Windup Minds is an independent game studio founded in Seattle in June 2023 by Bernie Yee, Ben Vance, Amy Conchie and Stefani Swiatkowski, with a remote team drawn from Oculus, EA, Bungie, Microsoft and Magic Leap. It raised a $1.6 million seed round led by the Venture Reality Fund, Acequia Capital and New Leaf Ventures, with angel participation including Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell.

The studio makes virtual pet games built around a creature called Ember. Its first title, Stay: Forever Home, launched on Meta Quest in April 2025 as a VR and mixed reality pet simulator. In July 2026 it released two PC titles on the same day: Stay: Your Forever Pet, a virtual pet game in Steam Early Access at $12.99, and Stay: Ember's Desktop Adventures, a $4.99 desktop companion app.