Kalypso Media

Last updated

Kalypso Media Group GmbH
FormerlyKalypso Media GmbH (2006–2014)
Company type Private
Industry Video games
FoundedAugust 16, 2006;17 years ago (2006-08-16)
Founders
  • Simon Hellwig
  • Stefan Marcinek
Headquarters
Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate
,
Germany
Number of employees
200 [1]  (2023)
Website kalypsomedia.com

Kalypso Media Group is a German video game developer and publisher. Founded in 2006 in Worms, the group includes four companies, in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States and has studios, Realmforge Studios, Gaming Minds Studios, Claymore Game Studios, and Nine Worlds Studios. Kalypso is best known for publishing Tropico , Sudden Strike , Dungeons and Railway Empire series.

Contents

History

Kalypso Media was founded on 16 August 2006 by Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek. [2] One year later, a branch was opened in Bracknell, UK, and in June 2009, another in Ridgewood, USA. In 2009, the group opened its second UK outlet in the form of Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. in Leicester. Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. is responsible for the online marketing of its own games and the products of other providers.

In November 2008, it founded the subsidiary Realmforge Studios GmbH, based in Munich, and integrated Boxed Dreams, developer of Ceville . [3] At the same time, it acquired the rights to the Tropico series from Take Two Interactive, with the first Kalypso-published game in the series being Tropico 3 . [3]

UK-based Ascaron filed for bankruptcy in April 2009. [4] Kalypso was able to acquire rights to its series DarkStar One, Patrician and Port Royale in June 2009, though left other assets like the Sacred series with Ascaron. [5] Kalypso also acquired fifteen former Ascaron employees to establish its second internal studio, Gaming Minds Studio, in Gütersloh, of which they held 60% ownership, the other 40% owned by Daniel Dumont and Kay Struve, former Ascaron employees that were named to run Gaming Minds. [6] [7]

In July 2010, Berlin manufacturer The Games Company (TGC) filed for bankruptcy and in September, Kalypso took over, acquiring several brands owned by the insolvent company. Kalypso also brought in TGC's internal studio Silver Style Entertainment and created a third internal studio, Noumena Studios in Berlin. [8] The studio was rebranded as Skilltree Studios in 2014, but in March 2016, Kalypso opted to close the studio. [9]

Kalypso founded a sister company for mobile gaming development, Kalypso Media Mobile, in April 2014 in Berlin. [10] The studio’s first mobile and tablet games were released a year later in May 2015.

In January 2016, Stefan Marcinek sold his shares in the Kalypso and left the company, leaving Simon Hellwig as sole shareholder. [11]

Kalypso acquired the Commandos, Imperial Glory , and Praetorians series from Pyro Studios in July 2018. Pyro, whose work has been more focused on supporting Ilion Animation Studios, welcomed Kalypso's opportunity to bring their titles back to the market. [12] Kalypso later announced high-definition remasters of Commandos 2 and Praetorians for early 2020, [13] and the formation of its third internal studio, Claymore Game Studios, to develop new games in the Commandos series. [14] The company fully acquired the remaining ownership of Gaming Minds from Dumont and Struve in June 2020, with Dumont and Struve still remaining as the studio leads. [7]

In October 2021, it announced a new studio in Munich called Nine Worlds Studios, which is named after the nine worlds of Norse mythology. They will be responsible for creating a new Tropico entry. Project Manager Thomas Schneider, formerly of Aesir Interactive, was hired to lead in setting up the studio. [15] [16]

On October 18, 2022, Kalypso announced that co-founder Simon Hellwig had died. [17]

Subsidiaries

Kalypso has several development studios:

Closed

Games published

Release dateTitleDeveloper(s)
2024Commandos: OriginsClaymore Game Studios
The Inquisitor [19] The Dust
2023 Dungeons 4 Realmforge
Railway Empire 2 Gaming Minds
Tortuga: A Pirate's TaleGaming Minds
2022
Commandos 3 - HD Remaster Raylight Games
2021Disciples: Liberation Frima Studio
Spacebase Startopia Realmforge Studios
2020 Port Royale 4 Gaming Minds
Immortal Realms: Vampire WarsPalindrome Interactive
Commandos 2 - HD Remaster Yippee! Entertainment
Praetorians - HD Remaster Torus Games
2019 Tropico 6 Limbic Entertainment
2018 Shadows: Awakening Games Farm
Railway Empire Gaming Minds
2017 Dungeons 3 Realmforge Studios
Vikings: Wolves of Midgard Games Farm
Sudden Strike 4 Kite Games
Urban EmpireReborn Games
2015Crookz: The Big HeistSkilltree Studios
Grand Ages: MedievalGaming Minds
Dungeons 2 Realmforge Studios
2014 Tropico 5 Haemimont Games
2013 Dark Realmforge Studios
Rise of VeniceGaming Minds
Alien SpideyEnigma Software
Dollar Dash Candygun Games
Omerta - City of Gangsters Haemimont Games
2012 Anna Dreampainters Software
Sine Mora Digital Reality
Legends of Pegasus NovaCore Studios
Hard Reset: Extended Edition Flying Wild Hog
Port Royale 3 Gaming Minds
Jurassic Park: The Game Telltale Games
Jagged Alliance: Back in Action Coreplay
2011Global Ops: Commando LibyaSpectral Games
Airline Tycoon II B-Alive
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars Games Farm
Tropico 4 Haemimont Games
Boulder Dash-XL Catnip Games
Revolution Under SiegeSEP Reds
Patrician IV: Rise of a Dynasty Gaming Minds
The First Templar Haemimont Games
Elements of WarLesta Studio
Dungeons Realmforge Studios
Who's That Flying?! Mediatonic
2010 Disciples III .dat media
Pole Position 2010destraX Entertainment
DarkStar One: Broken Alliance (Xbox 360) Ascaron
Patrician IV: Conquest by Trade Gaming Minds
Darkfall Aventurine SA
M.U.D. TV Realmforge Studios
2009 Tropico 3 Haemimont Games
Time of Shadows SkyFallen Entertainment
Dawn of Magic 2 SkyFallen Entertainment
Ceville Realmforge Studios
Grand Ages: Rome Haemimont Games
2008Winter Challenge 2008
AGON - The Lost Sword of Toledo Private Moon Studios
Imperium Romanum Haemimont Games
Political Machine 2008 Stardock
Racing Team ManagerdestraX Entertainment
2007 Jack Keane Deck13 Interactive
Hollywood Pictures 2Sayonara Software
Campus
Star AssaultGamesArk
Theatre of War 1C Company

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References

  1. ↑ "Kalypso Media. About Us". 3 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Fröhlich, Petra (16 August 2021). "Kalypso Media feiert heute 15. Geburtstag" [Today, Kalypso Media celebrates its 15th birthday]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Jenkins, David (8 November 2008). "Kalypso Forms Realmforge Studios, Acquires Tropico 3". Gamasutra . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "Ascaron Entertainment GmbH acquisition. German publisher's brands and assorted other bric-a-brac bought by Kalypso Media". 3 June 2009.
  5. ↑ Jenkins, David (4 July 2009). "Kalypso grabs Ascaron assets, founds new studio". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  6. 1 2 Cifaldi, Frank (19 June 2009). "Ascaron vets form new Gaming Minds studio". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  7. 1 2 Kerr, Chris (9 June 2020). "Kalypso Media has acquired Port Royale developer Gaming Mind Studios". Gamasutra . Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  8. 1 2 Graff, Kris (22 September 2010). "Kalypso Acquires Action RPG Demonicon, Other IP From The Games Company". Gamasutra . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  9. 1 2 Günther, Von Yves (30 March 2016). "Skilltree Studios - Kalypso schließt Berliner Studio". Gameswelt.de (in German). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (3 April 2014). "Kalypso Media launches mobile arm". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Hellwig buys out Marcinek in Kalypso MBO". MCV/Develop . 5 January 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Donnelly, Joe (12 July 2018). "Commandos acquired by Kalypso Media, plans 'completely new games'". PC Gamer . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Wales, Matt (13 November 2019). "Commandos 2, Praetorians HD remasters get January release date on PC". Eurogamer . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  14. 1 2 Handrahan, Matthew (2 April 2020). "Third internal Kalypso studio revealed as Claymore Game Studios". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  15. 1 2 Jeffrey Rousseau (1 October 2021). "Kalypso announces new studio in Munich". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  16. 1 2 Chris Kerr (4 October 2021). "Kalypso Media forms Nine Worlds Studios to work on Tropico 7". Game Developer . Informa. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "We are still lacking words – and those we had to find will never be enough". Twitter. Kalypso Media. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  18. ↑ Blake, Vikki (11 December 2019). "Kalypso Media opens new studio in Frankfurt". MCV/Develop . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "The Inquisitor". Gamepressure . Retrieved 11 February 2024.
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