 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2004; 21 years ago (2004) |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Germany |
| Products |
|
Number of employees | 70[1] (2024) |
| Parent | Deep Silver (2013–present) |
| Website | fishlabs |
Fishlabs GmbH (formerlyFishlabs Entertainment GmbH andDeep Silver Fishlabs) is a Germanvideo game developer based inHamburg. Founded in 2004 by Michael Schade and Christian Lohr, the studio is best known for itsGalaxy on Fire series.[2] Following a brief bankruptcy proceeding, Fishlabs was acquired byKoch Media and reorganized as part of their game publishing labelDeep Silver.
Michael 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 developedadvergames likeBarclaycard's Waterslide Extreme.[5] In May 2010, Fishlabs planned aseries B round and announced its plans to move into themassively multiplayer online games market.[6]
By mid-2013, Fishlabs had run out of money; in October, 25 jobs were cut before the company went intoself-administration.[4] On 2 December, media companyKoch 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 newdivision, called Deep Silver Fishlabs.[4] The company's former legal entity, Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH, was to bedissolved, and both founders left the company.[3] Schade and Lohr left the company and foundedEverspace developer Rockfish Games.[7] As result of the change in ownership, and the associated financial stability, Fishlabs also moved intovideo 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), underwentcost cutting restructuring. Project Black was cancelled and about 12 employees were laid off.[10]
Fishlabs then pitched a newRed Faction game following the closure of series developerVolition. Despite initial positive reception, the title was cancelled in November 2023 and around 50 Fishlabs employees were laid off.[10][11]
| 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 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)