25 years ago, 4 students founded CipSoft Studio in Regensburg. Today, they are among the most successful game developers in Germany with Tibia. In an interview, they reflect on their beginnings.
What does the interview reveal? For the 25th anniversary of CipSoft, managing director Stephan Vogler answered some questions about the studio’s beginnings on cipsoft.com. Together with Stephan Payer, Ulrich Schlott, and Guido Lübke, he founded the studio in 2001.
Their MMORPG Tibia had already been running for 4 years, and it was a conscious decision by the quartet to take the risk and focus full-time on expanding the game. It was a risk because Tibia was not generating secure revenues at that time. Stephan Vogler describes it as follows:
After our studies, we initially had no money. For example, we discussed for four hours whether we should buy a fax machine for 150 Deutsche Mark.
The situation was exacerbated, according to Stephan Vogler, because after the bursting of the dot-com bubble, there was no way to earn money through advertising with Tibia. Therefore, the team decided on something that was inconceivable at the time: the establishment of a subscription model or monetization through paid in-game content. When the first payments started coming in, it was clear that the studio had a future.
First pioneers, then success
How has CipSoft developed? The MMO pioneers of the past, who had no money for a fax machine, have over the years become one of the most successful German developers. More than 100 creatives now work for the studio. There hasn’t even been a wave of layoffs, which is common in large gaming companies.
And although Tibia has been around for so many years, revenues continue to rise. 2025 was the most successful year in the studio’s history. The employees also benefit directly from this, as CipSoft involves them in the financial success of the studio. Almost 8 additional monthly salaries were said to have been distributed to the team.
In March 2026, CipSoft was even named the winner of the “Germany’s Best Employers 2026” competition by the Cologne institute “Great Place to Work”.
During the Grindfest 2025, MeinMMO had the opportunity to talk to CipSoft about the studio’s beginnings and the history of Tibia. Managing directors Benjamin Zuckerer and Stephan Vogler provided exciting insights behind the scenes of one of the most successful game companies in Germany: From the German youth room to MMORPG global success – The incredible story of Tibia
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