poncle
poncle is a London-based game studio founded by Luca Galante that develops and publishes the time-survival game Vampire Survivors.
- studio-profile
- poncle
- vampire-survivors
What poncle is
poncle is an independent game studio based in London, United Kingdom. Its own website describes the company as having grown from a solo development project into a team of more than 25 people, and says the studio makes games built around strong mechanics, fair pricing and replayability. The site links to a separate recruitment page for open positions rather than listing roles on its own pages.
The studio was founded by Luca Galante, a point repeated in poncle's own press material. A studio press release issued in June 2026 describes poncle as the studio behind Vampire Survivors, founded by Luca Galante, and says the project began as his solo work before growing into a wider international team. The same release confirms the company's base in London, United Kingdom and describes how it chooses which games to make.
The studio's front page is informal in tone but factual about its own output, stating that despite its current size it has only made one game. Its news feed is kept in reverse date order and is the main public record of what the studio has shipped and when. The site also carries separate FAQ pages for individual releases, such as the online play update and the virtual reality version, plus a page describing its flagship game.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is the game our database lists under poncle. The studio's own page for the game describes it as a time survival title with minimalistic gameplay and roguelite elements, in which the player survives as long as possible and gathers gold during each run to buy upgrades for the next survivor. Steam lists the game under developer and publisher poncle with a release date of 20 October 2022.
The studio's news feed records the platforms the game has reached. Entries on poncle.games note the game arriving on Nintendo Switch and gaining local co-op in August 2023, launching on PlayStation and Apple Arcade in August 2024, reaching the Epic Games Store in December 2024, adding online play in October 2025 and gaining a VR version on the Meta Store in November 2025.
Expansion packs listed in the same feed include Tides of the Foscari in April 2023, Emergency Meeting in December 2023, Operation Guns in May 2024, Ode to Castlevania in October 2024, Emerald Diorama in April 2025 and a Balatro crossover titled Ante Chamber in October 2025. The studio's own page for the game sets out its premise and links to the store listings where it is sold.
Publishing and new projects
poncle publishes games beyond its own flagship. Its news feed records two titles it presented for other developers: Berserk or Die, a keyboard-based action game from Nao Games released on Steam in June 2025, and Kill The Brickman, a turn-based roguelike bullet-builder from Doonutsaur released on Xbox and Steam in August 2025. The studio's press material states that it also works with and supports other developers who share a similar view of games.
A poncle press release dated 6 June 2026 sets out the studio's next steps. It announces a new label, Survivaton, for internally developed games that build on Vampire Survivors in collaboration with selected partners, and states that Vampire Survivors itself would be renamed Vampire Survivors - First Survivaton. The same release announces poncle Japan, a Japanese subsidiary headed by Sawaki Takeyasu and focused on local development and partnerships.
Games
Questions people ask
Who founded poncle?
poncle was founded by Luca Galante, according to the studio's own press material, which describes Vampire Survivors as beginning as his solo project during the pandemic.
Who publishes Vampire Survivors?
Vampire Survivors is developed and published by poncle. Steam lists poncle in both the developer and publisher fields.
Where is poncle based?
poncle is based in London, United Kingdom, as stated on the studio's website and in its own press releases.