About Us

Studio MDHR is an independent video game developer that exists to surprise and delight our players! Founded in Canada by brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer based on their shared love of retro arcade action and vintage cartoons, we released our flagship title Cuphead in 2017. 


Since release, the game has come to every major console platform, and spawned a global consumer product program that even includes a cartoon show of its own (The Cuphead Show!) on Netflix. In 2022, we followed up the original Cuphead experience with a long-awaited expansion, The Delicious Last Course.

Whatever comes next for Studio MDHR, we ultimately plan to remain faithful to our core ideals of craftsmanship and excellence, and push ourselves to harness the classic tools and techniques of the eras of entertainment that inspired us, to bring them to life for new generations!

Our Approach

Care, craftsmanship, and authenticity are at the heart of everything we make at Studio MDHR. We believe in the value of building things well, not quickly, and strive to create games that will sit with people long after they’re finished. 

Crafted With Care, from Pencil to Pixel 

Whether we’re sharpening pencils or pushing pixels, everything at Studio MDHR is made with a meticulous attention to detail and devotion to authenticity. We don’t just take cues from the many eras of art, animation, and gaming that inspire us: we build our games using the actual tools, techniques, and technologies of those eras as well. 

We think that the best things are created when you’re making something you’re passionate about. For us, this means first and foremost making games that we want to play ourselves. Our process involves studying art we love, from films to games to music, and constantly striving to improve and innovate our craft.

At Studio MDHR, we believe in “using beautiful wood for the back of the cabinet” – adding polish in unexpected places and sweating the small details that not everyone will notice, but which bring delight to those who do. This also means we relish the little imperfections that come from building things by hand.

once upon a

timeline…

A Brief History
of Cuphead

  • Cuphead is Born

    After thousands of sketches and months of brainstorming, we finally landed on a sketch for a game hero we loved…a brave little guy with a cup for a head.

  • E3 Showcase – Cuphead

    After living for so long in our heads and our hearts, the world got an updated look at Cuphead as part of Microsoft’s E3 Showcase in 2015. We were blown away by the outpouring of support from all around the world.

  • Cuphead Launches on Xbox and Steam

    Welcome to the Inkwell Isles! On September 29th, 2017, Cuphead launched exclusively on Xbox One and PC.

  • Cuphead Goes Platinum Two Weeks After Launch!

    It was humbling & unbelievable to type these words at the time, and it still is: just two weeks after launch, Cuphead went platinum, selling 1 million units.

  • Cuphead DLC is Announced

    On stage with our pals at Xbox, we spilled the beans about a very exciting announcement…plans to make an official DLC expansion for Cuphead called The Delicious Last Course! The star of the show? Why, brand new playable character Ms. Chalice, of course!

  • Cuphead is Released on Other Platforms

    In the years since Cuphead’s original release, it has been our pleasure and delight to welcome players on all platforms to the Inkwell Isles, including Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4!

  • Cuphead Mii Gunner Costume is Featured in Super Smash Bros.

    A brawl was surely brewing as the fine folks at Nintendo and legendary developer Sora Sakurai invited us to bring Cuphead to the iconic Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Cuphead was featured as a downloadable Mii Gunner Costume, alongside music track Floral Fury!

  • Netflix Animation Releases The Cuphead Show!

    In an unbelievable full circle moment, our little animated adventure – inspired by the classic cartoons of the 1930s – made its way to screens everywhere as a rubber hose cartoon show of its very own! All three seasons are now available to watch, exclusively on Netflix. 

  • Cuphead DLC Launches

    Starring the sparky and adventurous Ms. Chalice, Cuphead expansion The Delicious Last Course took our heroes to a brand new Inkwell Isle for a rollicking adventure filled with the most fearsome foes yet. We were blown away when the game went platinum, selling 1 million copies across all platforms in just over a week. 

  • Cuphead Physical Editions are Released

    With wonderful partners like iam8bit and SuperDeluxeGames, we launched a range of lovingly crafted Cuphead physical editions!

  • Mighty Cuphead Adventure is Announced

    Now in development at Studio MDHR, it’s … Mighty Cuphead Adventure! This brand-new, riveting Cuphead action platformer is built from the ground up as an ode to 1980s classics.