Hothead Games
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Ian Wilkinson (President and CEO) |
| Website | hotheadgames |
Hothead Games Inc. was an independent Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver.
History
[edit]The studio was founded in 2006 by Steve Bocska, Vlad Ceraldi and Joel DeYoung, all three of which were formerly employed by Radical Entertainment.[1] Bocska left the company in 2007.[2] On 10 March 2009, Ian Wilkinson, who had been president and chief executive officer of Radical Entertainment since its foundation in 1991 until 2008, became president and chief executive officer of Hothead Games, replacing Ceraldi.[2] In turn, Ceraldi became the studio's director of game development, while DeYoung moved from his chief operating officer position to director of game technology.[2]
Following the conclusion of the DeathSpank series and the departure of its creator Ron Gilbert in 2011, Hothead Games shifted its development focus entirely to mobile games in response to market trends surrounding mobile devices.[3] In 2015, Hothead Games expanded by opening a studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia with an initial development team of 25 people, putting the company's employee count at 130.[4] In 2019, Hothead Games established a publishing arm to promote third-party free-to-play titles.[5]
On 14 October 2021, Embracer Group announced that its subsidiary DECA Games had acquired the Hothead Games titles Hero Hunters and Kill Shot Bravo.[6] In January 2022, Vlad Ceraldi left Hothead Games to fill the CEO position of independent game developer Offworld Industries.[7] In December 2024, president and CEO Ian Wilkinson announced on Linkedin that the company had filed for bankruptcy and would close down.[1]
Games developed
[edit]| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One | macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Hothead Games |
| Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two | |||
| 2010 | DeathSpank | Electronic Arts | |
| DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue | |||
| 2011 | Swarm | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Ignition Entertainment |
| Kickin Momma | iOS | Hothead Games | |
| The Baconing | macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| Kard Combat | iOS | ||
| Sea Stars | Android, iOS | ||
| 2012 | Big Win Soccer | ||
| Big Win Hockey | |||
| Big Win Baseball | |||
| Big Win Basketball | |||
| 2013 | Rivals at War | ||
| Rivals at War: 2084 | |||
| Big Win Racing | |||
| 2014 | Rivals at War: Firefight | ||
| Kill Shot | |||
| 2015 | Big Win Football 2016 | ||
| Boom Boom Football | |||
| Kill Shot Bravo | |||
| 2016 | Boom Boom Soccer | ||
| 2017 | Kill Shot Virus | ||
| 2017 | Mighty Battles | ||
| 2018 | Hero Hunters | ||
| Forged Fantasy | |||
| 2019 | Idle Golf Tycoon | ||
| Idle Property Manager Tycoon | |||
| 2020 | Super Hit Baseball | ||
| Box Office Tycoon | |||
| 2024 | Big Win Football 2024 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Kerr, Chris (20 December 2024). "Hothead Games has shut down after almost 20 years". Game Developer. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Kyllo, Blaine (11 March 2009). "Radical founder Ian Wilkinson becomes CEO of Hothead Games". The Georgia Straight. Vancouver Free Press. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Cipriano, Jason (5 October 2012). "Why Hothead Games Made The Jump From Consoles To Mobile Game Development". MTV. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Weber, Rachel (30 September 2015). "Hothead Games opens new Halifax studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Batchelor, James (22 January 2019). "Hothead Games launches mobile publishing arm". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "Embracer Group acquires mobile game developer Jufeng Studio and eight mobile titles". Embracer Group. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ Orr, Aaron (26 January 2022). "Mobile games industry veteran Vlad Ceraldi moves to Offworld Industries". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Retrieved 28 January 2022.