Sickhead Games, LLC is an American independent video game developer based in Dallas, Texas. It was founded in October 2002 by Tom Spilman and Russell Fincher and specializes in porting, remastering, and co-developing games for consoles and PC, in addition to producing its own original titles. Titles the studio has ported or co-developed include Darkest Dungeon, Stardew Valley, Celeste, and Slay the Spire.

Sickhead's early work centered on the Torque engine before the studio shifted its focus to MonoGame, an open-source framework it has helped steward while also developing its own original games. It released its first original title, ARMED!, in 2013, and the following year began porting console versions of independently developed games, starting with TowerFall Ascension and Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Over the following decade, the studio ported dozens of independent titles to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms, while also producing HD remasters of older console and PC games such as Grandia and ExZeus.

Alongside its ports and remasters, Sickhead continues to release original and licensed titles, including Space Invaders Deck Commander (2024) and the Jaleco Sports Series (2025–present), a line of revived classic NES, SNES, and Famicom sports games developed with Jaleco.

History Sickhead Games was founded in Dallas, Texas, in October 2002 by Tom Spilman and Russell Fincher. In its early years the studio worked with the Torque series of game engines, later shifting its focus to MonoGame, an open-source framework that lowered the barrier for indie developers bringing their games to consoles.

In 2013, the studio released its first original title, ARMED!, a multiplatform turn-based strategy game for mobile devices and Windows. The following year, Sickhead began porting indie games to PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One, starting with TowerFall Ascension and Octodad: Dadliest Catch.

The studio went on to port several further indie titles, including Darkest Dungeon, Stardew Valley, Axiom Verge, and Slay the Spire, with support later expanding to Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms.

Alongside its ports of contemporary indie games, Sickhead has updated classic console and PC games from the 1980s through the early 2000s to run on modern systems, including ExZeus, Enclave, and Grandia. The studio released Space Invaders Deck Commander in 2024 with Rock It Games and Taito, and began reviving classic NES, SNES, and Famicom Jaleco sports titles the following year.

MonoGame Co-founder Tom Spilman has served as one of the framework's project leads and sits on the board of the MonoGame Foundation. After Sony and the MonoGame team connected in 2013, Sickhead was brought on to help move the arena-combat game TowerFall from the Ouya to PlayStation 4 as TowerFall Ascension. That project led to further porting contracts for numerous other MonoGame- and XNA-based indie titles.

Games developed Year Title Platform(s) Publisher 2013 ARMED! Mobile, Windows Sickhead Games 2015 Be the Astronaut Windows Eureka Exhibits 2015 Be the Dinosaur Windows Eureka Exhibits 2018 Floating Log Raft Simulator Windows Eureka Exhibits 2024 Space Invaders Deck Commander PlayStation, Xbox One/X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows Rock It Games / Taito 2025 Jaleco Sports Series Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 Rock It Games / Jaleco

Ports Title Release date Platform Developer / Publisher TowerFall AscensionMarch 11, 2014 PlayStation 4Maddy Makes Games, Inc, Extremely OK, LtdDecember 15, 2015PlayStation VitaJanuary 24, 2017Xbox One Dust: An Elysian TailOctober 7, 2014PlayStation 4Humble Hearts Escape Goat 2October 21, 2014PlayStation 4MagicalTimeBean Ironclad TacticsJanuary 20, 2015PlayStation 4Zachtronics Industries ApotheonFebruary 3, 2015PlayStation 4Alientrap TowerFall Dark World ExpansionMay 12, 2015 PlayStation 4 Maddy Makes Games, Inc, Extremely OK, LtdJanuary 25, 2017 Xbox One Octodad: Dadliest CatchMay 19, 2015PlayStation VitaYoung Horses, Inc Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide EditionJune 2, 2015PlayStation 417-BitJuly 11, 2019Nintendo Switch Axiom VergeApril 19, 2016PlayStation VitaThomas Happ GamesSeptember 29, 2016Xbox OneOctober 5, 2017Nintendo Switch Score Rush ExtendedMay 31, 2016PlayStation 4Xona Games Darkest DungeonSeptember 28, 2016PlayStation 4Red Hook StudiosSeptember 28, 2016PlayStation Vita Stardew ValleyJuly 29, 2016Mac OS XConcernedApeJuly 29, 2016LinuxDecember 13, 2016PlayStation 4May 22, 2018PlayStation VitaDecember 13, 2016Xbox OneOctober 5, 2017Nintendo SwitchDecember 25, 2025Nintendo Switch 2 Salt and SanctuaryMarch 28, 2017PlayStation VitaSka Studios CRYPTARKJune 27, 2017PlayStation 4Alientrap Tooth and TailSeptember 12, 2017PlayStation 4Pocketwatch Games CelesteJanuary 25, 2018PlayStation 4Maddy Makes Games, Inc, Extremely OK, Ltd January 25, 2018Xbox One January 25, 2018Nintendo Switch Mercenary Kings: ReloadedFebruary 6, 2018Xbox OneTribute GamesFebruary 6, 2018PlayStation Vita TowerFallSeptember 27, 2018Nintendo SwitchMaddy Makes Games ChasmJuly 31, 2018PlayStation VitaBit Kid, Inc.October 11, 2018Nintendo Switch Slay the SpireMay 21, 2019PlayStation 4MegaCrit / Humble Games June 6, 2019 Nintendo SwitchAugust 13, 2019Xbox OneJune 13, 2020iOSFebruary 3, 2021Android Eagle IslandJuly 11, 2019Nintendo SwitchPixelnicks / Retroware Grandia HD CollectionAugust 16, 2019Nintendo SwitchGame ArtsMarch 6, 2024PlayStation 4March 6, 2024Xbox One Grandia HD RemasterOctober 15, 2019 WindowsGame Arts Grandia II HD RemasterOctober 15, 2019 WindowsGame Arts Monaco: Complete EditionOctober 21, 2019Nintendo SwitchPocketwatch Games Door Kickers: Action SquadOctober 23, 2019Xbox OneKillHouse GamesOctober 24, 2019PlayStation 4October 28, 2019Nintendo Switch Real Heroes: FirefighterNovember 27, 2019Nintendo SwitchEpicenter Studios / Golem EntertainmentMarch 10, 2020PlayStation 4Epicenter Studios / 612 Entertainment, LLCMarch 30, 2022Xbox OneEpicenter Studios / Ziggurat Interactive IkenfellOctober 8, 2020Xbox OneHappy Ray Games / Humble Games October 8, 2020PlayStation 4October 8, 2020Nintendo Switch Unrailed!September 23, 2020Xbox OneIndoor Astronaut / Daedalic EntertainmentSeptember 23, 2020PlayStation 4 WildfireDecember 3, 2020Xbox OneSneaky Bastards / Humble GamesDecember 3, 2020PlayStation 4December 3, 2020Nintendo Switch MundaunMarch 15, 2021Xbox OneMWM InteractiveMarch 15, 2021PlayStation 4 Heavy BurgerApril 27, 2021PlayStation 4Lub Blub, International Headquarters / G-MODE, 612 Entertainment Eagle Island TwistMay 28, 2021Nintendo SwitchPixelnicks / RetrowareMay 28, 2021PlayStation 4May 28, 2021Xbox One Axiom Verge 2August 11, 2021PlayStation 4Thomas Happ Games ExZeus: The Complete CollectionSeptember 30, 2021Xbox OneHyperDevBox, Sickhead Games / Ziggurat InteractiveSeptember 30, 2021PlayStation 4September 30, 2021Nintendo Switch Fae TacticsNovember 17, 2021Xbox OneEndlessfluff Games / Humble GamesNovember 17, 2021Windows ProdeusSeptember 23, 2022WindowsBounding Box Software / Humble GamesSeptember 23, 2022Xbox OneSeptember 23, 2022Xbox Series X/SSeptember 23, 2022PlayStation 4September 23, 2022PlayStation 5October 28, 2022Nintendo Switch Space EngineersMay 11, 2023PlayStation 4Keen Software House Enclave HDJune 29, 2023Nintendo Switch Starbreeze Studios / Ziggurat InteractiveJune 29, 2023PlayStation 4June 29, 2023Xbox One Until ThenJune 25, 2024PlayStation 5 Polychroma Games / Maximum Games Real Heroes: Firefighter HDDecember 6, 2024PlayStation 5Epicenter Studios / Ziggurat Interactive Jaleco Sports: GOAL!June 26, 2025Windows Jaleco, Sickhead Games / Rock It GamesNovember 20, 2025PlayStation 4April 2, 2026Nintendo Switch Jaleco Sports: Bases LoadedApril 15, 2025WindowsNovember 20, 2025Nintendo SwitchNovember 20, 2025PlayStation 4 Jaleco Sports: GOAL! 2April 2, 2026Nintendo SwitchApril 2, 2026PlayStation 4 Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded 2April 2, 2026Nintendo SwitchApril 2, 2026PlayStation 4 TamashikaApril 21, 2026Nintendo SwitchQuickTequila / EDGLRDApril 21, 2026Xbox OneApril 21, 2026Xbox Series X/SApril 21, 2026Windows StoreApril 21, 2026PlayStation 5 KynseedAugust 4, 2026Nintendo SwitchPixelCount StudiosAugust 4, 2026PlayStation 4August 4, 2026PlayStation 5August 4, 2026Xbox Series X/S Jaleco Sports: FaceoffsSeptember 4, 2026PlayStation 5Jaleco, Sickhead Games / Rock It GamesSeptember 4, 2026Nintendo Switch The Royal WritSeptember 10, 2026Nintendo SwitchSave Sloth Studios / Yogscast GamesSeptember 10, 2026PlayStation 5September 10, 2026Xbox Series X/S

References

External links Sickhead Games website MonoGame website