Company:SockMonkey Studios
SockMonkey Studios is a British video game developer, founded by Bob Makin and Darren Cuthbert, in Middlesbrough, North East England.[1]
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| Industry | Video Games |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 2013 |
| Headquarters | Middlesbrough, United Kingdom |
Key people | Bob Makin (CEO)
Darren Cuthbert (CTO) Darren Falcus (Dir. of Business Development) Ron Ashtiani (Chairman) |
| Website | sockmonkeystudios |
History
Founded in February 2013, Makin and Cuthbert were later joined by industry veteran Darren Falcus.[1] Building their foundation on primarily work for hire jobs, the studio collaborated with numerous video game companies such as SEGA, Double Eleven and Team 17[1][2] to port their games to other consoles, as well as more recently branching into developing their own original content with the game Fish Tanks.
From its inception, the studio experienced growth due to increasing demand within the gaming industry and by 2020 had added dozens of positions. In 2019 alone they reported doubling the headcount in their Teesside office.[3]
In 2020, during an expansion phase, Ron Ashtiani - former CEO of Sumo Group's Atomhawk Business - was added to the board of directors.[4]
Contract Work
Although the studio also works on full-scale development[2] SockMonkey is predominantly a work-for-hire studio, having worked globally on contracts for both PC and console,[1] including US-based developers such as tinyBuild and Outfit7.[5]
After spending six years focusing on contract-work, in 2019 the studio announced they were working on their own IP Fish Tanks[6] alongside their usual contractual jobs.
Original Games
In 2019 SockMonkey Studios publicly announced their premier original title Fish Tanks. Due for release in 2021, the game is advertised as a "hectic fighting game"[7] where the player’s objective is to collect starfish to bring back to their base while fighting other players, using powerups, to steal their starfish.
Opting to self-publish, the game is currently listed on Steam[7] as "Coming Soon" to "Early Access" with a full launch scheduled for later in the year.
| Year | Institution | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | GameBridge | Business Award | Winner |
| 2020 | Tees Tech Awards 2020 | Tech Ambassador | Finalist |
| Tees Tech Awards 2020 | Company of the Year | Finalist | |
| North East Business Awards | Small Business Award: Teesside | Winner | |
| North East Business Awards | Small Business Award: Grand Final | Winner |
| Game Title | Role | Notes | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wurdy | Development | 2013 | |
| Joe Danger | Porting | Ported to Android | 2014 |
| SockaMonkeys | Development | ||
| Joe Danger Infinity | Porting | Ported to Android | 2015 |
| Farm Fighters | Development | Added online multiplayer and design work | 2016 |
| Kingdom Conquest (Unreleased) | Art and Animation | Unreleased mobile title | |
| The Rocky Horror Show: Touch Me | Development | Code development | 2017 |
| PlayPhoto | Development | Addition of Imessage add-on | |
| Beat the Intro | Development | 2018 | |
| Songbringer | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch | |
| Prison Architect | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch | |
| Prison Architect | Development | Created content and updates for console and PC | 2019 |
| Talking Tom Candy Run | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and added Multiplayer Mode | 2020 |
| Deliver us the Moon | Porting | Ported to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 | |
| Tens! | Porting and Development | Ported to PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch added content, Story Mode and Multiplayer Mode | |
| Kill it with Fire | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS and Android | |
| Totally Accurate Battlegrounds | Development | Co-development of future updates and content and changing the game from premium to free to play | 2021 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Manning, Jonathon (2019-02-05). "Games studio SockMonkey to create 50-strong team by 2021" (in en). https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/business/business-news/middlesbrough-games-studio-sockmonkey-create-15785431.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "SockMonkey Studios" (in en-GB). https://sockmonkeystudios.net/.
- ↑ Dawson, Richard (June 17, 2020). "Teesside games studio raises £250,000 to launch its first title" (in en). https://netimesmagazine.co.uk/news/teesside-games-studio-raises-250000-to-launch-its-first-title/.
- ↑ "SockMonkey Studios" (in en-GB). 2020-06-15. https://www.npif.co.uk/sockmonkey-studios/.
- ↑ Imrie, Jane (November 18, 2020). "Games studio levels up with move to emerging Teesside tech hub" (in en). https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2020/11/18/games-studio-levels-up-with-move-to-emerging-teesside-tech-hub.
- ↑ "Fish Tanks". http://fishtanksgame.sockmonkeystudios.net/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Fish Tanks on Steam" (in en). https://store.steampowered.com/app/1425200/Fish_Tanks/.
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