Ustwo

Last updated

Ustwo Fampany Limited
Company type Private
Industry Software development, video games, mobile apps
Founded15 November 2004;19 years ago (2004-11-15) [1]
Founders
  • Matt Miller
  • John Sinclair
Headquarters
London
,
England
Area served
Worldwide
Products Monument Valley , Monument Valley 2 , DICE
Number of employees
260 [2]  (2019)
Website ustwo.com

Ustwo Fampany Limited (typically stylized as ustwo) is a London-based software development studio focused on digital design, such as clean and elegant user interfaces. Founded in 2004, the company had initially served clients in supporting their mobile apps, and developed mobile games, but gained significant attention upon release of Monument Valley in 2014, which won numerous awards and had over two million units sold. Alongside their Ustwo Games division, the company continues to produce other software for a range of computing devices through Ustwo Studios, as well as investing in new firms through Ustwo Adventure, and helping to mentor young talent within Ustwo Foundation.

Contents

History

Ustwo was founded by Matt "Mills" Miller and John "Sinx" Sinclair in the Shoreditch district of London in November 2004 as "Ustwo Studio, Ltd", [1] aiming to get into the nascent mobile app market. [3] Miller and Sinclair had been friends since they were eleven, and so the name "Ustwo" is in reference to their long-term relation, "us two". [4]

Prior to the founding, Miller and Sinclair had been working at a design firm called Big Animal who had Sony as a client. After Ustwo was founded, they were able to gain work from Sony Ericsson from this prior relationship to help design a user interface. Additional work came from similar word-of-mouth for banking firm JPMorgan. [4]

In 2007, Apple, Inc. introduced the iPhone and with it, the App Store in 2008. Miller and Sinclair saw the opportunity here to make and sell their own applications directly to consumers via the App Store, and started to explore that area. [4] They toyed with various apps, having limited success outside of one title, MouthOff, that had a cartoon mouth on screen mimick mouth movements on hearing speech that they released in 2009. The app earned Ustwo £100,000, a product of strong word-of-mouth from works like Creative Review , [5] Techcrunch , BBC, and CNN, according to Miller. [6] MouthOff led to them gaining work from retail chain H&M. [4] Work over the next few years split between client work and developing their own apps, splitting off the games development section into "Ustwo Games" while the client services remained at "Ustwo Studios". During this time, they developed Whale Trail in 2011, a children's game, which led to a deal with Penguin Group for an ebook and television series, [4] and Blip Blop in 2012. [3] [7] The company did not focus on producing volumes of game apps to generate revenue, but instead felt that what few games they put should reflect the high quality their studio had become known for. [8]

Ustwo's breakout title came in 2014 with Monument Valley . [4] [3] Monument Valley was developed as an artistic game, inspired by M. C. Escher works, and meant to have simple controls. [8] Monument Valley was critically praised, being named the Apple Store's Editors Choice [9] and later winning the Apple Design Award in 2014. [10] The game has since sold more than US$14 million in revenue from over 26 million copies sold. [11] Ustwo had developed a relation with Apple, such that the surprise release of Monument Valley 2 was a headline presentation at the 2017 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, [12] [13] and had their next major title Assemble with Care as one of the premiere titles available on launch of Apple Arcade in September 2019. [14] Assemble with Care was later ported to Microsoft Windows and released on March 26, 2020. [15]

The success of Monument Valley not only helped to put more money into the company, but helped them to gain more client-side work, was estimated to have brought in £15 million in 2013. [3] With this, Ustwo began expanding its business by forming joint ventures with other startup firms, as well as establishing an investment arm proving both financial and service-related support for new firms. [3]

In 2014, Ustwo co-founded DICE, a ticketing platform, with Phil Hutcheon, founder of music managing company Deadly Management. [16]

Ustwo renamed themselves as "Ustwo Fampany Ltd." in 2015, [1] with "fampany" representing their desire to have their studio to be a combination of "family" and "company". [4]

In 2019, Ustwo fired an employee for labour organizing at the company. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, which represents him through Game Workers Unite UK, filed suit on the worker's behalf. [17] Lana Polansky of Waypoint criticized Ustwo for adopting progressive language and values to camouflage workplace issues and union busting activities. [18]

Structure

Ustwo Fampany has four primary divisions: [2]

As of 2022, Ustwo had studios in Malmö, Lisbon, Tokyo, and New York in addition to the London headquarters, employing about 260 employees worldwide. [2]

Games developed

YearTitlePlatform(s)
2011 Whale Trail Android, iOS
2013Blip BlupAndroid, iOS [19]
2014 Monument Valley Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone
2015 Land's End Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR [20]
2017 Monument Valley 2 Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
2019 Assemble with Care iOS, Microsoft Windows
2019Headed SouthAndroid [21]
2020Go Go Bots Browser [22]
2020 Alba: A Wildlife Adventure iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, tvOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S
2022 Desta: The Memories Between Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch [23]
2024 Monument Valley 3 Netflix [24]

Related Research Articles

A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer.

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

Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, Maryland. Following its first commercial video game release, ZZT (1991), the company became Epic MegaGames, Inc. in early 1992 and brought on Mark Rein, who has been its vice president since. After moving the headquarters to Cary in 1999, the studio changed its name to Epic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panic Inc.</span> American software company and video game publisher

Panic Inc. is an American software and video game company based in Portland, Oregon. The company specializes in macOS and iOS applications and began publishing video games in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unity (game engine)</span> Cross-platform video game and simulation engine

Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a Mac OS X game engine. The engine has since been gradually extended to support a variety of desktop, mobile, console, augmented reality, and virtual reality platforms. It is particularly popular for iOS and Android mobile game development, is considered easy to use for beginner developers, and is popular for indie game development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitcents</span>

Hitcents is a video game publisher and mobile app and games studio, headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They are the creators of the cross-platform gaming series Draw A Stickman. In 2014, Hitcents partnered with actor Tom Hanks to develop the Hanx Writer. Founded in 1999 as a software company by twin brothers Chris and Clinton Mills, the company has offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher. Its website features over 124,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available to the public. The company also publishes games for PC, mobile, and home consoles. It was purchased by GameStop Corporation in 2010 before being acquired by Modern Times Group MT AB in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AKQA</span> Digital agency

AKQA is a digital design and communications agency owned by WPP. It was founded in London in 1994 and expanded internationally in 2001 through a merger with agencies based in the United States and Singapore. It operated as an independent agency until 2012, when it was acquired by WPP. Initially the firm focused on technology and digital projects, later broadening its focus on design and innovation to services including product and spatial design. In 2020, WPP announced it was merging Grey Group with AKQA to create the AKQA Group. The resulting agency has around 6,000 employees in 50 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">App Store (Apple)</span> Mobile app distribution platform by Apple

The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and some can be transferred to the Apple Watch smartwatch or 4th-generation or newer Apple TVs as extensions of iPhone apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unity Technologies</span> American software developer

Unity Software Inc. is an American video game software development company based in San Francisco. It was founded in Denmark in 2004 as Over the Edge Entertainment and changed its name in 2007. Unity Technologies is best known for the development of Unity, a licensed game engine used to create video games and other applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supercell (video game company)</span> Finnish video game developer

Supercell Ltd is a Finnish mobile game development company based in Helsinki. Founded on 14 May 2010, the company's debut game was the browser game Gunshine.net, and after its release in 2011, Supercell started developing games for mobile devices. Since then, the company has fully released six mobile games: Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars and Squad Busters, which are freemium fast-paced games and have been very successful for the company, the first two generating revenue of €2 million per day in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scopely</span> American entertainment company

Scopely, Inc. is an American interactive entertainment company and mobile-first video game developer and publisher. The company is headquartered in Culver City, California, with offices across the US, EMEA and Asia.

<i>Monument Valley</i> (video game) Puzzle video game

Monument Valley is a puzzle and indie game by Ustwo Games. The player leads the princess Ida through mazes of optical illusions and impossible objects while manipulating the world around her to reach various platforms. Monument Valley was developed over ten months beginning in early 2013 based on concept drawings by company artist Ken Wong. Its visual style was inspired by Japanese prints, minimalist sculpture, and indie games Windosill, Fez, and Sword & Sworcery, and was compared by critics to M. C. Escher drawings and Echochrome. The art was designed such that each frame would be worthy of public display.

<i>Whale Trail</i> 2011 video game

Whale Trail is a mobile game developed by British software company Ustwo and released in October 2011. The game follows Willow the Whale as he flies through the sky, trying to get away from Baron von Barry, the squid-like antagonist. Whale Trail is an endless runner game, where the player tries to collect bubbles to allow them to keep flying, while avoiding clouds. The game cost over £150,000 to develop and went through months of design work and beta-testing.

<i>Crossy Road</i> 2014 video game

Crossy Road is an action game released on 20 November 2014. It was developed and published by Australian video game developer Hipster Whale. The name and concept of the game play on the riddle joke "Why did the chicken cross the road?" It has been described as endless runner version of the 1981 video game Frogger. After June 2017, the publisher for the Android version of Crossy Road was changed from yodo1 back to Hipster Whale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AppLovin</span> U.S. information technology company

AppLovin Corporation is an American mobile technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Founded in 2012, it operated in stealth mode until 2014. AppLovin enables developers of all sizes to market, monetize, analyze and publish their apps through its mobile advertising, marketing, and analytics platforms MAX, AppDiscovery, and SparkLabs. AppLovin operates Lion Studios, which works with game developers to promote and publish their mobile games. AppLovin also has large investments in various mobile game publishers. In 2020, 49% of AppLovin's revenue came from businesses using its software and 51% from consumers making in-app purchases.

<i>Monument Valley 2</i> 2017 video game sequel to Monument Valley

Monument Valley 2 is an indie puzzle game developed and published by Ustwo Games. It is the sequel to the 2014 game Monument Valley. It was released for iOS in June 2017, and released for Android in November 2017. A new chapter called The Lost Forest was freely added in October 2021. Monument Valley 2+, an Apple Arcade exclusive, was released on March 11, 2022. The PC version of the game, Monument Valley 2: Panoramic Edition, released on Steam in July 2022. A sequel, Monument Valley III, is set to be released in December 2024.

Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, VisionOS, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19, 2019.

Krafton Inc. is a South Korean video game publisher and holding company based in Bundang-gu, Seongnam. It was created in November 2018 to serve as the parent company for Bluehole, founded by Chang Byung-gyu in Seoul in March 2007, and its subsidiaries. The company has published several notable video game titles including TERA, PUBG: Battlegrounds, New State Mobile,The Callisto Protocol and Moonbreaker. According to Forbes, Chang has a net worth of $2.9 billion and is one of the seven gaming billionaires in South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of mobile games</span>

The popularisation of mobile games began as early as 1997 with the introduction of Snake preloaded on Nokia feature phones, demonstrating the practicality of games on these devices. Several mobile device manufacturers included preloaded games in the wake of Snake's success. In 1999, the introduction of the i-mode service in Japan allowed a wide variety of more advanced mobile games to be downloaded onto smartphones, though the service was largely limited to Japan. By the early 2000s, the technical specifications of Western handsets had also matured to the point where downloadable applications could be supported, but mainstream adoption continued to be hampered by market fragmentation between different devices, operating environments, and distributors.

Tilting Point is a free-to-play (F2P) games publisher founded in 2012. In the years since, Tilting Point has grown to include over 200 staff members and office locations in New York, Boston, Barcelona, Kyiv, Seoul, and San Diego. Further partnerships with development studios and publishers exist in over a dozen countries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ustwo Fampany Ltd". Companies House . Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "ustwo's Global Digital Product and Service Studio Expands to Lisbon" (Press release). Ustwo. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dredge, Stewart (29 May 2015). "From MouthOff to Monument Valley: ustwo's path to apps fame". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Spainer, Gideon (12 May 2014). "Growth Capital: Firm friendship and a passion for design is all ustwo needs". The Evening Standard . Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. ↑ Lucas, Gavin (5 July 2010). "The chaps for apps" . Creative Review . Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  6. ↑ Miller, Matt (11 January 2010). "ustwo on how PR drove sales of its MouthOff app". Pocket Gamer.biz . Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Long, Neil (29 July 2013). "Meet Ustwo, the digital design agency turned game developer". Edge . Archived from the original on 10 August 2013.
  8. 1 2 Sheffield, Brandon (19 October 2014). "When quality comes before making money: Developing Monument Valley". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  9. ↑ Diver, Mike (13 May 2014). "Monument Valley creator Ustwo on App Store success and what comes next". Edge . Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  10. ↑ Tach, Dave (3 June 2014). "Threes!, Monument Valley and more games win Apple Design Awards". Polygon . Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  11. ↑ Kerr, Chris (20 May 2016). "Monument Valley revenues top $14 million two years after launch". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  12. ↑ Sulleyman, Aatif (5 June 2017). "Monument Valley 2 has just been revealed". The Independent. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Kim, Matt (5 June 2017). "Surprise! Monument Valley 2 is Available on iOS Devices Right Now". USGamer . Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  14. ↑ Wilson, Mark (23 September 2019). "The creators of 'Monument Valley' are back with a game no one expected". Fast Company . Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  15. ↑ Wales, Matt (11 March 2020). "Monument Valley dev's restoration game Assemble With Care coming to PC". Eurogamer . Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  16. ↑ "A Joint Adventure – DICE". www.ustwo.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Ivy (10 October 2019). "Ustwo Games accused of union busting". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  18. ↑ Polansky, Lana (4 September 2020). "How Games, Tech, and the Army Use Progressive Language as a Smoke Screen". Waypoint. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  19. ↑ Lomas, Natasha (23 May 2013). "Blip Blup Is A Minimalist Mobile Puzzle Game That Lets You Play With Pulses Of Light". TechCrunch . Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  20. ↑ Souppouris, Aaron (21 September 2015). "The 'Monument Valley' team has created a dream of a VR game". Engadget . Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  21. ↑ Bradshaw, Kyle (19 October 2019). "Monument Valley's ustwo creates 'Headed South' for Pixel 4". 9to5Google . Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  22. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (28 May 2020). "Monument Valley maker Ustwo launches Go Go Bots instant game on Facebook". VentureBeat . Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  23. ↑ Tomas, Franzese (30 September 2022). "The best games of September 2022: The Last of Us, Splatoon 3, and more". Digital Trends . Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  24. ↑ Morris, Iwan (21 August 2024). "Monument Valley 3 announced and now open for pre-registration". Pocket Gamer . Retrieved 21 August 2024.
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.