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KingsIsle Entertainment

American video game developer

"KingsIsle" redirects here. For the amusement restricted area, see Kings Island.

KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. is an American video undertaking developer based in Round Outcrop, Texas. Founded in January 2005 by Elie Akilian, the attendance operates a development studio dwell in Round Rock, Texas, which poop the majority of its club.

KingsIsle is best known receive its massively multiplayer online role-playing games, Wizard101 and Pirate101. Equate Media and Games Invest obtained KingsIsle in January 2021, Akilian spun off the mobile fun segment as Wimo Games.

History

KingsIsle Entertainment was founded in Jan 2005 by Elie Akilian.[1] Outstanding by his teenage son, who was a fan of gramophone record games, Akilian established KingsIsle name Plano, Texas,[2] and started engagement former employees of id Package and Ubisoft to work know what would become Wizard101.[1] Leak do so, Akilian used dosh generated from the 2004 trafficking of his communications software business Inet Technologies to Tektronix go all-out for US$325 million.[1][3]J.

Todd Coleman, who confidential sold his company, Wolfpack Studios, to Ubisoft in 2004, united KingsIsle in December 2007 rearguard being introduced to Akilian way mutual contacts.[4] Coleman became character company's third employee and greatness first to be located fence in Austin, Texas, where he was joined by former Wolfpack Studios co-founder Josef Hall shortly after.[4]

On April 25, 2008, KingsIsle officially announced its existence after "three years of lock down secrecy".[5] At this point, the theatre group had 100 employees in Metropolis and Austin, and was indictment by Akilian as chairman esoteric chief executive officer, and King Nichols, formerly of Midway Rejoicing, as president.[6][7] For the company's first project, Wizard101, Coleman confined the development, while Tom Hallway, the co-founder of id Code and Ion Storm, served significance creative director.[6][8] Later that gathering, KingsIsle released Wizard101 as spruce card-battling massively multiplayer online role-playing game aimed towards children put up with teenagers, in which players seize on the role of undergraduate witches and wizards in a- fantasy world.[1] In September 2012, Wizard101 had over 30 fortune registered users.[1]

To accommodate the being of its Austin studio, KingsIsle leased 18,000 square feet model office space in the Realm 5 building of Austin's Glory Domain complex in December 2008.[9][10] In February 2010, KingsIsle free WizardBlox, a free game home-grown on the Sorcery Stones mini-game from Wizard101, for iOS.[11] Past as a consequence o September 2010, Austin hosted rendering majority of KingsIsle's 120 staff.[2] The employee count rose eyeball 135 by February 2011,[12] highest to 220 by August 2012.[13]

In October 2012, KingsIsle released hang over second online game, Pirate101, which takes place within the assign universe as Wizard101.[14][15] The pursuing November, KingsIsle released Grub Guardian, a tower defense game ring players defend their towers coupled with guard animals.[16]Grub Guardian was unfastened on iOS, as well in that for personal computers and Golem devices as a browser game,[17] and later as a inborn Android application.[18]

In January 2013, Coleman announced his departure from KingsIsle.[19] In 2014, Tyler, Texas-based group of actors Smartflash LLC sued KingsIsle, analogous Apple Inc., Game Circus, title Robot Entertainment, for infringement win over three patents filed by Smartflash's founder and part-owner, Patrick Racz, that related to digital sharing of game content, primarily in-app purchases.[20] All defendants, except want badly Apple, were dismissed from distinction case later that same twelvemonth under undisclosed circumstances.[20] It obey believed that the companies either settled out of court worse had their liabilities absorbed unwelcoming Apple.[20]

On May 12, 2016, KingsIsle laid off 72 employees steer clear of its Austin studio, citing interpretation cancellation of several unreleased unfixed games and a shift condemn product strategy.[21][22] In May 2017, KingsIsle released EverClicker for Robot and iOS.[23] In September 2017, the company leased 19,871 four-sided feet of office space authorized 301 Sundance Parkway in Precinct Rock, Texas.[24] In August 2018, KingsIsle released Animal Cove: Counterpart 3 Adventure for Android lecture iOS.[25] In September 2018, Dave Rosen and Craig Beers husbandly KingsIsle's executive team as conductor of marketing and vice-president second product management, respectively.[26]

In January 2021, KingsIsle was acquired by influence Malta-based holding company Media endure Games Invest for $126 million bear further $84 million as earn-out.[27] Akilian subsequently spun off the company's mobile games segment as Wimo Games, heading it as director chairman.[28] In December, the works class signed an economic development personally with the Round Rock Area Council to move into original 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2) place in Round Rock.

The original offices facilitated all of magnanimity studio's employees, including the 80 from the former Round Seesaw location, and aimed at employing 150 further people within join years.[29]

Games developed

References

  1. ^ abcdeEwalt, David Set.

    (December 6, 2012). "KingsIsle Entertainment's Path To Video Game Victory". Forbes. Archived from the latest on April 3, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.

  2. ^ abCalnan, Christopher (September 5, 2010). "KingsIsle Recreation Inc. and Old World gaming".

    Archived from the original cut back October 12, 2010. Retrieved Oct 20, 2018.

  3. ^Wilson, Heather (June 29, 2004). "Tektronix to acquire Inet". MarketWatch. Archived from the creative on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  4. ^ abGreenwood, Giselle (February 24, 2008).

    "Game on". The Business Journals. Archived take the stones out of the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

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    Retrieved October 20, 2018.

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    The Business Journals. Archived from the original statement July 21, 2021. Retrieved Oct 20, 2018.

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    The Business Journals. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original good behavior July 21, 2021. Retrieved Oct 20, 2018.

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  14. ^Takahashi, Brother (September 30, 2012). "Aaargh! KingsIsle Entertainment's Pirate101 online game universe to launch as early although Oct. 8". VentureBeat.

    Archived deviate the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

  15. ^Calnan, Christopher (October 1, 2012). "KingsIsle plans second game release that month". The Business Journals. Archived from the original on Apr 2, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
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    "KingsIsle launches Wizard101 tie-in, Forage Guardian, on iOS and web". Adweek. Archived from the modern on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

  17. ^Reahard, Jef (November 6, 2012). "KingsIsle releases Mooch Guardian satellite game for Wizard101". Engadget.

    Archived from the contemporary on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

  18. ^Curtis, Tom (November 1, 2011). "KingsIsle And Wizard101 Take Hints From 'The Zynga Playbook'". Gamasutra. Archived from righteousness original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  19. ^Lopez, Biochemist (January 25, 2013).

    "KingsIsle VP and creative director Todd Coleman announces departure". VentureBeat. Archived stick up the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

  20. ^ abcMullin, Joe (February 25, 2015). "Company with no product achievements $533M verdict vs.

    Apple, says it's no "patent troll"". Ars Technica. Archived from the new on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

  21. ^Nutt, Christian (May 12, 2016). "Wizard101 studio KingsIsle confirms layoffs". Gamasutra. Archived evacuate the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  22. ^Anderson, Will (May 23, 2016).

    "Video game developer sheds Austin workers". The Business Journals. Archived spread the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2018.

  23. ^Hodapp, Eli (May 17, 2017). "Out Now: 'Beholder', 'No Stick Shooter', 'Terminator Genisys', 'Guns of Boom' and Loads More". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on Oct 20, 2018.

    Retrieved October 20, 2018.

  24. ^Buchholz, Jan (September 21, 2017). "Real Estate Roundup: Hotel trade, new office space & calligraphic shop combining beer and kolaches". The Business Journals. Archived depart from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  25. ^Nelson, Jared (August 15, 2018).

    "Out Now: 'Barbearian', 'Bendy in Terrifying Run', 'Legend of Solgard', 'Armed Heist', 'Thunderdogs', 'Evergarden', 'Harvey's Contemporary Eyes', 'Stranger Cases', 'WarPods' flourishing More". TouchArcade. Archived from high-mindedness original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.

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External links