Tyler Glaiel

Programmer and designer of Closure, The End Is Nigh and Mewgenics

@TylerGlaiel United States Indie Game Makers

Tyler Glaiel at a glance

Known for: Mewgenics, The End Is Nigh and Bombernauts
Based in: United States
Indie since: 2002
Active products: Mewgenics, The End Is Nigh and Bombernauts

Facts checked 2026-10-22

About Tyler Glaiel

Tyler Glaiel is an American game designer and programmer from Westfield, Massachusetts, who works as Glaiel Games. He made his first Flash game, Pigeon Pooper, before turning 12 and became a well-known Newgrounds developer as a teenager, collaborating with Edmund McMillen on Aether in 2008.

His light-and-shadow puzzle platformer Closure won IndieCade's Gameplay Innovation award in 2009 and the IGF Excellence in Audio award in 2010 before launching on PS3 and PC in 2012. He went on to make the multiplayer game Bombernauts and co-created The End Is Nigh (2017) with McMillen, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for games in 2016.

From 2018 he and McMillen rebuilt Mewgenics from scratch, with Glaiel as co-designer and programmer on his own engine. Released on Steam in February 2026, it had around 400,000 wishlists before launch, recouped its costs within three hours and passed one million copies in about a week. Glaiel is also known for the JabberMask, a voice-activated LED face mask he funded on Kickstarter in 2020.

Products by Tyler Glaiel

Mewgenics

store.steampowered.com

Cat-breeding tactics roguelite co-created with Edmund McMillen.

1M+ copies in first week

The End Is Nigh

store.steampowered.com

Precision platformer co-created with Edmund McMillen.

Bombernauts

store.steampowered.com

Multiplayer bomb-battle game where players destroy the arena.

Closure

en.wikipedia.org

Puzzle platformer where only illuminated objects exist.

Timeline

2002 — Made his first Flash game before turning 12.
2008 — Released Aether with Edmund McMillen.
2010 — Closure won the IGF Excellence in Audio award.
2012 — Released Closure on PS3 and PC.
2016 — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for games.
2017 — Released The End Is Nigh and Bombernauts.
2026 — Launched Mewgenics, which sold over 1 million copies in its first week.

How Tyler builds

Build your own engine when it serves the game.
Find a long-term creative partner whose strengths complement yours.
Share development knowledge openly with other devs.

Tyler Glaiel FAQ

Who is Tyler Glaiel?

Tyler Glaiel is an American game designer and programmer who made Closure and co-created The End Is Nigh and Mewgenics with Edmund McMillen.

Who made Mewgenics?

Mewgenics was made by Edmund McMillen (art and design) and Tyler Glaiel (programming and design), and released on Steam on February 10, 2026.

How many copies has Mewgenics sold?

Mewgenics passed 1 million copies about a week after launch in February 2026; Alinea Analytics estimated roughly $25 million in revenue at that point.