Satsub Studios
Seattle, Washington, United States
Team · 2023
1
Founded
2022
Satsub Studios Team Size (2026)
Satsub Studios is a one-person independent software studio run by Michael Katz, a 55-year-old developer with a career spanning Apple II games, first-generation Mac titles, and modern mobile applications. Katz has built software across a wide range of domains, including consumer games, chemical emergency response databases for NOAA, and a marketplace for psychologists to find clients.
Katz's most notable consumer titles are Gem Spinner, a match-three mobile game launched on the Apple App Store in 2009 that reached 7,000 downloads in a single day at a price of one dollar, and Quote Unquote, a crossword-style word game developed in 2013 and 2014 that was featured by the Amazon Appstore and reached 3,000 downloads per day. His current consumer project is WordHuddle, a daily word puzzle game at wordhuddle.com that attracted 600 initial players from a single Facebook group post and now counts 300 to 400 players completing games each day.
Katz operates as a solo contractor, typically running three to four projects simultaneously. He described his approach as keeping multiple irons in the fire rather than scaling any single product, with WordHuddle driven entirely by feedback from family, friends, and users.
Last updated
Founder / CEO
Michael Katz
CEO
Michael Katz, 55 years old at the time of the February 2023 interview, is the founder and sole operator of Satsub Studios. He is confirmed as CEO by the known roster. Katz has built software since the Apple II era, with credits spanning first-generation Mac games, nineties PC titles, modern iPhone and Android applications, chemical emergency response databases and mapping for NOAA, consumables and recommendations work for Amazon, and medical devices for epilepsy, concussions, and sleep apnea.
Katz launched Gem Spinner on the Apple App Store in 2009. The game was featured on the front page of the App Store and reached 7,000 downloads in a single day at a price of one dollar per download. He developed Quote Unquote in 2013 and 2014, a crossword-style word game that was featured by the Amazon Appstore multiple times as a free app of the day and reached 3,000 downloads per day during those features. Both titles represent the most publicly recognized games Katz has built.
At the time of the interview, Katz was also developing an undisclosed tool for independent programmers and indie hackers to document their technology stacks, though that product had not yet launched. He described running three to four concurrent projects as his preferred working balance. Net worth was not discussed in the interview.
Q&A
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What's your age? | 58 |
Customers
WordHuddle attracted 600 initial players after Katz posted in a Wordle-themed Facebook group. That figure settled to 300 to 400 players completing games per day by the time of the February 2023 interview, as some early sign-ups were trying the game rather than becoming regular players.
Average time spent on the WordHuddle page is approximately three minutes per session, which Katz described as appropriate for the puzzle format. He noted that nearly all players who begin a game finish it. Pricing for WordHuddle was not discussed in the interview.
For Gem Spinner, the price at peak was one dollar per download on the Apple App Store. Quote Unquote was distributed free through the Amazon Appstore as part of that platform's free-app-of-the-day program.
Satsub Studios Business Model
Katz operates Satsub Studios as a solo contractor balancing consumer game projects with business-to-business contract work. His B2B clients have included NOAA, for whom he builds chemical emergency response databases and mapping software, and a psychologist-client marketplace that was in development at the time of the interview. He described his NOAA engagement as flexible contract work rather than a full-time position, with hours that can scale down to half time or quarter time outside of deadline periods.
On the consumer side, Gem Spinner generated revenue through a one-dollar paid download model on the Apple App Store, reaching 7,000 paid downloads on its peak day, implying approximately 7,000 dollars in gross revenue on that day before platform fees. Quote Unquote was distributed free through the Amazon Appstore's promotional program, generating no direct download revenue but providing publicity. WordHuddle's monetization model was not discussed in the interview.
Profitability, burn rate, runway, churn, LTV, CAC, gross margin, and annual revenue figures were not discussed in the interview.
Satsub Studios Employees & Team Size
At the time of the February 2023 interview, Katz was operating as a team of one across all active projects, including WordHuddle. He noted that during the development of Gem Spinner he worked with a team of artists, but that all current work, including graphics and development for WordHuddle, is handled by him alone.
Satsub Studios employs approximately 1 people as of 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions about Satsub Studios
Who founded Satsub Studios?
Satsub Studios was founded by Michael Katz.
When was Satsub Studios founded?
Satsub Studios was founded in 2022.
Who is the CEO of Satsub Studios?
The CEO of Satsub Studios is Michael Katz.
How many employees does Satsub Studios have?
As of 2023, Satsub Studios had 1 employees.
Where is Satsub Studios headquartered?
Satsub Studios is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Full Interview Transcripts
Data and Sources
All figures on this page are taken directly from interviews or are estimates from public sources and proprietary models. Not financial advice. Read full disclaimer.
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