Blue Wizard Digital

Last updated

Blue Wizard Digital
Founded2014
Founder Jason Kapalka
Headquarters Comox Valley, British Columbia
Website bluewizard.com

Blue Wizard Digital is a Canadian video game development studio and game publisher founded in 2014 by Jason Kapalka, one of the founders of PopCap Games and an early pioneer in the mobile casual gaming space. It is based in the Comox Valley, British Columbia, and is the only video game studio currently headquartered in Comox, [1] as The Long Dark studio Hinterland is now based in Vancouver.

Contents

The studio specializes in campy horror puzzle games, humorous first-person shooters and other innovative variations on existing models of gaming.

Shell Shockers

Blue Wizard's most popular game as of October 2020 is Shell Shockers, a browser-based first-person shooter in which players take the form of eggs and "splat" each other. Players can drop in and play anonymously in public lobbies or create persistent accounts and private maps to play with friends. The game features a variety of pop culture-influenced, punnishly-named weapons: the EggK-47(based on the AK-47), the Scrambler (based on a break action shotgun), the Free Ranger (based on the SVD), the Rpegg (based on the RPG-7), the Whipper (based on the FN P90), the Crackshot (based on the M24), and the Tri-Hard (based on the Steyr Aug). There are many player and item skins, most of which can be bought with Eggs, the in-game currency. [2]

As of mid-2019, the game had almost 40 million players worldwide, and is one of the most popular .io games available online. [3] [4]

Shell Shockers has been the target of some controversy, as it is commonly played by school students on Chromebooks provided by schools for educational purposes. [5] Some of the gaming platforms offering the browser-based game, such as CrazyGames, [6] have therefore been blocked by American schools. [7]

Slayaway Camp

"A puzzle game for people who hate puzzle games," [8] Slayaway Camp is set at a summer camp that's been set upon by a serial killer. Its blocky chibi-like style of character art makes it "adorably gruesome" and perhaps more palatable for those who would otherwise shy away from a horror game. Originally released in 2016 for PC, its success led to a console port of the game in 2017, with releases for Xbox One and PS4.

Kapalka has stated that one of his intentions in running Blue Wizard is to "find a way to make... puzzle games less boring, more viscerally exciting," [9] and both Slayaway Camp and Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle, another popular Blue Wizard camp-horror game, serve this goal.

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle

Blue Wizard's only license-based game thus far, F13 is based on the popular Friday the 13th franchise and, similar to Slayaway Camp, has been called "adorable and violent"; [10] its gameplay is also based largely on the sliding-block puzzle genre of game that founder Jason Kapalka helped to invent with Bejeweled .

Related Research Articles

A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.

<i>Friday the 13th</i> (1980 film) Film by Sean S. Cunningham

Friday the 13th is a 1980 American independent slasher film produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, and starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, and Kevin Bacon. Its plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer while they are attempting to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Voorhees</span> Main character of the Friday the 13th series

Jason Voorhees is a character from the Friday the 13th series. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham and Tom Savini, Jason was not originally intended to carry the series as the main antagonist. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, comic books, and a crossover film with another iconic horror film character, Freddy Krueger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kane Hodder</span> American actor, stuntman, and author

Kane Warren Hodder is an American actor, stuntman, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PopCap Games</span> American video game developer

PopCap Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Seattle, and a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. The company was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka.

<i>Jason X</i> 2001 American science fiction slasher film by Jim Isaac

Jason X is a 2001 American science fiction slasher film directed by Jim Isaac and written by Todd Farmer. The tenth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise and a sequel to Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), it stars Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell, and Kane Hodder in his fourth and final appearance as Jason Voorhees. In the film, Jason is cryogenically frozen for over 400 years and awakens in 2455, after being found by a group of students, whom he subsequently stalks and kills one by one.

<i>Friday the 13th Part 2</i> 1981 film by Steve Miner

Friday the 13th Part 2 is a 1981 American slasher film produced and directed by Steve Miner in his directorial debut, and written by Ron Kurz. It is a direct sequel to Friday the 13th (1980), and the second installment in the franchise. Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, and Walt Gorney reprise their respective roles from the first film as Alice Hardy, Pamela Voorhees, and Crazy Ralph. Amy Steel and John Furey also star. Taking place five years after the first film, Part 2 follows a similar premise, with an unknown stalker killing a group of camp counselors at a training camp near Crystal Lake. The film marks the debut of Jason Voorhees as the series' main antagonist.

<i>Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives</i> 1986 film by Tom McLoughlin

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is a 1986 American slasher film written and directed by Tom McLoughlin, and starring Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, and C.J. Graham. It is a sequel to Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) and the sixth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise, being the last one to feature Tommy Jarvis (Mathews) as the protagonist. Continuing from the events of the previous film, the plot follows Tommy after he accidentally resurrects mass murderer Jason Voorhees (Graham) while attempting to destroy his body to ensure he will not return. While Jason returns to Crystal Lake for another killing spree, Tommy must overcome his fear of the masked killer that has haunted him for years and find a way to stop him once and for all.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Jarvis</span> Fictional character

Tommy Jarvis is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th franchise. He first appears in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) as a child interested in special effects who encounters a seemingly unstoppable slasher—Jason Voorhees. In his debut, he is portrayed by Corey Feldman. A teen and adult version of the character is portrayed by John Shepherd and Thom Mathews in the consecutive films Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), respectively.

<i>Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday</i> 1993 American supernatural slasher film by Adam Marcus

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is a 1993 American supernatural slasher film directed by Adam Marcus from a screenplay by Dean Lorey and Jay Huguely, based on a story by Huguely and Marcus. The ninth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise and a sequel to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), it stars John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Erin Gray, Allison Smith, Steven Culp, Steven Williams, and Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees, reprising his role from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) and Jason Takes Manhattan. The film follows Jason's spirit as it possesses various people to continue his killings after his death. To resurrect himself, Jason must find and possess a member of his bloodline, but he can also be permanently killed by one of his surviving relatives using a magical dagger.

Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that comprises twelve slasher films, a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and tie‑in merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, as either the killer or the motivation for the killings. The original film was written by Victor Miller, produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, and released by Paramount Pictures. The films have grossed over $468 million at the box-office worldwide.

<i>Friday the 13th</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

Friday the 13th is a video game developed by Atlus and published by LJN for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Based on the horror franchise of the same name, players control counselors at Camp Crystal Lake as they attempt to defeat Jason Voorhees. The game received generally negative reviews, with criticism centered on its high difficulty and poor gameplay.

Ari Lehman is an American performing artist, composer, and actor. He is known for playing the child Jason Voorhees in the Paramount horror film Friday the 13th, becoming the first actor to portray the horror film icon. As of 2018, Lehman performs in a punk rock/heavy metal band, First Jason.

<i>Friday the 13th: The Game</i> 2017 video game

Friday the 13th: The Game is a 2017 asymmetrical survival horror game developed by IllFonic and published by Gun Media. It is based on the Friday the 13th franchise. The game was released on May 26, 2017 as a digital release and later released on October 13, 2017, as a physical release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version was released on August 13, 2019.

The Mysterious Package Company is an experiential service established in 2013 which provides stories, puzzles and mysteries purchased as gifts and sent through the mail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IllFonic</span> American video game developer

IllFonic, LLC is an American video game developer based in Golden, Colorado, with further offices in Tacoma, Washington, and Austin, Texas. The studio was founded by Charles Brungardt, Kedhrin Gonzales and Raphael Saadiq in 2007. IllFonic is best known for developing asymmetric multiplayer games like Friday the 13th: The Game, Predator: Hunting Grounds and Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.

<i>Friday the 13th: The Computer Game</i> 1986 video game

Friday the 13th: The Computer Game is the first game adaptation based on the films of the same name. It was released in 1986 by Domark for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. The game was released on floppy diskette and cassette tape. The player's goal is to find and kill Jason, while making sure their friends or they themselves are not killed by Jason.

<i>Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle</i> 2018 video game

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle is a 2018 horror puzzle video game for iOS, Android, Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One developed by Blue Wizard Digital. The game was released on January 20, 2018, in the US and April 13 worldwide. It is the fourth official video game based on the Friday the 13th franchise.

Jason Kapalka is a Canadian game developer and entrepreneur based in the Comox Valley and Vancouver, British Columbia. He is best known as one of the founders, along with John Vechey and Brian Fiete, of the video game studio PopCap Games, which was founded in 2000 and sold to Electronic Arts in 2011; PopCap was originally titled “Sexy Action Cool,” but the name was changed when it was found to be misleading to many players. Kapalka is listed at #82 on IGN's list of the top 100 game creators of all time.

<i>Space Tyrant</i> 2018 video game

Space Tyrant is a strategy video game developed by Blue Wizard Digital. It uses a streamlined version of 4X gameplay in which players conquer the galaxy as an evil tyrant.

References

  1. ↑ "Creating Fun & Games: Jason Kapalka". CVC. October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ever Wanted to Blast an Egg to Smithereens? Here's Your Chance!". Daily Game. March 31, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  3. ↑ "My Odyssey from Indie to Billion Dollar Games and Back Again". Escapist Magazine. November 27, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ "The death of flash and birth of IO games". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  5. ↑ Chung, Miranda (June 13, 2018). "Shell Shockers video game cracks into classrooms". The Observer. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  6. ↑ Miller, George (August 20, 2021). "Shell Shockers passes 35 million game plays on CrazyGames' web portals". European Gaming Industry News. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ "The 2018 Benchmark Report: An Analysis of Emerging Trends In Student Chromebook Usage" (PDF). GoGuardian. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut Is A Puzzle Game Made For People Who Hate Puzzle Games". PlayStation.Blog. September 29, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  9. ↑ Crowley, D.D. "Interview: Blue Wizard Digital's Jason Kapalka, Creator of 'F13: Killer Puzzle'". Pop Horror. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  10. ↑ Bolt, Neil (October 25, 2018). "[Review] 'Friday the 13th Killer Puzzle' is a Fine Sequel to 'Slayaway Camp'". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.