Catalan startup Somni Game Studios (based in L'Hospitalet de l'Infant, Baix Camp) is launching the open beta version of a video game designed to encourage healthier lifestyle habits with the ultimate goal of extending human longevity. Stepland, which will be available from June 1, is the company's first video game and aims to improve users’ health by promoting healthy habits through a fun and engaging experience. To achieve this, the game presents a declining virtual world inhabited by characters that grow and evolve as users adopt habits such as walking, exercising, drinking water, and meditating in their daily lives.
ACCIÓ, the business competitiveness agency of Catalonia’s Department of Business and Labour, through a €115,000 grant from the Nuclear Transition Fund. The funding helped the startup strengthen its team, including the hiring of five employees.
The game features a virtual world that evolves alongside the user. Players care for small digital characters that grow as they complete healthy activities such as walking, staying hydrated, meditating, or exercising. Stepland follows a free-to-play model, offering optional in-game purchases to enhance gameplay, as well as subscription plans that unlock exclusive customization features and social interaction options.
Turning Longevity into a Daily Experience
The project's core ambition is to help users improve their health and, consequently, increase their longevity. Rather than focusing on genetics, the game targets lifestyle factors that individuals can control and that play a crucial role in long-term health outcomes. In this context, Stepland seeks to transform longevity science into a daily entertainment experience that is accessible, engaging, and motivating.
Primarily aimed at Generation Z users—those born between 1997 and 2012—the game also includes a social mode that allows parents and children to share the experience together.
According to Karim Casado, CEO and co-founder of Somni Game Studios, “92% of people fail to achieve their health-related goals, and apps and video games can provide an effective way to improve that.” He added that “the game’s demo has already validated market interest and helped build a community of more than 1,000 users.”
Launch Strategy and International Expansion
Following the positive reception of the Stepland demo in Spain and Mexico, the launch of the full game in open beta will take place in two stages.
The first phase will focus on markets where the product has already been tested, with the goal of reaching 50,000 users within six months.
The second phase, scheduled for after the summer, will target leading gaming markets such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Nordic countries. The startup is already negotiating agreements with publishers in these regions to support its international rollout. Following the global launch, the company aims to attract an additional 50,000 users within six months.
Building a Brand Beyond Gaming
Stepland represents the first step in Somni Game Studios’ broader strategy to build a recognizable brand around its characters. The company’s ambition is for these characters to expand beyond the game itself into new markets through television series, films, and merchandising products.
Founded in 2024 by Karim Casado and Sergi Perelló, Somni Game Studios currently employs seven people and has received several industry recognitions, including Best Startup in Southern Catalonia 2025, the Peer-to-Peer Award from Madrid in Game, and the Audience Choice Award at Pocket Gamer Connects 2025.
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