Company:Fishlabs
 | |
| Type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Germany |
| Products | Galaxy on Fire |
Number of employees | 95 (2023) |
| Parent | Deep Silver (2013–present) |
| Website | dsfishlabs.com |
Fishlabs GmbH (formerly Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH and Deep Silver Fishlabs) is a German video game developer based in Hamburg. Founded in 2004 by Michael Schade and Christian Lohr, the studio is best known for its Galaxy on Fire series.[1] Following a brief bankruptcy proceeding, Fishlabs was acquired by Koch Media and reorganised as part of their game publishing label Deep Silver.
History
Fishlabs was founded in 2004 by Michael Schade and Christian Lohr, incorporated under the name Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH.[2] That same year, the company received a round of financing, which allowed them to pay for development expenses for several years while generating revenue from their releases.[3] The company had also planned a series B round in May 2010, as they announced that would be moving into the massively multiplayer online games market.[4] By mid-2013, Fishlabs had run out of money; in October, 25 jobs were cut before the company went into self-administration.[3] On 2 December, media company Koch Media announced that they had acquired Fishlabs, which would henceforth operate as the dedicated mobile studio for their game publishing label, Deep Silver.[2] As the agreement was an asset deal, all of Fishlab's assets, including 52 employees, were transferred to Koch Media and incorporated in a new division of that company, called Deep Silver Fishlabs.[2][3] The company's former legal entity, Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH, was to be dissolved, and both founders left the company.[2][3] Schade and Lohr founded Rockfish Games in 2014 and developed Everspace.[5] As result of the change in ownership, and the associated financial stability, Fishlabs also moved into video game publishing.[3]
Fishlabs employed 95 people in January 2023.[6] In November, at a time where Embracer Group, the parent company of Koch Media (now known as Plaion), was undergoing cost cutting restructuring, Fishlabs was announced to be downsizing, resulting in around 50 layoffs.[7]
List of video games
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Motoraver 3D | J2ME |
| 2009 | Galaxy on Fire | iOS, Symbian, J2ME, Android, Zeebo |
| 2009 | Powerboat Challenge | iOS, J2ME, Zeebo |
| 2009 | Rally Master Pro | iOS, J2ME, Symbian, Zeebo |
| 2009 | Deep 3D | J2ME,Symbian |
| 2010 | Galaxy on Fire 2 | |
| 2011 | Android, Macintosh, iOS, PC | |
| Snowboard Hero | iOS, Android | |
| 2013 | Galaxy on Fire: Alliances | |
| 2014 | Secret Files | |
| Secret Files | Android, iOS | |
| 2015 | Galaxy on Fire: Manticore Rising | TvOS |
| Lost Horizon | Android, iOS | |
| Secret Files | Android | |
| 2016 | Galaxy on Fire 3: Manticore | iOS |
| Sacred Legends | Android, iOS | |
| The Interactive Adventures of Dog Mendonça & Pizza Boy | ||
| 2017 | Galaxy on Fire 3: Manticore | Android |
| Galaxy on Fire: Alliances | ||
| 2018 | Dead Island: Survivors | Android, iOS |
| Manticore: Galaxy on Fire | Nintendo Switch | |
| 2019 | Saints Row - The Full Package | |
| 2020 | Saints Row IV: Re-Elected | |
| 2021 | Chorus | Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| 2023 | Valheim | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
References
- ↑ Etherington, Darrell (11 February 2013). "Galaxy On Fire Space Sim MMO For iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Coming In Q3 2013". https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/11/galaxy-on-fire-space-sim-mmo-for-iphone-ipad-and-ipod-touch-coming-in-q3-2013/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Corriea, Alexa Ray (2 December 2013). "Galaxy on Fire developer Fishlabs purchased by Koch Media". https://www.polygon.com/2013/12/2/5166254/report-fishlabs-purchased-by-koch-media.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Chapple, Craig (14 May 2014). "'It was the hardest time we've ever gone through': How Fishlabs came back from the brink". https://www.mcvuk.com/development/it-was-the-hardest-time-weve-ever-gone-through-how-fishlabs-came-back-from-the-brink.
- ↑ vaughn597 (12 May 2010). "Next10: Fishlabs to move into mobile MMOGs, Series B round planned". https://techcrunch.com/2010/05/11/next10-fishlabs-to-move-into-mobile-mmogs-series-b-round-planned/.
- ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (31 January 2018). "Rockfish Games: Building success, piece by piece" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-01-31-rockfish-games-building-success-piece-by-piece.
- ↑ Fröhlich, Petra (16 January 2023). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2023 (Update)" (in de). https://www.gameswirtschaft.de/wirtschaft/groesste-games-studios-deutschland-2023/.
- ↑ Phillips, Tom (28 November 2023). "Layoffs hit Galaxy on Fire, Chorus developer Fishlabs - sources". https://www.eurogamer.net/layoffs-hit-galaxy-on-fire-chorus-developer-fishlabs.
External links
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