award. The contest provided an early public example of the studio's ability to produce compact experimental concepts under severe time constraints. In 2014, GameJam was working on VHS Story, a management simulation built around a fighter or brawler concept. An online alpha version was made available through Game Jolt. In April 2015, the company changed its name to Lazy Bear Games, and VHS Story was renamed Punch Club while development continued. Punch Club eventually launched in 2016, establishing the studio's association with management systems, character progression, training schedules, and combat-themed gameplay. Lazy Bear Games later became known for Graveyard Keeper, another management-oriented game built around the construction and operation of a medieval graveyard. The title reinforced the studio's preference for unusual premises and simulation mechanics. Its projects and business activities have also involved collaboration with tinyBuild and Uroboros Games. The studio is based in Vilnius, Lithuania, although its documented origin is in St. Petersburg. Public reference material does not establish a detailed chronology of relocation, ownership, corporate restructuring, revenue, or staffing. It also does not identify a public stock listing or a formal parent company. The available history therefore supports describing Lazy Bear Games as an independent, privately held game development studio whose identity developed from small experimental and collaborative projects into commercially released management and simulation games.

• 2016

  Punch Club released

  [1]Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Punch Club was released after the project had been developed and previewed under the VHS Story name.

• 2015

  Renamed Lazy Bear Games

  [1]Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  GameJam changed its name to Lazy Bear Games in April, and VHS Story was renamed Punch Club.

• 2014

  VHS Story reaches online alpha

  [1]Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The studio's fighter-themed management simulation VHS Story was made available in an online alpha version through Game Jolt.

• 2013

  Rabbit Must Die wins two contest awards

  [1]Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The team created Rabbit Must Die during the Next Castle Party 2013 contest and received awards for best eSports game and audience choice.

• 2012

  Fairy Kingdom HD co-development begins

  [1]Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The studio co-developed the story-driven mobile city builder Fairy Kingdom HD with Game Garden during 2012–2013.

• 2010

  Studio founded as GameJam

  [1]Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Nikita Kulaga and Svyatoslav Cherkasov founded the studio in St. Petersburg, Russia, under the GameJam or Game Jam Studio name.

An independent game studio focused on management and simulation experiences with distinctive settings, progression systems, and darkly comic themes.

• Mobile city-building game

  Fairy Kingdom HD

  Fairy Kingdom HD is a story-driven city-building game for mobile platforms. Lazy Bear Games co-developed it with Game Garden between 2012 and 2013. It represents an early collaborative production in the studio's history, before the company adopted its current name.

• Arcade 2D MOBA/platformer · 2013

  Rabbit Must Die

  Rabbit Must Die was a short-form experimental project created for the Next Castle Party 2013 contest. It combined arcade action, platforming, and multiplayer online battle arena elements and ran through the Unity Web Player browser plug-in. The project won the contest's best eSports game and audience awards.

• Management simulation · 2016

  Punch Club

  Punch Club is a management simulation originally developed under the working title VHS Story. Its fighter and brawler theme is expressed through character training, scheduling, resource management, and combat-oriented progression. The project was renamed when the studio became Lazy Bear Games and was released in 2016.

• Management and simulation game

  Graveyard Keeper

  Graveyard Keeper is a management-focused game built around developing and operating a medieval graveyard. Its premise uses an unconventional setting to support construction, resource, and progression systems, matching the studio's broader interest in simulations with unusual themes.

• 2015

  Studio rebranding and project renamingStrategy

  Background

  The company had operated as GameJam or Game Jam Studio while developing the project VHS Story.

  Action taken

  In April 2015, the studio adopted the Lazy Bear Games name and renamed VHS Story as Punch Club while continuing development.

  Aftermath

  The renamed project was released in 2016 and became a central early title associated with the Lazy Bear Games identity.

  Source

1. 1Lazy Bear Gamesen.wikipedia.org