Savage Interactive

Savage Interactive operates as a specialized software development studio with a workforce distributed across 35 countries, including Australia, the United States, Indonesia, India, and Brazil. The company has offices in Hobart (headquarters) and Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia, as well as in Slovenia.

The company's business model focuses on creating high-quality creative tools with a one-time purchase model, contrasting with the industry trend toward subscription-based software. Procreate is sold on Apple's App Store, and the company has maintained a user-friendly approach to pricing and updates, offering regular free updates to existing customers rather than charging for new features.

Despite its relatively small size, Savage Interactive has achieved remarkable success. Procreate has been the number one best-selling paid iPad app on Apple's App Store for over eight years, with nearly 30 million downloads worldwide. The company reported approximately $32 million in EBITDA in a recent year, making it one of Australia's most profitable startups. Revenue estimates range from $50 million to over $100 million annually.

Savage Interactive has used its success to expand its team gradually while maintaining its indie studio culture and focus on creative professionals. The company's commitment to the one-time purchase model and refusal to adopt subscriptions has built strong loyalty among its user base.

Savage Interactive was founded in 2011 by James Cuda, a former graphic designer, and his wife Alanna Cuda. James Cuda saw the potential for professional digital art creation on mobile devices and established the studio in Hobart, Tasmania, with the goal of creating professional creative tools for digital artists.

The company's first major project was Procreate, which was developed and launched in 2011 specifically for iPad. The app was designed to take advantage of the iPad's touch interface and the emerging capabilities of tablets for digital art creation. Procreate quickly gained traction among digital artists and illustrators.

In 2013, Procreate won an Apple Design Award for outstanding design and innovation, establishing the app as a premier creative tool. Throughout the 2010s, Procreate grew steadily in popularity, becoming one of the most successful paid apps on the iPad App Store. The launch of the iPad Pro in 2015 was a turning point for the company, with Cuda noting that the more powerful hardware, larger screen, all-day battery life, and Apple Pencil accuracy were game changers for the creative industry.

From 2015 to 2020, Savage Interactive grew its team rapidly to meet surging demand. Procreate 4 marked a maturity level for the app, and artists at Disney and Pixar began using Procreate in their pipelines. The company expanded its portfolio with Procreate Pocket for iPhone (named iPhone App of the Year in 2018) and later Procreate Dreams for animation and motion graphics.

In 2025, Savage Interactive released Procreate 5.4, a major update featuring 180 new hand-crafted brushes designed in collaboration with renowned brushmaker Kyle T. Webster, a new brush library system, brush search, iCloud support for brush management, and a reworked color panel. The 5.4.5 update introduced a fresh modern look inspired by Apple's Liquid Glass design language for iPadOS 26 compatibility. The company is currently developing Procreate Dreams 2.

Procreate has won two Apple Design Awards, first in 2013 for outstanding design and innovation, and later for making creative tools accessible to even more people.