Panic Inc.

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American software company and video game publisher

title: "Panic Inc." type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-companies-established-in-1997", "macintosh-software-companies", "companies-based-in-portland,-oregon", "privately-held-companies-based-in-oregon", "video-game-companies-based-in-oregon", "video-game-companies-established-in-1997", "software-companies-established-in-1997", "video-game-publishers", "1997-establishments-in-oregon", "software-companies-of-the-united-states", "apple-design-awards-recipients", "panic-inc."] description: "American software company and video game publisher" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_Inc." license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American software company and video game publisher ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
namePanic Inc.
logoPanic Inc Logo.svg
logo_size128px
typePrivate
founded1997
foundersSteven Frank
Cabel Sasser
locationPortland, Oregon, U.S.
key_peopleSteven Frank
Cabel Sasser
industry
productsTransmit, Coda, Playdate
homepage
::

| name = Panic Inc. | logo = Panic Inc Logo.svg | logo_size = 128px | type = Private | founded = 1997 | founders = Steven Frank Cabel Sasser | location = Portland, Oregon, U.S. | key_people = Steven Frank Cabel Sasser | industry = | products = Transmit, Coda, Playdate | homepage =

Panic Inc. is an American software development and video game publishing company based in Portland, Oregon. The company specializes in macOS and iOS applications and began publishing video games in 2016.

Panic was founded by Steven Frank and Cabel Sasser in 1997.

Products

Software

Panic is known for their flagship app Transmit, as well as their Audion media player, Unison usenet client, and Nova code editor (a successor to their web development app Coda). The company has won multiple Apple Design Awards for their products.

In 1999, Audion was introduced as a skinnable MP3 media player. One of its competitors, SoundJam MP, was acquired by Apple in 2000 and was further developed into iTunes 1.0, which became available in 2001. Panic retired Audion in 2004 and began distributing it free of charge.

After Audion, Panic focused development on two other software applications. In 2004, they released Unison, a Usenet reader, and Stattoo, a tool that shows "digital statistics" overlaid on the Mac OS X desktop wallpaper. In 2007, the web development application Coda was introduced. In 2019, Panic announced a successor to Coda named Nova. ::data[format=table]

AppPlatformTypeActive developmentDiscontinued
TransmitmacOSFTP client
NovamacOSWeb development
PromptiOSCommand line
Panic PalsiOSiMessage stickers
Playdate Sticker PackiOSiMessage stickers
“Code Editor”iOSWeb development
AudionmacOSMusic player
CandyBarmacOSIcon customization
CodamacOSWeb development
DesktasticmacOSDesktop annotation
StattoomacOSComputer statistics
Status BoardiOSInformation display
TransmitiOSFTP client
UnisonmacOSUsenet client
::

Video games

The company published their first video game, Firewatch, on February 9, 2016. Panic published their second game, Untitled Goose Game, on September 20, 2019. ::data[format=table]

TitlePlatform(s)DeveloperRelease date
FirewatchPC (Windows, macOS, Linux), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchCampo Santo
Untitled Goose GamePC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchHouse House
Nour: Play with Your FoodPC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo SwitchTerrifying Jellyfish
Thank Goodness You're Here!PC (Windows and macOS), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/SCoal Supper
ArcoPC (Windows, macOS), Nintendo SwitchFranek Nowotniak, Max Cahill, José Ramón “Bibiki” García, Antonio “Fáyer” Uribe
DespelotePC (Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchJulián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena
Time FliesPC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 5, Nintendo SwitchPlayables
HerdlingPC (Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchOkomotive
Blippo+Playdate, PC (Windows), Nintendo SwitchYacht, Telefantasy Studios, Dustin Mierau, Noble RobotPlaydate

Windows, Switch | | Ratcheteer DX | PC (Windows, macOS), Nintendo Switch | Shaun Inman | | | Big Walk | PC (Windows, macOS) | House House | 2026 | ::

Playdate

Main article: Playdate (console)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Playdate_front-view.png" caption="Playdate console with the crank in an open position"] ::

On May 22, 2019, Panic unveiled Playdate, a handheld gaming device, designed by Panic in collaboration with the Swedish firm Teenage Engineering. The device features a 400x240 pixel 1-bit screen, a directional pad on the left, two buttons on the right, and a mechanical crank on the right edge of the device.

Games on Playdate are released in "seasons", where there are two new games each week, automatically downloaded to the device when available. Also, there is a store of additional games to buy on demand, the ability to sideload games to the device, and two environments to self develop games. While some video games for Playdate are being produced at Panic, most of the games are created by indie game developers such as Keita Takahashi, Zach Gage, Bennett Foddy, Shaun Inman, and Lucas Pope.

Awards

::data[format=table]

YearAppAwardCategoryResult
2003Transmit 2Apple Design AwardsBest Mac OS X User ExperienceRunner-up
2004Unison 1.0.2aApple Design AwardsBest Mac OS X ProductRunner-up
2004Unison 1.0.2aApple Design AwardsBest Mac OS X User Experience
2005Transmit 3MacWorldMacWorld Best of Show
2005Transmit 3.2Apple Design AwardsBest Mac OS X Tiger Technology Adoption
2007Coda 1Apple Design AwardsBest Mac OS X User Experience
2013Coda 2Apple Design AwardsMac OS X
2021NovaApple Design AwardsInteraction
2025Thank Goodness You're Here!Apple Design AwardsDelight and Fun
::

References

References

  1. Rosmarin, Rachel. (June 8, 2007). "Developers To Jobs: Give Me My iPhone!". Forbes.
  2. Tach, Dave. (2013-10-02). "How Panic got into video games with Campo Santo".
  3. (2001-05-01). "The Song Is Over for SoundJam".
  4. Gibson, Brad. (November 11, 2004). "Panic "Retires" Audion; Reveals Inside Story". The Mac Observer.
  5. (2004-01-28). "Panic unveils Unison, Usenet reader for Mac OS X".
  6. Cohen, Peter. (April 28, 2004). "Panic's Stattoo 'tattoos' info on your desktop".
  7. "Panic Blog » Nova. Our next big thing.".
  8. (August 6, 2012). "Panic's Candy Bar is now free, goes to Iconfactory".
  9. Miller, Chance. (2016-11-29). "Panic discontinuing Status Board stats app following final iOS 10 support update".
  10. (2018-01-06). "Panic Stops Development of Transmit for iOS & Removes it from Sale • Beautiful Pixels". Beautiful Pixels.
  11. "Panic discontinues Unison gracefully – Marco.org".
  12. (February 1, 2016). "Firewatch: hope and heartbreak in the American wilderness". The Guardian.
  13. Radulovic, Petrana. (2018-08-28). "Mischief-filled Untitled Goose Game is coming to Nintendo Switch".
  14. Radulovic, Petrana. (August 28, 2018). "Mischief-filled Untitled Goose Game is coming to Nintendo Switch".
  15. (September 2, 2020). "Upcoming Indie Game Nour: Play With Your Food Wants To Make You Hungry".
  16. "Thank Goodness You're Here! - Reveal Trailer".
  17. (August 29, 2023). "Arco - Reveal Trailer".
  18. (May 11, 2023). "First-person soccer adventure game despelote announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC".
  19. (August 29, 2023). "Time Flies - new trailer August 2023".
  20. "Panic and Okomotive announce adventure game Herdling for consoles, PC".
  21. (May 29, 2025). "Official Website".
  22. "Panic announces mysterious full-motion video game Blippo+".
  23. "Official Website".
  24. (December 8, 2023). "Big Walk Is the Next Game From the Developers of Untitled Goose Game".
  25. Fahey, Mike. (May 22, 2019). "The People Who Published Firewatch Are Now Making A Game Console With, Uh, A Crank".
  26. Webster, Andrew. (2019-05-22). "Playdate is an adorable handheld with games from the creators of Qwop, Katamari, and more".
  27. (April 19, 2022). "Playdate Games Catalog".
  28. (September 30, 2021). "Playdate developer SDK and Pulp".
  29. (2019-05-23). "Playdate, a new handheld console backed by indie royalty, unveiled in new issue of Edge magazine".
  30. (January 15, 2005). "Best of Show: Macworld Expo San Francisco".
  31. (2005-06-10). "WWDC: Apple Design Award 2005 winners announced".
  32. (June 10, 2013). "The 2013 Apple Design Award Winners".
  33. "Meet the 2021 Apple Design Award Finalists".
  34. "Introducing the 2025 Apple Design Award winners".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

american-companies-established-in-1997macintosh-software-companiescompanies-based-in-portland,-oregonprivately-held-companies-based-in-oregonvideo-game-companies-based-in-oregonvideo-game-companies-established-in-1997software-companies-established-in-1997video-game-publishers1997-establishments-in-oregonsoftware-companies-of-the-united-statesapple-design-awards-recipientspanic-inc.