Axlebolt is one of only a few CIS/European developers focused on hardcore 5v5 mobile shooters. The mobile market is full of excellent casual and midcore games, but a balanced, competitive mobile FPS remains a rare thing. Why? Because it’s an incredibly difficult genre to master.

A top-tier mobile shooter is defined by:

• Rock-solid servers and expertly engineered netcode
• PC-level graphics optimized for budget devices
• Nonstop balance adjustments and active live support
• Relentless bug fixes and proactive anti-cheat measures
• A skilled, experienced development team committed to quality

So a minimal viable product won’t cut it in the mobile shooter genre. This type of game requires through understanding and on-point execution from the start in order to be competitive on the market.

But we’ve done more than just stay ahead of our competitors. Our flagship game has become a full-fledged digital ecosystem, driving eSports, streams, fan content, and creator communities. The results speak for themselves:

• 300 million installs worldwide
• 400,000+ peak concurrent players. This speaks to both our popularity and our rock-solid infrastructure
• A top 10 most-watched title on streaming platforms. Standoff 2 boasts active communities on Twitch and YouTube

All this was made possible by hard work, passion, and a commitment to quality.

The initial Standoff 2 team at launch was just seven people, including the founders. We’ve experienced exponential growth since then. Today, there are over 300 of us across the globe. Our support and anti-cheat team alone has more than 50 dedicated employees!

We play what we create. Some of us play casually to understand the player experience, while others come from professional eSports backgrounds. We all get the chance to play in internal staff tournaments, too. Playing the game ourselves means the whole team understands what’s best for Standoff 2 in practice, and not just on paper. We go beyond basic genre literacy – we have a hands-on sense of how to build a great mobile shooter, from gunplay to balance. And most importantly, we truly love what we do.

Even during our explosive growth, we’ve held on to the agile startup atmosphere that values results over hours clocked. Over the years, we’ve refined our pipelines, upgraded our infrastructure, and built a mature, systematic company, all while keeping our passion alive. This lets us enjoy zero bureaucratic red tape, plus working conditions that rival top tech companies like Google and Apple (even surpassing them in some areas).

We began developing Standoff 2 entirely in-house, and that's a tradition we've stuck to. Everything from initial prototypes to final production is handled by our teams themselves. We’re constantly exploring new technology, and have a system that encourages implementing new tools or ideas directly, without getting bogged down by lengthy approvals or budget allowances. This self-sufficient mindset extends to our creative work: our studio has its own motion-capture stage, which allows us to produce animations and trailers ourselves, too.

Our passion truly shines in our ability to deliver exactly what players want and need. And we don't just guess – we reach out to understand their perspective. We survey players on a regular basis and keep our finger on the pulse of the community, incorporating genuine feedback as we make tweaks and improvements to aspects like weapon balance or matchmaking. When players suggest things they'd like to see, we listen and do our best to make them happen. In return, our community gives back. The most dedicated players help out in support roles and test new updates. At the start of 2025, the community even voted on which features we should add first. Some of these contributions have been so impressive that we ended up bringing certain community support specialists, testers, and creative thinkers onto our team full-time.

Standoff 2 launched at the perfect time, back when the mobile market lacked a truly hardcore competitive shooter. It’s always been more than just a game. It’s a deep, challenging, and rewarding experience. And we’ve never stopped working to make it better.

Fair monetization was a non-negotiable from the very start. No pay-to-win, no shady mechanics. Just optional cosmetic items that never affect gameplay, presented as a choice without pressure or manipulation. We respect our players, and in return, our community respects a system where everyone competes on equal footing.

What also sets us apart is our player-driven economy. Almost every inventory item can be bought or sold on the Marketplace, which is rare for a mobile game. And as an FPS, we stay true to skill-based play: no auto shooting, no aim assist, no casual shortcuts. We challenged convention, and that brought us success.

Choosing not to follow trends led to us setting our own. And now, other FPS developers are watching what we do and how we do it while Standoff 2 continues to grow in popularity around the world. Axlebolt has shown that a mobile shooter can be serious, competitive, skill-based, and built to last. We’re not claiming to be the industry’s biggest breakthrough, but we’ve certainly become a point of reference for others.

And we’re not stopping there. Our studio is constantly evolving, with big plans behind the scenes that go far beyond just releasing new updates and skins.

Standoff 2 is currently migrating to a new, more stable architecture that supports a stronger anti-cheat system and sets the foundation for what’s next.

Another exciting feature on the horizon is the Workshop. For the first time, players will be able to create their own maps, skins, and even game modes. We look at this new tool as a new chapter in the life of Standoff 2. An outlet for player-driven expression changes a game in ways no one can imagine. We’re confident our community will blow everyone away with what they create.

We have new titles in the works as well. While we can’t share details just yet, we’re every bit as ambitious now as we were when we first built Standoff. Our goal is to create something truly remarkable, a fresh experience that we hope will thrill our fans.

We don’t develop games just for the sake of it – we build projects we’d genuinely want to play ourselves. And that’s a principle we’ll always stick to.