The Stanley Parable
store.steampowered.com
Narrative exploration game about choice, with a narrator who reacts to everything the player does.
1M+ copies by Oct 2014
DW
Davey Wreden
Designer of The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide and Wanderstop
Davey Wreden at a glance
- Known for
- The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide and Wanderstop
- Based in
- Vancouver, Canada
- Indie since
- 2011
- Active products
- The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide and Wanderstop
Facts checked 2026-10-22
About Davey Wreden
Davey Wreden is an American game designer known for The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide and Wanderstop. He studied critical studies at the University of Southern California and made The Stanley Parable in 2011 as a free mod for Half-Life 2, a narrative game about choice in which a narrator reacts to the player defying his instructions.
With William Pugh he rebuilt it as a standalone game under the name Galactic Cafe, released in October 2013. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first days and passed one million copies by October 2014, and an expanded Ultra Deluxe edition followed in 2022. In between, he released The Beginner's Guide (2015), a personal narrative game about creativity and a fictional developer's unfinished work.
Wreden has spoken openly about struggling with depression after The Stanley Parable's success. In 2021 he co-founded the studio Ivy Road with Karla Zimonja and composer C418, backed by Annapurna Interactive, and their first game, the cozy tea-shop game Wanderstop about burnout, launched in March 2025. He is based in Vancouver, Canada.
Products by Davey Wreden
The Beginner's Guide
store.steampowered.com
Narrative game exploring a fictional developer's unfinished games and creativity.
W
Wanderstop
wanderstop.com
Cozy game about a burned-out fighter running a tea shop, made by Ivy Road.
Timeline
- 2011 — Released The Stanley Parable as a free Half-Life 2 mod.
- 2013 — Released the standalone Stanley Parable with William Pugh; it sold 100,000 copies in days.
- 2014 — The Stanley Parable passed 1 million copies sold.
- 2015 — Released The Beginner's Guide.
- 2021 — Co-founded Ivy Road with Karla Zimonja and C418.
- 2022 — Released The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe.
- 2025 — Released Wanderstop with Annapurna Interactive.
How Davey builds
- Games can comment on games and on the player's own choices.
- Make deeply personal work, including about burnout and doubt.
- Humour and sincerity can live in the same game.
Davey Wreden FAQ
Who is Davey Wreden?
Davey Wreden is an American game designer known for The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide and Wanderstop.
Who made The Stanley Parable?
The Stanley Parable was created by Davey Wreden, first as a 2011 Half-Life 2 mod and then as a 2013 standalone game made with William Pugh.
How many copies has The Stanley Parable sold?
Wreden announced in October 2014 that The Stanley Parable had sold over 1 million copies; it had sold more than 100,000 in its first days.
What is Davey Wreden doing now?
He co-founded the studio Ivy Road, whose first game Wanderstop was released by Annapurna Interactive in March 2025.
Where does Davey Wreden live?
Wreden, who is American, previously lived in Austin, Texas, and is now based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Is Davey Wreden related to DougDoug?
Yes. The streamer DougDoug (Douglas Wreden) is his brother.
How long has Davey Wreden been an indie maker?
Davey Wreden has been building independently since 2011, about 15 years.
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