4J Studios Limited is a British independent video game developer based in Dundee. It has a second office located in East Linton. Founded in April 2005 by VIS Entertainment alumni Chris van der Kuyl, Paddy Burns and Frank Arnot, the company is best known for porting Minecraft to consoles and handheld platforms.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | VIS Entertainment |
| Founded | 19 April 2005 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Scotland |
Key people | |
| Website | 4jstudios.com |
History
edit4J Studios was founded by Chris van der Kuyl, Paddy Burns and Frank Arnot on 19 April 2005, twelve days after van der Kuyl's previous video game venture, VIS Entertainment, entered into administration.[2][3] All three were previously employed by that company, of which van der Kuyl as president and chief executive officer.[3][4]
In November 2012, co-founder and studio director Arnot announced that he had left 4J Studios to establish Stormcloud Games with co-workers Andy West and Pat McGovern.[5][6] In March 2018, 4J Studios invested a "six-figure sum" in Puny Astronaut, a Dundee-based developer founded by Abertay University alumni.[7] 4J Studios' van der Kuyl and Burns subsequently joined that company's board of directors, of which van der Kuyl also became their chairman.[8] 4J Studios then opened an investment fund, Chroma Ventures, in March 2021, which absorbed the Puny Astronaut stake and invested in several other studios. In October 2022, 4J Studios announced its intent to start publishing games, starting with Puny Astronaut's Skye Tales in 2023.[9]
In May 2024, 4J Studios revealed a trailer of its next project, the Elements Engine, a proprietary 3D voxel sandbox game engine built from the ground up, with world size and performance in mind.[10] With the announcement of the Elements Engine, they teased the development of a new video game using the engine.[11]
In September 2024, 4J Studios announced their new video game, Reforj, a voxel-based sandbox video game built on the power of the Elements Engine.[12] Amongst the development team of the engine includes Joseph Garrett, a YouTuber also known as Stampylonghead.[13]
Games developed
editReferences
edit- ^ Sarkar, Samit (6 November 2014). "Microsoft officially owns Minecraft and developer Mojang now". Polygon. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "New State of Emergency declared as Glasgow firm takes on game". The Scotsman. 1 May 2005. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Games company 4J enjoys year of profit". Herald Scotland. 2 August 2011. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Elliott, Phil (12 August 2008). "4J's Chris van der Kuyl". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Gera, Emily (13 November 2012). "Minecraft XBLA and Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion developers form Stormcloud Games studio". Polygon. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (13 November 2012). "New studio Storm Cloud launches in Scotland". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Kerr, Chris (15 March 2018). "Minecraft console edition dev invests in Scottish studio Puny Astronaut". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Dring, Christopher (15 March 2018). "4J Studios invests 'six-figure sum' in Scottish indie dev Puny Astronaut". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Partis, Danielle (25 October 2022). "4J Studios announces move into publishing". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "4J Studios Teases New Voxel-Based 'Elements' Engine". The Scottish Games Network. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ 4JStudios (22 May 2024). Introducing... the Elements Engine. Retrieved 25 September 2024 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Director, Graham Smith Deputy Editorial; Smith, Graham (19 September 2024). "Minecraft console developer 4J Studios are making Reforj, their own open world survival game". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ MacDonald, Ben (23 May 2024). "Dundee Waterfront recreated in 3D as games firm teases fans with 'Minecraft 2.0'". The Courier. Retrieved 16 June 2024.