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.[2] Following a brief bankruptcy proceeding, Fishlabs was acquired by Koch Media and reorganized as part of their game publishing label Deep Silver.
 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Germany |
| Products |
|
Number of employees | 70[1] (2024) |
| Parent | Deep Silver (2013–present) |
| Website | fishlabs |
History
editMichael Schade and Christian Lohr opened Fishlabs in 2004, incorporated under the name Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH.[3] 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.[4] It developed advergames like Barclaycard's Waterslide Extreme.[5] In May 2010, Fishlabs planned a series B round and announced its plans to move into the massively multiplayer online games market.[6]
By mid-2013, Fishlabs had run out of money; in October, 25 jobs were cut before the company went into self-administration.[4] On 2 December, media company Koch Media announced that it had acquired Fishlabs, which would henceforth operate as the dedicated mobile studio for its game publishing label, Deep Silver.[3] As the agreement was an asset deal, all of Fishlabs' assets, including 52 employees, were transferred to Koch Media and incorporated in a new division, called Deep Silver Fishlabs.[4] The company's former legal entity, Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH, was to be dissolved, and both founders left the company.[3] Schade and Lohr left the company and founded Everspace developer Rockfish Games.[7] As result of the change in ownership, and the associated financial stability, Fishlabs also moved into video game publishing.[4]
In March 2022, Fishlabs received €5.5 million in funding from the German government for the company's Project Black. Described as a third-person action game, the project was expected to be completed by August 2026.[8] By January 2023, the company employed 95 people.[9] In September, Embracer Group, the parent company of Koch Media (now known as Plaion), underwent cost cutting restructuring. Project Black was cancelled and about 12 employees were laid off.[10]
Fishlabs then pitched a new Red Faction game following the closure of series developer Volition. Despite initial positive reception, the title was cancelled in November 2023 and around 50 Fishlabs employees were laid off.[10][11]
List of video games
edit| 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: Sam Peters | |
| Secret Files: Tunguska | Android, iOS | |
| 2015 | Galaxy on Fire: Manticore Rising | TvOS |
| Lost Horizon | Android, iOS | |
| Secret Files: Sam Peters | 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 Third - 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 |
| 2024 | Goat Simulator 3 | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch |
References
edit- ^ Fröhlich, Petra (15 August 2024). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2024" [The largest game studios in Germany in 2024]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Etherington, Darrell (11 February 2013). "Galaxy On Fire Space Sim MMO For iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Coming In Q3 2013". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Corriea, Alexa Ray (2 December 2013). "Galaxy on Fire developer Fishlabs purchased by Koch Media". Polygon. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d Chapple, Craig (14 May 2014). "'It was the hardest time we've ever gone through': How Fishlabs came back from the brink". MCV. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Dredge, Stuart (27 July 2009). "Fishlabs reveals Waterslide Extreme iPhone stats". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ vaughn597 (12 May 2010). "Next10: Fishlabs to move into mobile MMOGs, Series B round planned". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Handrahan, Matthew (31 January 2018). "Rockfish Games: Building success, piece by piece". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Gameswirtschaft (4 April 2023). "Games-Förderung: 5,5 Mio. € für Chorus-Studio Fishlabs". GamesWirtschaft.de (in German). Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Fröhlich, Petra (16 January 2023). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2023 (Update)" [The largest game studios in Germany in 2023 (update)]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ^ a b Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (20 June 2024). "How Embracer's cuts killed a potential Red Faction sequel and gutted a promising studio". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (28 November 2023). "Layoffs hit Galaxy on Fire, Chorus developer Fishlabs - sources". Eurogamer. Retrieved 28 November 2023.