Company:Blind Squirrel Games
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Brad Hendricks |
| Headquarters | Santa Ana, California , US |
Key people | Brad Hendricks (CEO) |
| Products | BioShock |
Number of employees | 120 (2020) |
| Parent | Blind Squirrel Entertainment (2016–present) |
| Website | blindsquirrelentertainment |
Blind Squirrel Games is an American video game developer based in Santa Ana, California. It was founded in 2010 by Brad Hendricks and is a subsidiary of Blind Squirrel Entertainment. Notable products include BioShock and Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
History
Brad Hendricks founded Blind Squirrel Games in 2010. While working on the back end for the website GameSpy, he felt there had been too few work-for-hire studios working with larger companies on AAA video games and established the studio in this capacity. The company originally consisted of four people, including Hendricks as chief executive officer.[1] In March 2016, Blind Squirrel Games was reorganized as a subsidiary of Blind Squirrel Entertainment, which was incorporated in Delaware.[2]
By the time Blind Squirrel Games worked with 2K Games on BioShock, the studio had grown to 87 people, covering development, design, production, and quality assurance. Hendricks considered this a turning point that would allow the studio to grow past contributing to other developers' projects and begin fully developing games.[1] Due to the cancellation of an unannounced project, Blind Squirrel Games laid off thirteen people (nine artists and four support staff) in May 2018.[3][4] Three further projects, each with twenty to thirty engaged employees, were canceled in October 2018. The studio failed to find new projects for most of these and downsized from 110 to 48 people within six months. Blind Squirrel Games received new jobs in early 2019 and began hiring again.[1]
In March 2019, the company raised US$5 million from undisclosed investors for the development and self-publishing of Drifters. According to Hendricks, the company had been in discussion with "literally every publisher" but failed to find a partner willing to publish an original game from a company that usually worked on external properties.[5][6] It received between US$1 million and US$2 million from the Paycheck Protection Program July 2020.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Blind Squirrel Games operated "almost as normal" with its 110 employees. To improve morale, it used a proprietary platform for employees to join virtual clubs about their interests, a project headed by the senior community manager Kitty Mach.[8] The studio aimed to establish a secondary office in Austin, Texas , with thirty to forty people in late 2020, next to its Santa Ana, California, headquarters.[1]
Games
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | BioShock | ||
| 2017 | The Sims 4 | PlayStation 4 and Xbox One port | Template:Centered |
| WWE 2K18 | Nintendo Switch port | Template:Centered | |
| 2018 | Sunset Overdrive | Windows port | Template:Centered |
| 2019 | Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced Edition | ||
| 2021 | Mass Effect Legendary Edition | ||
| Sonic Colors: Ultimate | Template:Centered | ||
| TBA | Drifters Loot the Galaxy | In early access |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Valentine, Rebekah (February 13, 2020). "Blind Squirrel Games' decade-long drift from work-for-hire to original IP". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-02-13-blind-squirrel-games-decade-long-drift-from-dedicated-work-for-hire-to-full-service-studio.
- ↑ "Blind Squirrel Games Becomes Subsidiary of Newly Formed Blind Squirrel Entertainment, Inc" (Press release). Blind Squirrel Entertainment. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ↑ Kidwell, Emma (May 9, 2018). "Blind Squirrel Games lays off staff due to financial woes". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/317867/Blind_Squirrel_Games_lays_off_staff_due_to_financial_woes.php.
- ↑ Batchelor, James (May 9, 2018). "BioShock Remastered studio lays off 10% of workforce after project cancellation". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-05-10-bioshock-hd-studio-lays-of-10-percent-of-workforce-after-project-cancellation.
- ↑ Kidwell, Emma (March 14, 2019). "Blind Squirrel lands $5M in funding to self-publish its first game, Drifters". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/338721/Blind_Squirrel_lands_5M_in_funding_to_selfpublish_its_first_game_Drifters.php.
- ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (March 14, 2019). "Blind Squirrel secures $5m in funding for first self-published game". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-03-14-blind-squirrel-secures-USD5m-in-funding-for-first-self-published-game.
- ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (July 10, 2020). "Game companies line up for pandemic relief loans". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-07-10-game-companies-lining-up-for-pandemic-relief-loans.
- ↑ Takahashi, Dean (May 23, 2020). "How Blind Squirrel Games is entertaining its game developers during quarantine". https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/23/how-blind-squirrel-games-is-entertaining-its-game-developers-during-quarantine/view-all/.
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