# Facepunch Studios

**Facepunch Studios** is a British independent video game developer and publisher based in Birmingham, England, founded in June 2004 by [Garry Newman](https://www.edgepedia.org/garry-newman) and known for the physics sandbox [Garry's Mod](https://www.edgepedia.org/garrys-mod) and the survival game Rust.<sup>[1](https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/audits-and-advisory-visits/4023744/facepunch-audit-executive-summary-v1_0.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> The company remains independent and self-published, with all of its games on PC via Steam and [Rust](https://www.edgepedia.org/rust-video-game) also on console.<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 2004 by Garry Newman; incorporated as Facepunch Studios Ltd on 17 March 2009<sup>[1](https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/audits-and-advisory-visits/4023744/facepunch-audit-executive-summary-v1_0.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/facepunch.com)</sup> |
| Location | Birmingham, UK<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> |
| Best-known games | Garry's Mod (2004, standalone on Steam 2006) and Rust (2013, official release 2018)<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> |
| Sales | 47.5 million games sold and 60.6 million skins and items sold<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> |
| Size | Over 110 employees<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> |
| Latest release | s&box, a game creation platform on Source 2, launched April 2026<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/99362-facepunch-studios)</sup> |
| Ownership | Independent; Newman has said companies have tried to buy the studio but he has declined<sup>[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/garry-newman-says-companies-have-tried-to-buy-facepunch-but-the-only-reason-to-sell-it-would-be-for-money-and-i-feel-like-ive-got-enough-money/)</sup> |

## History and games

The studio grew out of Garry's Mod, a modification of Valve's Half-Life 2 built on a modified version of the [Source](https://www.edgepedia.org/source-game-engine) engine. It began in 2004 and became one of the first indie games on Steam when it went standalone in 2006.<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> The game has no predefined aims or goals; the studio describes it as a physics sandbox where players are given tools and left to play.<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup>

**Rust** followed in 2013, entering official release in 2018 and continuing with monthly updates.<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup> It began as a clone of the Arma 2 mod DayZ with crafting mechanics similar to [Minecraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/minecraft), before the team removed zombies, which CEO Garry Newman said were overused at the time.<sup>[6](https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1955769/FULLTEXT01.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://as.com/meristation/2018/02/23/analisis/1519369200_173397.html)</sup> The game runs on the [Unity](https://www.edgepedia.org/unity-game-engine) engine, which Facepunch upgraded to Unity 6 in the June 2026 update.<sup>[8](https://rustly.com/rust-game-engine/)</sup>

Smaller releases include the twin-stick bullet-hell shooter Chippy (2019) and Clatter (2018).<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://loadia.app/en/publisher/facepunch-studios)</sup>

## Rust's scale and operations

Rust is developed as a live service with guaranteed monthly updates on the first Thursday of every month. In its 2025 recap the studio reported a highest-ever peak Steam player count of 259,646, over 5,800,000 unique players, over 700,000,000 hours played, and 28,523 Workshop submissions for the year.<sup>[10](https://rust.facepunch.com/news/surviving-12-years)</sup>

The same devblog detailed the operational side: over 338,000 total cheat bans applied in 2025, including more than 296,000 permanent bans, and over 16,000,000 cheat reports received. Premium Servers, introduced in March 2025, require a Rust Steam inventory valued at $15 or more and are described by the studio as effective at keeping cheaters out. The studio also opened a [HackerOne](https://www.edgepedia.org/hackerone) bug-bounty program in April 2025 and has paid out over $300,000 through it.<sup>[10](https://rust.facepunch.com/news/surviving-12-years)</sup> [Performance](https://www.edgepedia.org/performance) work in 2025 reduced load and server connection times by around 65 percent.<sup>[10](https://rust.facepunch.com/news/surviving-12-years)</sup>

The game's economy extends to its community: Facepunch reports paying over $32,701,869 to community skinners to date, and a dedicated DLC team, hired separately from core development, ships new in-house cosmetic items most months.<sup>[10](https://rust.facepunch.com/news/surviving-12-years)</sup>

## s&box

s&box (pronounced "sandbox") is the studio's spiritual successor to Garry's Mod, a game creation platform built on the [Source 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/source-2) engine with C# scripting, an editor with millisecond hot reloads, and built-in multiplayer.<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://sbox.game/about)</sup> Facepunch describes it as a complete game engine that can be used to make entire games and publish them as standalone releases on [Steam](https://www.edgepedia.org/steam-service).<sup>[12](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-valve-approved-half-life-remake-is-joining-the-garrys-mod-family-by-popular-demand/)</sup> It launched on Steam on 28 April 2026.<sup>[4](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/99362-facepunch-studios)</sup>

The launch went poorly. The April release drew a swarm of negative reviews, complaints that AI-generated content was filling its user-generated game collection, and swiftly falling user numbers.<sup>[13](https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/my-idea-of-a-netflix-for-games-doesnt-work-garrys-mod-successor-is-getting-sweeping-changes/)</sup> Newman later acknowledged the platform's mixed review status of 44 percent and said fans "wanted an iteration of Garry's Mod onto the Source Engine. They didn't want an engine and a platform."

In October 2026 Newman announced sweeping changes, writing that "we're not selling an engine, we're selling a game" and that focus needed to shift to what players experience rather than developers. The platform is going free to play earlier than expected, and Facepunch is pivoting to a greenlight-type system for user-generated games.<sup>[13](https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/my-idea-of-a-netflix-for-games-doesnt-work-garrys-mod-successor-is-getting-sweeping-changes/)</sup> On AI content, the studio is actively discouraging its use and added a warning to the thumbnail creation page, while stopping short of an outright ban because Newman sees experimentation as the point of the platform; he noted that about 24 percent of reviews complained about AI in some form and 20 percent cited performance problems, which he called a legitimate grievance.<sup>[14](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/garrys-mod-successor-punishes-gen-ai-use-as-creator-admits-our-steam-reviews-obviously-arent-great/)</sup>

## Studio culture and independence

Facepunch describes itself as player-first, PC-first, and deliberately unconventional: it has no conventional management, and the team decides together what is best for the game. The studio has grown past 110 people.<sup>[2](https://facepunch.com/)</sup>

It has stayed independent despite its scale. Newman said that just before Rust launched, a company close to the studio made an offer he considered but found too low, and that the only reason to sell would be money, "and I feel like I've got enough money."<sup>[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/garry-newman-says-companies-have-tried-to-buy-facepunch-but-the-only-reason-to-sell-it-would-be-for-money-and-i-feel-like-ive-got-enough-money/)</sup>

**Leadership changes** have occurred recently. Alistair McFarlane, chief operations officer and company director, who joined in a QA role eleven years earlier and became executive producer on Rust and a public face of the studio, left on 30 July 2026.<sup>[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/facepunch-director-alistair-mcfarlane-who-once-offered-to-buy-new-world-from-amazon-and-faked-us-out-about-rust-2-has-left-the-company/)</sup> Before departing he had drawn attention for offering Amazon $25 million to buy its shutting-down MMO New World, arguing that "games should never die."<sup>[16](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/rust-director-offers-amazon-usd25-million-to-save-its-dying-mmo-new-world-with-hytales-creator-extending-support)</sup>

## References

1. [Facepunch Studios audit executive summary, ICO](https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/audits-and-advisory-visits/4023744/facepunch-audit-executive-summary-v1_0.pdf)
2. [Facepunch Studios official site](https://facepunch.com/)
3. [Facepunch Studios Reviews, Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/facepunch.com)
4. [Game Companies - Facepunch Studios, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/99362-facepunch-studios)
5. [Garry Newman says companies have tried to buy Facepunch, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/garry-newman-says-companies-have-tried-to-buy-facepunch-but-the-only-reason-to-sell-it-would-be-for-money-and-i-feel-like-ive-got-enough-money/)
6. [History of Rust, Abbas Burud seminar thesis, DiVA portal](https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A1955769/FULLTEXT01.pdf)
7. [Rust, Análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2018/02/23/analisis/1519369200_173397.html)
8. [What Engine Does Rust Use?, Rustly](https://rustly.com/rust-game-engine/)
9. [Games published by Facepunch Studios, Loadia](https://loadia.app/en/publisher/facepunch-studios)
10. [Surviving 12 Years, Rust devblog](https://rust.facepunch.com/news/surviving-12-years)
11. [s&box About page](https://sbox.game/about)
12. [The Valve-approved Half-Life remake is joining the Garry's Mod family, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-valve-approved-half-life-remake-is-joining-the-garrys-mod-family-by-popular-demand/)
13. ['My idea of a Netflix for games doesn't work', PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/my-idea-of-a-netflix-for-games-doesnt-work-garrys-mod-successor-is-getting-sweeping-changes/)
14. [Garry's Mod successor punishes gen AI use, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/garrys-mod-successor-punishes-gen-ai-use-as-creator-admits-our-steam-reviews-obviously-arent-great/)
15. [Facepunch director Alistair McFarlane has left the company, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/facepunch-director-alistair-mcfarlane-who-once-offered-to-buy-new-world-from-amazon-and-faked-us-out-about-rust-2-has-left-the-company/)
16. [Rust director offers Amazon $25 million to save New World, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/rust-director-offers-amazon-usd25-million-to-save-its-dying-mmo-new-world-with-hytales-creator-extending-support)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Game industry › Developers and studios › Individual studio profiles › European studios*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license