Overview
Headlight Studio is an independent game development studio based in France, near Montpellier. The studio is the developer and self-publisher of Rooted, handling all aspects of production without an external publisher.
Leadership
The studio was founded by Mathieu Pascal, who is the game director and founder. Pascal leads the creative and technical direction of Rooted and oversees all studio operations.
Location
Headlight Studio is located at 199 Rue Helene Boucher, 34170 Castelnau-le-Lez, France, near the city of Montpellier in southern France.
Production approach
The studio is fully independent with no external publisher. All production is handled in-house, including environment art, gameplay programming, technical design, audio, and publishing. This approach gives the studio complete creative control over Rooted's development.
Games
Game | Genre | Status |
|---|---|---|
Open-world survival, co-op | Alpha (Early Access target: 2027) | |
Backrooms: Extractions | 1 to 6 player co-op horror | Steam Early Access since April 30, 2025 |
Backrooms: Extractions
Backrooms: Extractions is a side project developed by Headlight Studio that entered Steam Early Access on April 30, 2025. The game supports 1 to 6 player co-op horror gameplay and sold over 30,000 copies in its first two months. A PlayStation version is planned.
Backrooms: Extractions is a testing ground for technologies and systems that feed back into Rooted. Features developed and validated in Backrooms include:
AI behavior systems (later applied to enemy AI in Rooted).
VOIP implementation (used in Rooted's multiplayer).
Networking infrastructure and multiplayer code.
UI frameworks and interaction patterns.
Team growth
The studio has expanded during Rooted's development. After Alpha Phase 2, Kevin was hired as a dedicated networking developer to strengthen the multiplayer infrastructure for both Rooted and Backrooms: Extractions.