22cans
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 20 February 2012 in Farnborough |
| Founder | Peter Molyneux |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people |
|
| Products | Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?, Godus |
| Website | 22cans |
22cans Ltd is a British video game developer based in Guildford. It was founded in February 2012 by Peter Molyneux, previously of Bullfrog Productions and Lionhead Studios.
History
Peter Molyneux, who had previously founded Bullfrog Productions and Lionhead Studios, established 22cans on 20 February 2012 in Farnborough. To do so, he left Lionhead and partnered with Tim Rance and Peter Murphy, Lionhead's former chief technology officer and company director, respectively. Molyneux first announced the establishment on 7 March.[1] By April that year, he had received more than 1,000 applications.[2] Significant hires were Jack Attridge in July 2012 and Jamie Stowe in April 2013.[3][4]
22cans' first game was Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?, which was released for Android and iOS on 6 November 2012.[5] In 2015, following the troubled launch of Godus, Simon Phillips was hired as the company's chief executive officer, replacing Molyneux, who would henceforth focus on game design.[6] Attridge had left the studio by April 2015, while Godus' designer, Konrad Naszynski, left in June 2016.[3][7]
In February 2019, 22cans announced Legacy, a game inspired by Molyneux's first released game, The Entrepreneur (1984).[8] The studio underwent an undisclosed number of layoffs in February 2021, though confirming that development would continue.[9] Molyneux announced in December 2021 that Legacy will incorporate blockchain-based elements including non-fungible tokens, which will allow players to sell and purchase virtual goods as part of the business simulation gameplay.[10]
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube? | Android, iOS | 22cans |
| 2014 | Godus | Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows | DeNA, 22cans |
| 2016 | Godus Wars | macOS, Microsoft Windows | 22cans |
| The Trail: Frontier Challenge | Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch | Kongregate | |
| TBA | Legacy | macOS, Microsoft Windows | Gala Games |
References
- ^ Cooper, Daniel (7 March 2012). "Peter Molyneux leaves Lionhead and Microsoft to found 22 Cans". Engadget. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Mallory, Jordan (21 April 2012). "Molyneux: Over 1,000 applicants for work at 22 Cans". Engadget. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ a b Sinclair, Brendan (20 April 2015). "Jack Attridge departs 22 Cans". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Hilliard, Kyle (27 April 2013). "Former Ubisoft Design Director Joins Molyneux's 22 Cans". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Shankland, Stephen (29 November 2012). "Curiosity's difficult debut, moment by moment". CNET. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (19 July 2015). "Meet the man cleaning up after the Godus disaster". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (28 June 2016). "Godus designer is no longer with 22 Cans". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Wales, Matt (12 February 2019). "Peter Molyneux shares first details on workshop-tinkering industrialist sim Legacy". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Batchelor, James (16 February 2021). "Peter Molyneux's studio 22cans suffers layoffs". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Signor, Jeremy (12 December 2021). "Peter Molyneux is making a blockchain-based business sim with NFTs". VG247. Retrieved 12 December 2021.