Daedalic Entertainment GmbH is a German video game publisher and former developer based in Hamburg. They developed various point-and-click adventure games.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1 March 2007 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Germany |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | ~70[1] (2023) |
| Parent |
|
| Website | daedalic.com |
History
editDaedalic Entertainment was founded on 1 March 2007 in a small Hamburg office by chief executive officer (CEO) Carsten Fichtelmann and creative director Jan Müller-Michaelis. Prior to founding Daedalic, Fichtelmann was marketing director for German publisher DTP Entertainment.[3]
Shortly afterwards, the adventure game 1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde was developed, named after the same film. On 28 August 2009, the adventure game The Whispered World followed and the adventure title A New Beginning, which focuses on climate change, was published on 8 October 2010. In 2011, the sequel to Edna & Harvey: The Breakout was released with the title Harvey’s New Eyes. A year later, a new adventure named Deponia was released to the market, which received several awards as well.[citation needed]
In May 2014, German publisher Bastei Lübbe acquired a majority share of 51% in Daedalic Entertainment.[4][5][6] The following July, Daedalic opened a subsidiary studio, Daedalic Entertainment Studio West, in Düsseldorf.[7][8][9]
In November 2016, Daedalic laid off twelve of its roughly 150 employees, primarily from the production and marketing departments, and opted not to renew several temporary contracts.[10][11][12] In February 2018, Daedalic opened a third studio, this time in Munich under the name Daedalic Entertainment Bavaria.[13] The new studio would consist of eight people, led by Oliver Machek, formerly of Klonk Games, as studio director and creative director, and by Stephan Harms, chief operating officer of Daedalic, as CEO.[14] In August 2018, as Bastei Lübbe faced severe financial issues, the company started considering to sell their 51% stake in Daedalic.[15] In early 2021, the Düsseldorf and Munich studios entered liquidation; the former had been inactive since after creative director Andreas Suika left in August 2019 for Epic Games, while the latter was emptied in late 2020 with all employees rehired by other Munich-based developers.[16]
Nacon announced its intent to acquire Daedalic in February 2022 through purchase of all controlling shares of the company for an estimated $60 million.[17] The acquisition was confirmed in April 2022.[18]
In June 2023, Daedalic shuttered its development division, affecting 25 of its more than 90 employees. The closure came as a result of poor reception and performance of the studio's final internally developed game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.[19][20][21][22]
Games developed
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Edna & Harvey: The Breakout (Edna bricht aus)[23][24] | Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One,Amazon Luna | Lace Mamba Global, Application Systems Heidelberg, Daedalic Entertainment | An improved anniversary edition was released in 2019[24] | |
| 1½ Knights: In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde | Windows | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | |||
| 2009 | The Whispered World | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS | Deep Silver, Viva Media, Lace Mamba Global, Daedalic Entertainment | A special edition was released in 2014 | |
| The Tudors | macOS, Windows | Merscom | |||
| 2010 | Wolfgang Hohlbein's The Inquisitor | Windows | Prime Games | ||
| Immortal Lovers | Windows | ||||
| The Chronicles of Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet | macOS, Windows | Daedalic Entertainment | |||
| A New Beginning | Windows | Daedalic Entertainment, Lace Mamba Global | |||
| 2011 | Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes | iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Daedalic Entertainment | ||
| The Chronicles of Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream | macOS, Windows | ||||
| Borgia | macOS, Windows | ||||
| 2012 | Deponia | iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Daedalic Entertainment, Lace Mamba Global | ||
| The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav | macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Daedalic Entertainment, Deep Silver | |||
| Chaos on Deponia | Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Daedalic Entertainment | |||
| A New Beginning: Final Cut | iOS, macOS, Windows | ||||
| 2013 | The Night of the Rabbit | macOS, Windows | |||
| The Dark Eye: Memoria | macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | ||||
| Goodbye Deponia | Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | ||||
| 2014 | Blackguards | macOS, Windows | Daedalic Entertainment, Kalypso Media | ||
| 1954 Alcatraz | Windows | Daedalic Entertainment | |||
| Deponia: The Puzzle | Android, iOS, Windows | ||||
| Edna & Harvey: The Puzzle | Android, iOS, Windows | ||||
| Deponia: The Complete Journey | Linux, macOS, Windows | ||||
| 2015 | Blackguards 2 | macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |||
| Fire: Ungh’s Quest | Windows, macOS, Linux, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, iOS | [25] | |||
| Anna's Quest | Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | ||||
| 2016 | Deponia Doomsday | ||||
| Silence | |||||
| 2017 | The Long Journey Home | macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Daedalic Entertainment Studio West | ||
| Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth | iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Episodic game. Episode 3 released in 2018. | |||
| 2018 | State of Mind | Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |||
| 2020 | A Year of Rain | Windows | |||
| 2023 | The Lord of the Rings: Gollum | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Daedalic Entertainment, Nacon | Final internally developed game | [26][27] |
Cancelled
edit- The Devil's Men
- Untitled The Lord of the Rings game
Games published
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Journey of a Roach | Windows, macOS, Linux | Koboldgames | ||
| Gomo | Windows, macOS | Fishcow Studio | |||
| 2014 | Munin | Windows, macOS, Linux | Gojira | ||
| Randal's Monday | Windows, macOS | Nexus Game Studios | |||
| 2015 | Decay: The Mare | Windows, macOS, Linux | Shining Gate Software | ||
| Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux | Fictiorama Studios | |||
| Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! | Windows, macOS, Linux | Daylight Studios | |||
| Skyhill | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Mandragora | |||
| Valhalla Hills | iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux | Funatics Software | |||
| ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal | Windows | Funatics Development (Funatics Software) | Re-release | ||
| 2016 | Shooting Stars! | Windows, macOS, Linux | Bloodirony | ||
| The Virus: Cry for Help | Android, iOS, watchOS | Popclaire | |||
| Caravan | Windows, macOS, Linux | It Matters Games | |||
| Crazy Machines 3 | Windows | Fakt Software | |||
| Oh My Gore! | bumblebee. | ||||
| Candle | Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Teku Studios | |||
| Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun | Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Mimimi Productions | |||
| 2017 | Holy Potatoes! We're in Space?! | Windows, macOS, Linux | Daylight Studios | ||
| Shift Happens' | Windows, Nintendo Switch | Klonk Games | |||
| Relaxing VR Games: Mahjong | Windows | CrazyBunch | |||
| Leaves: The Journey | Windows, macOS | ZAR 21 | |||
| Leaves: The Return | |||||
| The Franz Kafka Videogame | Windows, iOS, Android | Denis Galanin (mif2000) | |||
| Bounty Train | Windows, macOS | Corbie Games | |||
| Holy Potatoes! What the Hell?! | macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | Daylight Studios | |||
| AER Memories of Old | macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | Forgotten Key | |||
| 2018 | Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?! | Windows, macOS, Linux | Daylight Studios | ||
| 2019 | The Great Perhaps | macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,Windows, Xbox One | Caligari Games | ||
| Intruders: Hide and Seek | Windows, PlayStation 4 | Tessera Studios | |||
| Felix the Reaper | macOS, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | Kong Orange | |||
| 2020 | The Suicide of Rachel Foster | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | One-O-One Games | ||
| Iron Danger | Windows | Action Squad Studios | |||
| Iratus: Lord of the Dead | Windows, macOS, Linux | Unfrozen | |||
| Unrailed! | Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Indoor Astronaut | Together with bilibili | ||
| Partisans 1941 | Windows | Alter Games | |||
| Witch It | Barrel Roll Games | ||||
| 2021 | Insurmountable | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | ByteRockers' Games | ||
| CryoFall | Windows | AtomicTorch Studio | |||
| Glitchpunk | Dark Lord | ||||
| Fling to the Finish | Windows, macOS | SplitSide Games | |||
| Jars | Windows, macOS, Linux | Mousetrap Games | |||
| Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice | Windows, Linux | Mimimi Games | |||
| 2022 | Hidden Deep | Windows | Cogwheel Software | ||
| Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes | Zing Games Inc. | ||||
| VELONE | Windows, macOS | ZAR 21 | |||
| Godlike Burger | Windows, macOS, Linux | Liquid Pug | |||
| Warpips | Windows | Skirmish Mode Games | |||
| Wildcat Gun Machine | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Chunkybox Games | |||
| Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter | Windows | Iron Wolf Studio S.A. | |||
| The Heart of the Teddy Bear | Abenteuerpakete | ||||
| 2023 | Children of Silentown | Elf Games, Luna2 Studio | |||
| Inkulinati | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Yaza Games | |||
| Potion Tycoon | Windows | Snowhound Games | |||
| Life of Delta | Windows, macOS | Airo Games | |||
| Barotrauma | Windows, macOS, Linux | FakeFish, Undertow Games | |||
| Rough Justice: '84 | Windows | Gamma Minus UG | |||
| Wanderful | Tiny Roar | ||||
| Wild Woods | Octofox Games | ||||
| REVEIL | Pixelsplit | ||||
| Magin: The Rat Project Stories | The Rat Project | ||||
| Capes | Spitfire Interactive |
References
edit- ^ Fröhlich, Petra (16 January 2023). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2023". GamesWirtschaft. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ^ "Nach Daedalic-Verkauf: Bastei Lübbe AG gibt Games-Geschäft auf". 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ "Daedalic – Neuer deutscher Spiele-Publisher – Golem.de". www.golem.de. Archived from the original on 26 March 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Spielebranche: Bastei Lübbe kauft Mehrheit an Daedalic Entertainment – Golem.de". www.golem.de. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Daedalic Entertainment : Bastei Lübbe erwirbt Mehrheitsanteil – 4Players.de". 4Players. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Daedalic – Verlagsgruppe Bastei Lübbe übernimmt mehrheitlich Deponia-Entwickler – GameStar". www.gamestar.de. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Daedalic Entertainment : Studio in Düsseldorf gegründet – 4Players.de". 4Players. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Spielentwickler: Daedalic gründet neues Studio – Golem.de". www.golem.de. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Daedalic Entertainment – Deponia-Entwickler eröffnet Studio in Düsseldorf – GameStar". www.gamestar.de. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Spielebranche: Daedalic entlässt Mitarbeiter – Golem.de". www.golem.de. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ GamesWirtschaft (22 November 2016). "Enttäuschende Verkaufszahlen: Daedalic baut Stellen ab". GamesWirtschaft. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Schwierigkeiten bei Daedalic – Hamburger Publisher baut Stellen ab – GameStar". www.gamestar.de. 22 November 2016. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ GamesWirtschaft (14 February 2018). "Daedalic Entertainment Bavaria: München wird dritter Daedalic-Standort". GamesWirtschaft. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Daedalic – Neues Studio in München eröffnet – GameStar". www.gamestar.de. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ GamesWirtschaft (14 August 2018). "Bastei Lübbe AG: Daedalic Entertainment auf dem Prüfstand (Update)". GamesWirtschaft. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ Fröhlich, Petra (3 February 2021). "Daedalic Entertainment Bavaria aufgelöst". GamesWirtschaft. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ Prescott, Shaun (16 February 2022). "Nacon acquires Daedalic Entertainment for $60 million". PC Gamer. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ "Definitive acquisition of Daedalic Entertainment". Nacon Corporate. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Daedalic Entertainment schließt Entwicklungs-Abteilung (Update)". 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Daedalic Entertainment shuts down internal game development to focus on publishing". 30 June 2023.
- ^ "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum developer to close after disastrous launch". Polygon. 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Lord of the Rings: Gollum developer closing down after nightmare launch". Digital Spy. July 2023.
- ^ "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout - Anniversary Edition on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Análisis de FIRE (PC, Switch, Wii U)". Vandal (in Spanish). 6 April 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ Oloman, Jordan; Mercante, Alyssa; Wald, Heather (6 August 2021). "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum game - Everything we know so far". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launches May 25 for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, later for Switch". Gematsu. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.