Mediatonic Limited is a British video game developer based in London. The company was founded in September 2005 by Brunel University students Dave Bailey and Paul Croft, releasing their first game, Snowman Salvage in December that year. Initially a work-for-hire studio for Flash games, Mediatonic has developed original games for other platforms, including Murder by Numbers and Fall Guys. As of June 2020, Mediatonic employs 230 people in four studios and is part of Tonic Games Group, which is a subsidiary of Epic Games since March 2021.
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | September 2005 in Uxbridge, England |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , England |
Key people |
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| Products | |
Number of employees | 230 (2020) |
| Parent | Tonic Games Group (2020–present) |
| Website | mediatonicgames |
History
editMediatonic was founded in September 2005 by friends Dave Bailey and Paul Croft, both aged 21 at the time, during their final year at Brunel University.[1][2] They decided on the opening in a drunken conversation at the university's student union bar.[3] With an office near the campus, they set up the company as a work-for-hire studio to create Flash games and sometimes skipped lectures to accept calls from clients.[2][4] Snowman Salvage, a game that was part of Croft's dissertation, was Mediatonic's first release in December 2005.[1][4]
PopCap Games, Big Fish Games and PlayFirst were early Mediatonic clients and, among others, Mediatonic produced Flash conversions of Bejeweled, Bookworm, Diner Dash and Poppit!. It also created Amateur Surgeon, an original game, for Adult Swim Games.[2][3][4] Mediatonic was profitable enough in its first year that, following Bailey and Croft's graduation, the studio moved to a former government building in Westminster in February 2006 and hired ten employees.[1][2] Other early games by Mediatonic included Meowcenaries, Gigolo Assassin, Must Eat Birds, and Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess.[5] Having reached 25 employees, Mediatonic moved to new offices near Covent Garden in February 2008.[1]
In July 2009, Mediatonic opened a studio in Brighton to act as a digital media agency, later spun out into a company named Graphite.[1] Mediatonic received funding from entrepreneurs Kelly Sumner, Ian Livingstone and Geoff Heath in April 2010, and from Frog Capital in January 2012.[1] Pete Hickman, a former executive producer for Eidos Interactive, joined Mediatonic as its head of production in July 2011.[6][7] Planning to double its 50-strong headcount, Mediatonic moved its London headquarters to Soho in May 2012.[1][8] Mediatonic opened a Brighton development studio that October.[9] According to Bailey, Mediatonic began giving original games and work-for-hire projects equal weight and the company grew as a result.[10] It later branched out into publishing, opening The Irregular Corporation as a sister company in December 2015.[1][10]
Mediatonic moved into Shell Mex House, London, in April 2017.[1] In July, a five-person team was established in a co-working space in Madrid, and expanded into a proper office in July 2019.[1][11] A sister development studio, Fortitude Games, was established in Guildford in 2018.[4] Frog Capital sold its share in Mediatonic to Synova Capital, making a 7.4-times return on its investment.[12] A fourth studio for Mediatonic in Leamington Spa was announced in February 2020.[13] Also in early 2020, Mediatonic established its headquarters in an office above London Victoria station, although it went largely unused due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the company to make employees work from home.[10]
Bailey and Croft established Tonic Games Group as a parent company for Mediatonic, The Irregular Corporation, and Fortitude Games, moving 35 employees to Tonic Games Group, while Mediatonic had a staff of 230.[4][10] On 2 March 2021, Epic Games announced that it had acquired Tonic Games Group, including Mediatonic.[14] In September 2023, Mediatonic was subjected to deep job cuts by its parent company. Though it was first speculated that the entire studio had been closed, that proved not to be the case.[15]
Games developed
edit| Year | Title | Publisher | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Snowman Salvage | Shockwave | Web |
| Beetle Bomp | iWin | Web | |
| 2006 | Air Control | Lufthansa | Web |
| 2007 | Lego Pirates: Quest for Brickbeard's Bounty | The Lego Group | Web |
| Operation Challenge | Pogo.com | Web | |
| Mystery Case Files: Millionheir | Nintendo | Web | |
| PlaySega Blackjack | Sega | Web | |
| Mah Jong Amazon Adventure | Sega | Web | |
| Brain Assist! | Sega | Web | |
| Letter Linker | Sega | Web | |
| Addiction Solitaire | Shockwave | Web | |
| Tequila Trouble | William Grant & Sons | Web | |
| Mole Hunt | Pogo.com | Web | |
| Homerun Hero | Shockwave | Web | |
| Horizon | AstraZeneca | Web | |
| SiteAdvisor Challenge | McAfee | Web | |
| Diamond Detective | Gamehouse | Web | |
| Battleships! | Sega | Web | |
| Meat Match | Boonty | Web | |
| Bubble Bubble | Sega | Web | |
| Super Collapse! | Gamehouse | Web | |
| Little Shop of Treasures | Gamehouse | Web | |
| 2008 | Turbo Solitaire | Sega | Web |
| Text Twist | Sega | Web | |
| Sudoku | Sega | Web | |
| Greedy Gang | Mediatonic | Web | |
| Portal Peril | Nickelodeon | Web | |
| Penguin Panic | Mediatonic | Web | |
| Word Whomp Mini | Pogo.com | Web | |
| Poppit! Mini Stressbuster | Pogo.com | Web | |
| Poppit! Stressbuster | Pogo.com | Web | |
| Bookworm | PopCap Games | Web | |
| Bejeweled 2 | PopCap Games | Web | |
| Diner Dash | PlayFirst | Web | |
| Bejeweled 2 | PopCap Games | Web | |
| Inca Quest | iWin | Web | |
| Talismania | PopCap Games | Web | |
| Manor Mystery | Boonty | Web | |
| Gigolo Assassin | Adult Swim | Web | |
| Aquatic Word Burst | Sega | Web | |
| Ice Shuffle | Sega | Web | |
| Greek Island Solitaire | Sega | Web | |
| Beijing 2008, High Dive | Sega | Web | |
| Beijing 2008, Archery | Sega | Web | |
| Beijing 2008, Weightlifting | Sega | Web | |
| Hidden Expedition Titanic | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Bureaucracy Buster | AstraZeneca | Web | |
| Amateur Surgeon | Adult Swim | Web, iOS | |
| Trivial Pursuit Quiz | Electronic Arts | Web | |
| Crestor Challenge | AstraZeneca | Web | |
| Travelogue 360 Rome | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Azada | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Sonic at the Olympic Games | Sega | Web | |
| Music, Melodies and Rockstars | Sega | Web | |
| The Quiz of Culinary Delights | Sega | Web | |
| Back to the 80s Quiz | Sega | Web | |
| Hollywood Adventure Quiz | Sega | Web | |
| Three Reel Slots | Sega | Web | |
| Columns | Sega | Web | |
| Sega Pool | Sega | Web | |
| 2009 | Commanders | Sierra Entertainment | Web |
| Diego's Underwater Adventures | Nickelodeon | Web | |
| Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training 2 | Namco Bandai Games | Feature Phones | |
| Dr. Kawashima's Brain Exercise, Line Up | Namco Bandai Games | Web | |
| Dr. Kawashima's Brain Exercise, Reverse Dice | Namco Bandai Games | Web | |
| Dr. Kawashima's Brain Exercise, Follow the Pencil | Namco Bandai Games | Web | |
| Dr. Kawashima's Brain Exercise, Predominant Number | Namco Bandai Games | Web | |
| Hidden Expedition Titanic | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Hidden Expedition Titanic MSN Search Special | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Hidden Expedition Everest MSN Search Special | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Hidden Expedition Everest | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Travelogue 360 London | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Travelogue 360 Paris | Big Fish Games | Web | |
| Amateur Surgeon Christmas | Adult Swim | Web, iOS | |
| Fast & Furious | Sierra Entertainment | Facebook, Myspace | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants: Hooked on You | Nickelodeon | Web | |
| Sonic Level Creator | Sega | Web | |
| Steamweavers | Mediatonic | Myspace | |
| Toy Story: Woody's Great Escape | Pixar | Web | |
| Suite Life on Deck: Smoothie Service | Disney | Web | |
| Kid Vs. Kat: Katapult Katastrophe | Disney | Web | |
| Biker Blast-Off! | The Gadget Show | iOS | |
| Meowcenaries | Adult Swim | Web, iOS | |
| Extreme Lawn Bowls | Mediatonic | Web | |
| Must.Eat.Birds | Mediatonic | iOS, Android | |
| 2010 | Amateur Surgeon 2 | Adult Swim | Web, iOS, Android |
| Vancouver 2010, Slalom | Sega | Web | |
| Vancouver 2010, Ski Jump | Sega | Web | |
| Vancouver 2010, Speed Skating | Sega | Web | |
| Vancouver 2010, Snowboarding | Sega | Web | |
| Moshling Boshling | Mind Candy | Web | |
| Boom Bandits | Spil Games | Web | |
| Who's That Flying?! | Mediatonic | iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 | |
| Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess | Mediatonic | PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| MicroGP | Mediatonic | ||
| Pirate King | Mediatonic | ||
| Ocean Snapper | Mediatonic | Myspace, Facebook | |
| Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time | Telltale Games | Facebook, Online | |
| 2011 | 1000 Tiny Claws | Mediatonic | PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 |
| Amateur Ninja | Adult Swim | Web | |
| Thundercats: Tree of the Ancients | Warner Bros. | Web | |
| 2012 | Robot Unicorn Attack: Evolution | Adult Swim | |
| Amateur Surgeon Hospital | Adult Swim | ||
| Superbia | Disney | Web | |
| 2013 | Moshi Monsters: Lost Islands | GREE | iOS |
| Qwirkle | Square Enix | iOS, Android, Facebook | |
| Foul Play | Devolver Digital | Xbox Live Arcade, Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | |
| Amateur Surgeon 3: Tag Team Trauma | Adult Swim | iOS, Android | |
| 2014 | Delivery Outlaw | Adult Swim | iOS |
| Secrets and Treasure | Microsoft Studios | Windows 8 | |
| Hatoful Boyfriend | Devolver Digital | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | |
| 2015 | Heavenstrike Rivals | Square Enix | Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows |
| Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star | Devolver Digital | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | |
| 2016 | Bounty Stars | DeNA West | Android, iOS |
| Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World | WB Games | Android, iOS | |
| 2017 | New Yahtzee with Buddies | Scopely | Android, iOS |
| 2018 | Fable Fortune | Microsoft Studios | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One |
| 2019 | Gears Pop! | Xbox Game Studios | Android, iOS |
| 2020 | Murder by Numbers | The Irregular Corporation | Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows |
| Fall Guys | Devolver Digital, Epic Games | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Company". Mediatonic. 2019.
- ^ a b c d Parkin, Simon (8 October 2010). "From Flash To Minis: Mediatonic On Creating Tiny Wonders". Gamasutra.
- ^ a b Edge Staff (30 September 2010). "Mediatonic's Rise". Edge. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Takahashi, Dean (18 June 2020). "Tonic Games Group will manage multiple game studios and publishing operations". VentureBeat.
- ^ Edge Staff (30 September 2010). "Mediatonic's Rise – Page 2 of 2". Edge. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013.
- ^ Orland, Kyle (11 July 2011). "Eidos' Pete Hickman Joins Mediatonic As Head Of Production". Gamasutra.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (11 July 2011). "Eidos exec producer joins Mediatonic". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (2 April 2012). "Mediatonic planning to double headcount". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (2 October 2012). "New Brighton studio for Mediatonic". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ a b c d Wallace, Chris (18 June 2020). "Mediatonic launches 300-strong Tonic Games Group – "It means that we can all be much more resilient and stand the test of time"". MCV/Develop.
- ^ Batchelor, James (8 July 2019). "Mediatonic opens new Spanish studio". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ Reid, Mike (6 June 2019). "7.4 x return on the sale of Frog's stake in Mediatonic". Frog Capital.
- ^ Kerr, Chris (3 February 2020). "Fall Guys developer Mediatonic to open new UK studio". Gamasutra.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (2 March 2021). "Epic Games Has Acquired Fall Guys Developer Mediatonic". IGN. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (29 September 2023). "Fall Guys developer hit hard by Epic Games layoffs, but studio to remain open". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 3 March 2024.