Zombies, Run! is back from the dead. Co-creator Naomi Alderman just bought back the beloved fitness app that nearly died earlier this year when parent company OliveX laid off almost the entire Six to Start team. The rescue means 10 million users won't lose their post-apocalyptic running companion after all.
The fitness gaming world just dodged a bullet. Zombies, Run!, the cult favorite app that turns your morning jog into a zombie apocalypse survival story, is officially back in the hands of its creator after a near-death experience that would make even the undead jealous.
Naomi Alderman, who co-created the immersive fitness game in 2012, announced she's bought back the franchise from OliveX, the company that nearly killed it off earlier this year. "This isn't a big corporate takeover, it's me buying back the game I made and love so I can look after it," Alderman wrote in a statement on the game's website.
The rescue comes after a tumultuous year for Six to Start, the UK studio behind the app. When OliveX laid off all but two staff members in March, it looked like the 10 million-strong community of runners would lose their favorite zombie-dodging companion forever.
The tensions between Six to Start and OliveX, which is owned by Animoca Brands, ran deeper than just budget cuts. Sources told The Verge that the companies clashed over the game's anti-capitalist themes and OliveX's push to add crypto and NFT elements.
Zombies, Run! carved out a unique niche in fitness tech by combining audio storytelling with exercise motivation. Users slip on headphones and suddenly they're not just going for a run - they're a survivor in Abel Township, collecting supplies while undead hordes chase them down country lanes and city streets. The app tracks your pace and location, weaving your real workout into an episodic narrative that's kept players hooked for over a decade.
"We're working on a new story for Zombies, Run!, which I'm intending to be a great 'on-ramp' for new players or people who want to come back to the game after a break," Alderman told The Verge. "We'll also resume production on Season 11, which was paused halfway through - a very long cliffhanger to wait through!"
The buyback specifically covers the Zombies, Run! franchise plus The Walk, another immersive fitness game from Alderman's portfolio. However, Marvel Move, Six to Start's superhero-themed fitness app, won't make the transition. That app was already sunsetting and will shut down when the last annual subscriptions expire in July 2026.
For the fitness gaming industry, Alderman's rescue highlights how passion projects can survive corporate shuffles when creators maintain control. The original Zombies, Run! launched through Kickstarter and built its community organically, long before venture capital and Web3 buzzwords entered the picture.
What makes this particularly interesting is the timing. Fitness tech has been consolidating rapidly, with major players like Apple and Google expanding their health ecosystems while smaller studios struggle to compete. Alderman's move proves there's still room for independent creators who understand their communities.
The app's survival also preserves something rare in today's tech landscape - a product that gamifies fitness without relying on social comparison, cryptocurrency rewards, or data harvesting. It's just you, your headphones, and the satisfying knowledge that you outran another zombie horde.
Alderman's buyback proves that sometimes the best way forward is looking back to your roots. With 10 million users waiting for new episodes and a creator who genuinely cares about preserving the experience, Zombies, Run! might just have found the secret to surviving both corporate zombies and the undead kind. The real test will be whether this indie approach can thrive in an increasingly crowded fitness tech market dominated by tech giants.
