Uber Entertainment
Uber Entertainment is an American game development studio.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Star Theory Games was the final operating name of the American independent video game developer founded as Uber Entertainment in Bellevue, Washington, in March 2008. The studio was established by Bob Berry and Jonathan Mavor, who served respectively as president and chief technology officer. Its work centered on digitally distributed PC and console games, online game services, and large-scale real-time strategy projects. The company first attracted broad attention with Monday Night Combat, released in 2010. The game combined third-person shooting with tower-defense and multiplayer team combat, and received generally positive critical reviews. Uber Entertainment subsequently pursued a more ambitious strategy project, Planetary Annihilation. A Kickstarter campaign launched in September 2012 raised more than US$2.2 million, giving the studio an unusually substantial independent financing base for a real-time strategy game. Although the game’s originally planned December 2013 retail timing slipped, Planetary Annihilation became the studio’s principal long-term project. Planetary Annihilation: Titans, a stand-alone expansion, followed in August 2015 and expanded the game with larger units, maps, and battles. The studio also developed technology and service infrastructure. In March 2014, Uber Entertainment announced that PlayFab would be spun out to continue work on the company’s UberNet backend service. PlayFab later became a significant cloud-service business for game developers and was acquired by Microsoft in January 2018, becoming part of Microsoft Azure PlayFab. Uber Entertainment separately announced Human Resources, another real-time strategy game, through Kickstarter in October 2014. The campaign sought US$1.4 million but was canceled later that month after the studio determined that it was unlikely to reach the required funding level. In August 2018, Planetary Annihilation Inc. was formed to continue development and publishing for Planetary Annihilation and Planetary Annihilation: Titans. Around the same period, the original studio was preparing for a major identity change. At Gamescom in 2019, Uber Entertainment announced that it had adopted the name Star Theory Games. The renaming was motivated in part by recurring confusion with Uber, the transportation company. Under the new name, the studio worked with Private Division, Take-Two Interactive’s publishing label, on Kerbal Space Program 2, a sequel to the space-flight simulation game originally created by Squad. The Kerbal Space Program 2 relationship ended during a difficult transition. Take-Two created a new internal studio within Private Division to assume development responsibilities, later naming it Intercept Games. A substantial portion of Star Theory’s staff, including creative director Nate Simpson and studio head Jeremy Ables, moved to the new studio. Reports described an earlier disagreement over a possible acquisition of Star Theory and subsequent offers for staff positions at the newly created team. By February 2020, approximately twelve of the studio’s roughly thirty employees had moved to Take-Two’s operation, and Star Theory’s contract for Kerbal Space Program 2 had been withdrawn. Star Theory’s remaining employees planned to use the 2020 Game Developers Conference to present prototypes and seek new publishing opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation or shutdown of that and other industry events, removing an important opportunity to secure financing and publisher support. Star Theory Games shut down on March 4, 2020. Its legacy rests on Monday Night Combat, the crowdfunded Planetary Annihilation series, the PlayFab technology spinout, and the staff transition that helped launch Intercept Games.
History
Uber Entertainment was founded in Bellevue, Washington, in March 2008 by Bob Berry and Jonathan Mavor. Berry became president and Mavor chief technology officer. The studio entered the market with Monday Night Combat in 2010, establishing a reputation for combining competitive multiplayer action with strategic and defensive mechanics. Its most prominent independent-financing effort began in September 2012, when the company used Kickstarter to fund Planetary Annihilation. The real-time strategy project raised more than US$2.2 million, but its initial December 2013 release target was postponed. The game ultimately became the center of the studio’s portfolio, followed by the stand-alone expansion Planetary Annihilation: Titans in August 2015. The company also pursued platform technology. In March 2014, it announced PlayFab as a spinout focused on the UberNet backend gaming service. Microsoft acquired PlayFab in January 2018 and integrated it into Azure PlayFab. A second Kickstarter campaign, for the real-time strategy game Human Resources, began in October 2014 with a US$1.4 million target. It was canceled on October 21 after the studio concluded that the campaign would not obtain sufficient funding. In August 2018, Planetary Annihilation Inc. was created to continue development and publishing for the Planetary Annihilation properties. The original studio later changed its name to Star Theory Games, an announcement made at Gamescom in 2019. The change was partly intended to avoid confusion with the transportation company Uber. Star Theory simultaneously announced its work with Private Division on Kerbal Space Program 2, a sequel to the space-flight simulation series acquired by Take-Two Interactive in 2017. The Kerbal sequel became the studio’s final major assignment. Take-Two created a new Private Division development team, later called Intercept Games, and transferred the project to it. Members of Star Theory, including creative director Nate Simpson and studio head Jeremy Ables, joined the new team. Reporting described failed acquisition discussions between Take-Two and Star Theory, followed by offers for Star Theory employees to move to the new studio. About twelve of approximately thirty employees had moved by February 2020, while Star Theory lost its contract. The remaining team intended to present prototypes to prospective publishers at the March 2020 Game Developers Conference. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the conference and related industry events, limiting the studio’s ability to find new financing or publishing partners. Star Theory Games closed on March 4, 2020. The company’s history therefore spans independent game development, successful crowdfunding, a notable technology spinout, a high-profile sequel contract, and an eventual dissolution after the transfer of that contract and much of its staff to Intercept Games.
- 2020
Kerbal Space Program 2 transferred and studio closed
[1]Development moved to Intercept Games, and Star Theory shut down on March 4 after losing the contract.
- 2019
Studio rebranded as Star Theory Games
[1]Uber Entertainment announced its new name at Gamescom and revealed its work on Kerbal Space Program 2.
- 2018
Planetary Annihilation Inc. formed
[1]A separate company was founded to continue development and publishing for the Planetary Annihilation games.
- 2015
Planetary Annihilation: Titans released
[1]The stand-alone expansion broadened the Planetary Annihilation experience.
- 2014
PlayFab spun out
[1]PlayFab was established as a separate company to continue the UberNet backend service.
- 2012
Planetary Annihilation crowdfunding succeeds
[1]A Kickstarter campaign raised more than US$2.2 million for the real-time strategy game.
- 2010
Monday Night Combat released
[1]The studio released its first game, a competitive multiplayer action title.
- 2008
Uber Entertainment founded
[1]Bob Berry and Jonathan Mavor founded the studio in Bellevue, Washington.
Products and positioning
Independent developer focused on technically ambitious multiplayer and real-time strategy games, with an emphasis on large-scale simulation, persistent online infrastructure, and digitally distributed releases.
Multiplayer action game · 2010
Monday Night Combat
Released in 2010, Monday Night Combat was the studio’s first title. It blended third-person shooter gameplay with team-based objectives, defensive structures, and tower-defense conventions. The game received generally positive reviews and established Uber Entertainment as an independent developer with experience in competitive online play.
Real-time strategy game
Planetary Annihilation
Planetary Annihilation was a large-scale real-time strategy game financed in part through a successful 2012 Kickstarter campaign. Its design emphasized planetary maps, resource management, automation, and battles involving substantial armies across multiple worlds. Development continued beyond its initially planned release window, making it the studio’s principal long-term game project.
Real-time strategy expansion · 2015
Planetary Annihilation: Titans
Released in August 2015 as a stand-alone expansion, Planetary Annihilation: Titans extended the original strategy game with larger combat units, expanded battlefields, and additional large-scale warfare systems. Planetary Annihilation Inc. was later established to continue development and publishing for this title and its predecessor.
Real-time strategy game
Human Resources
Human Resources was an announced real-time strategy project that Uber Entertainment attempted to finance through Kickstarter in October 2014. The campaign sought US$1.4 million but was canceled on October 21 after the studio’s projections indicated that it would not reach the necessary funding level.
Space-flight simulation game
Kerbal Space Program 2
Star Theory Games was contracted by Private Division to develop Kerbal Space Program 2, a sequel to Squad’s space-flight simulation series. The project was transferred to a new Take-Two-affiliated studio, later named Intercept Games, during 2019–2020. Star Theory did not complete the project.
Game backend service
UberNet
UberNet was the online backend infrastructure associated with Uber Entertainment’s games. PlayFab was spun out in 2014 to continue developing the service, eventually becoming part of Microsoft Azure PlayFab after Microsoft’s 2018 acquisition of PlayFab.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Human Resources Kickstarter
International
The studio sought US$1.4 million through Kickstarter for Human Resources, another real-time strategy project.
Outcome. Uber Entertainment canceled the campaign on October 21 after determining that it was unlikely to raise the required amount.
- 2012Planetary Annihilation Kickstarter
International
Uber Entertainment used Kickstarter to fund Planetary Annihilation, a large-scale real-time strategy game. The campaign raised more than US$2.2 million and became one of the studio’s defining financing and marketing events.
Outcome. The campaign succeeded and supported continued development of Planetary Annihilation, although the originally planned December 2013 release timing was postponed.
Brand decisions
2020
Transfer Kerbal Space Program 2 developmentStrategyBackground
Take-Two and Private Division established a new internal development team and moved the sequel’s production away from Star Theory.
Action taken
Development duties were transferred to the new team, later named Intercept Games, while a substantial portion of Star Theory’s employees accepted positions there.
Aftermath
Star Theory lost its contract, was unable to secure replacement publishing agreements amid the COVID-19 disruption, and shut down on March 4, 2020.
2019
Rebrand Uber Entertainment as Star Theory GamesStrategyBackground
The Uber Entertainment name was frequently confused with the transportation company Uber.
Action taken
The studio adopted the Star Theory Games name and presented itself under that identity at Gamescom.
Aftermath
The renamed studio worked with Private Division on Kerbal Space Program 2 but ceased operations in March 2020.
2018
Create Planetary Annihilation Inc.StrategyBackground
The Planetary Annihilation games required continuing development and publishing after their original production phase.
Action taken
Planetary Annihilation Inc. was founded to continue development and publishing for Planetary Annihilation and Planetary Annihilation: Titans.
Aftermath
The games continued under a separate corporate entity from the original studio.
2014
Spin out PlayFabM&ABackground
Uber Entertainment wanted its UberNet backend technology to continue as a dedicated service and organization.
Action taken
The company announced PlayFab as a spinout focused on continuing development of the backend gaming platform.
Aftermath
Microsoft acquired PlayFab in 2018 and incorporated it into Azure PlayFab.
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