Games that matter.

Paintbucket Games is an indie studio based in Berlin, founded in 2018 by Jörg Friedrich and Sebastian St. Schulz. Both have been developing digital games for over 20 years, have a background in AAA game development, and have worked on titles such as Spec Ops: The Line. Paintbucket Games has since grown to a team of around 20 people.

Projects

Our Projects

The Darkest Files
Released

The Darkest Files

Germany, 1956. The war is over, but justice is not served. Former Nazis walk free, while their victims lie in unmarked graves. As a prosecutor, you'll unearth long-buried evidence, confront witnesses and hunt down perpetrators. Will you have the courage to bring these "ordinary men" to court?

AdventureDetectiveNoir PCMacSwitch
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2025
Beholder 3
Released

Beholder 3

When a high-ranking security officer saves you from prison, you end up a pawn in her schemes. Now you must eliminate anyone standing in the way of her secret plans and try to get your life back while working two jobs. No tenant, employee or superior is safe from your spying.

Politics simulationDystopiaPoint & Click PC
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2022
Through the Darkest of Times
Released

Through the Darkest of Times

Berlin 1933. “Adolf Hitler is chancellor!” We all know the consequences this message bore. Unspeakable horrors and suffering would sweep across the world. Few would stand and fight the monstrosity that was the German Reich. Will you? Lead an underground resistance group Through the Darkest of Times.

StrategySimulationAdventureWorld War II PCIOSAndroid
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2020
Forced Abroad
Released

Forced Abroad

Experience the story of 19-year-old Jan, who is deported from Rotterdam to Germany in 1945. A visual novel based on real diary entries: personal, moving and historically accurate.

Visual Novel iosandroid
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Max Mannheimer - ben jakov
Released

Max Mannheimer - ben jakov

We find ourselves in Max Mannheimer’s studio. From here, we delve into the chapters of his life through his paintings: his childhood in Neutitschein in Czechoslovakia, the period of the onset of persecution and deportation by the Nazis, his imprisonment in various concentration camps, and his life after the Second World War in Germany.

iOSAndroid
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Remember. The Children of Bullenhuser Damm
Released

Remember. The Children of Bullenhuser Damm

Around 1980, five teenagers in Hamburg are living their everyday lives as normal. They go to the school on Bullenhuser Damm. In the stairwell, a small, inconspicuous plaque hangs, hinting at a grim event in 1945. But what is written on it is hardly enough to know exactly what happened back then.

AdventureVisual Novel iOSAndroid
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Wer ist Bilal?
Released

Wer ist Bilal?

A friend of yours has gone missing. His mother is distraught. The only clue you have is his social media profile and a name nobody knows: Bilal. Can you find Finn and discover who “Bilal” really is?

Serious iOSAndroid
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2026
Who was Wilhelm?
Released

Who was Wilhelm?

Accompany the sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck through the highs and lows of his life. An interactive narrative, written by the renowned author Theresia Enzensberger: personal, literary and full of choices.

iOSAndroid
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2022
ELECTRIFYtoday
Released

ELECTRIFYtoday

Prove yourself as a shaper of the future and build a world where renewable energy is available in sufficient quantities and at an affordable price. ELECTRIFYtoday conveys knowledge about the energy transition in an entertaining way: for apprentices, school pupils and anyone who wants to help shape the future.

EducationOpen World PCiOSAndroidBrowser
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2024
ErinnerungsZeit
Released

ErinnerungsZeit

Join Ben, Sara and Naila in finding a way to combat the hatred in the building, win over residents as allies and draw inspiration from stories of persecution and resistance during the Nazi era to take action in solidarity today.

iOSAndroidBrowser
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2024
Kikaninchen
Ongoing support

Kikaninchen

Together with Kikaninchen, children immerse themselves in a lovingly designed world of paper cut-outs: they go on exploration tours, create paper animals, invent adventurous vehicles and watch their favourite programmes. An app that grows with the child and helps the child to grow.

Children iOSAndroid
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2023

In Development

One Night at Moka Efti
Work in progress

One Night at Moka Efti

Berlin, 1930s. A city poised between glamour and the abyss, between heady nights at the Moka Efti dance hall and the political upheavals of a republic on the brink of collapse.

AdventureNarrativePsychologicalNoirSurreal PCMac
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TBA
SOKO 1977
Work in progress

SOKO 1977

Only a couple of weeks to apprehend left-wing terrorist cells. The political and social pressure is immense; all eyes are on you. SOKO 1977 is a historical-political game about the conflicts of the 1970s in the Federal Republic of Germany: How would you act as the head of a special task force?

InvestigationRogue Like PCMac
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TBA
  • Tommi
  • Official Selction Dokville 2019

About Us

Paintbucket Games is an indie studio based in Berlin, founded in 2018 by Jörg Friedrich and Sebastian St. Schulz. Both have been developing digital games for over 20 years, have a background in AAA game development, and have worked on titles such as Spec Ops: The Line. Paintbucket Games has since grown to a team of around 20 people.

Our debut title, Through the Darkest of Times, in which players coordinate a civilian resistance group in Nazi-era Berlin, won numerous awards in 2020. In The Darkest Files, our second major game, players take on the role of a public prosecutor investigating real-life Nazi crimes in the post-war period. It has also received multiple awards. We create games with impact and conviction.

Games that tackle political, historical and socially sensitive issues whilst taking a clear stand: against racism, anti-Semitism and hatred, and in favour of an open and democratic society.

At the same time, it is important to us that our games are always engaging and fun.

Play is a voluntary act.

Cultural Historian Johan Huizinga

This must apply just as much to impact and serious games as it does to the latest blockbuster.

From concept to finished game

We develop impact and entertainment games in close collaboration with our partners. You provide the subject-matter expertise; we bring the know-how in game design, development and if required pedagogy. It doesn’t matter whether you come to us with a fully formed idea or just a topic: together we’ll find the best solution.

  1. Concept workshop

    Together, we define the objectives, target audience and framework. The result is an initial game concept.

  2. Prototyping

    We build a playable version at an early stage: this allows you to test the concept before full production begins.

  3. Development

    We develop the game in agile sprints. You are closely involved throughout: regular reviews, joint playtests, short feedback cycles.

  4. Testing & Launch

    We test with the target audience, optimise the game and support the launch, including accompanying materials and marketing, if desired.

What our partners say

The agile and dedicated collaboration with Paintbucket Games was characterized by mutual appreciation and an honest understanding of the complex topic of remembrance.

Dr. Iris Groschek Dr. Iris Groschek Hamburg Memorials and Learning Centers Foundation for the Remembrance of the Victims of Nazi Crimes

Working with Paintbucket Games was a thoroughly professional and reliable experience. Particularly noteworthy are their transparent communication, high flexibility, and continuous support even after release. Paintbucket Games is a dedicated partner with a high level of technical and professional expertise. Based on this experience, we would recommend the team without reservation.

Pinar Erdem Pinar Erdem Phoenix Contact

Working with Paintbucket Games is always a truly special experience for us: the passion, creativity, and professionalism with which the entire team brings every idea and even the most ‘challenging’ topics to life is simply impressive and unmatched in today’s gaming industry. If you have a passion for games that make an educational impact, Paintbucket Games is the place for you.

Dr. Lisa König Dr. Lisa König Director of the Center for Educational Computer Game Research

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