YoYo Games is a British software development company based in Dundee, Scotland. From February 2015 to January 2021, the company was owned by Playtech; afterwards, it was sold to Opera to launch its new gaming division.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Dundee, Scotland, UK |
Key people | Russell Kay (Senior Product Director) |
| Products | GameMaker |
| Parent | Playtech (2015–2021) Opera (2021–present) |
| Website | gamemaker |
History
editYoYo Games was founded in 2007 by Michel Cassius, Sandy Duncan, Spencer Hyman and James North-Hearn, former entertainment and video game industry executives. Duncan was appointed chief executive officer of the company.[1] On 26 January 2007, Mark Overmars announced his partnership with a company based in Dundee, Scotland, called YoYo Games.[2][3]
The company established its European office in Dundee in May 2010 by opening an office within Abertay University with two team members.[4] The company currently employs more than 25 employees.[5] YoYo Games has announced plans to create an additional 25 positions, over the next 18 months, in systems development, software engineering, sales and customer service.[6] The employees will be hired to help the company keep pace with the rapid evolution of the global games market and demand for Game Maker: Studio.[7] To accommodate this expansion, in June 2013, YoYo Games moved from its old location within Abertay University[7] into new office space on Dundee’s Waterfront redevelopment.[5] On 16 February 2015 it was announced that Playtech acquired YoYo Games for £10.65 million (USD$16.4 million).[8][9] Shortly thereafter, Duncan stepped down from his position.[10] He was later replaced by James Cox as general manager, who himself stepped down in October 2018 to be replaced by Stuart Poole in January 2019.[11]
Playtech sold YoYo Games to Opera for US$10 million in January 2021. Opera announced with YoYo's acquisition, it was launching a new Opera Gaming division alongside their browser software.[12][13]
In February 2021, Stuart Poole left the role of General Manager and Russell Kay was named Senior Product Director (Head of GameMaker)[14]
References
edit- ^ "YoYo Games". University of California, Santa Barbara.
- ^ Public announcement from Mark Overmars, Game Maker Community
- ^ Schonfeld, Erick; Yen, Yi-Wyn. "It's a Web, Web, Web 2.0 world". CNN Money. CNN. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ "YoYo Games Expands Into Dundee Waterfront". Dundee Waterfront. Dundee City Council. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ a b Williamson, James (23 April 2013). "Dundee's YoYo Games looks to next level - The Courier". The Courier. DC Thomson. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ "YoYo Games to Double its Staff to 50". Interactive Tayside. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ a b scottishgames (23 April 2013). "YoYo Games Expanding, Recruiting New Staff, Moving To New Office | Scottish Games Network". Scottish Games Network. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ Pearson, Dan (16 February 2015). "YoYo Games sells to PlayTech for $16.4 million". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ Chapple, Craig (16 February 2015). "PlayTech buys GameMaker creator YoYo Games for £10m". Develop. NewBay. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ Judge, Alysia (17 February 2015). "YoYo Games CEO steps down following $16 million Playtech deal". Pocket Gamer.biz.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew (16 January 2019). "YoYo Games promotes Stuart Poole to general manager". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ Kerr, Chris (19 January 2021). "Playtech sells GameMaker Studio maker YoYo Games for $10 million". Gamasutra. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (20 January 2021). "Opera acquires YoYo Games for $10 million and launches Opera Gaming division". Venture Beat. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ GameMaker Update 2022, retrieved 22 April 2022