# Windup Minds

> Windup Minds is a Seattle-based, remote-first independent game studio building the next generation of virtual pets for virtual and mixed reality. Founded in 2023 by a crew of veterans from Oculus, EA, Microsoft and Bungie, the studio's debut, Stay: Forever Home, drops a magical companion named Ember into your living room via Meta Quest passthrough - a pet you feed, play with, and grow attached to. The bet: VR and MR are the only mediums that can make a digital creature feel genuinely, instinctively real.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** Seattle, Washington, United States
- **Founders:** Bernard Yee (CEO & Co-Founder), Ben Vance (Co-Founder), Amy Conchie (Co-Founder), Stefani Swiatkowski (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~20 employees (remote-first)
- **Products:** Stay: Forever Home, Ember
- **Notable:** Raised $1.6M seed round in 2023 backed by Oculus founder Nate Mitchell and top XR investors., Shipped Stay: Forever Home on Meta Quest on April 3, 2025., Unveiled the title at the UploadVR Showcase in December 2024.

## Products & services

- **Stay: Forever Home** — A mixed-reality virtual pet experience featuring Ember - a part-fox, part-cat, part-magical companion who lives in your real home via Meta Quest passthrough. Players feed her, play catch, explore magical environments, and build a bond over time. Launched April 3, 2025 on Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro for $19.99, with a Steam release planned.
- **Ember** — The studio's flagship virtual creature - an emotionally responsive, AI-influenced companion designed to react believably within a player's scanned home environment.

## Achievements

- Raised $1.6M seed round in 2023 backed by Oculus founder Nate Mitchell and top XR investors.
- Shipped Stay: Forever Home on Meta Quest on April 3, 2025.
- Unveiled the title at the UploadVR Showcase in December 2024.
- Founding team credits include Oculus demos Bogo, Toy Box and First Steps, plus Destiny, Plants vs. Zombies and Dishonored.

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Unveiled Stay: Forever Home at the UploadVR Showcase.
- **2025-04** — Launched Stay: Forever Home on Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro for $19.99.
- **2025-05** — Shipped first post-launch update adding new toys (a flying disc) and expanded voice command support.

## Links

- Website: https://windupminds.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/windup-minds
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/windupminds
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@windupminds
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windupminds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/windupminds
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@windupminds

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/windup-minds
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-02