Elephant games
| Industry | Video game Computer software |
|---|---|
| Founded | Russia (2003) |
| Headquarters | Yoshkar-Ola, Cheboksary, Penza, Samara, Kazan, Russian Federation |
| Products | Video games (Casual games) |
| Website | elephant-games.com |
Elephant Games is a casual game developing company founded in 2003 in Yoshkar-Ola, Russia[1]. There are also divisions in Cheboksary, Penza, Samara, Kazan[2]. Elephant Games currently produces games for PC, MAC, iPad and iPhone. Most of company's projects are exclusively published on Big Fish Games[3]. The biggest game series are Mystery Trackers, Grim Tales, Surface, Christmas Stories.
History
The company started as an indie developer White Elephant[4] in 2003. Later the name was changed into Elephant Games. The first released projects were for PC. Through year 2006 the company produced three parts of the arcade top-down shooter RIP the third part of which is considered the most successful[5]. The game was first published by Meridian4 [6] and then distributed as a trilogy bundle on Steam[7].
In 2007 Elephant Games went on the European market with their fashion simulation game Real Stories Fashionshop for Nintendo DS[8].
Expanding its DS and Wii portfolio the company developed an action mini-game Love Is... In Bloom based off of a comic strip by New Zealand born artist Kim Grove which was released in 2009[9].
Parallel to exploring handheld game consoles. Elephant Games was working on its first hidden-object games. The first one that brought the company success was Lost in the City that became the 1st Runner for the Best Story in Big Fish Games' annual Customer Favorites Awards of 2009[10]. After that pioneer came other games which never failed to earn a reward or two at Big Fish Awards including the Best Story with Mystery Trackers: The Void in 2010[11], the Most Exciting game with Mystery Trackers: Raincliff and 2nd place for the Best Sequel with Hallowed Legends: Templar in 2011[12], and finally the Best Hidden Object Game (Mystery Trackers: Four Aces), the Best Sequel: 1st and 2nd places (Mystery Trackers: Black Isle and Grim Tales: The Wishes), the Best Holiday-Themed Game (Christmas Stories: Nutcracker), 3rd place for the Best Adventure Game (Royal Detective: Lord of Statues), 3rd place for the Best Story (Surface: The Noise She Couldn't Make)[13].
In 2013 Elephant Games took over two major series previously developed by Big Fish Studios: Mystery Case Files[14] and Haunted Hotel[15]. Both the games, Mystery Case Files: Fate's Carnival and Haunted Hotel: Eclipse performed well and got Big Fish Games 2013 Customer Favorites Awards the first of them taking the title of the Game of the Year 2013. Nine other games took 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in such categories as Game Of The Year, Best Hidden Object Game, Best Adventure Game, Best Sequel, Creepiest Game, Sleeper Hit Game, Most Exciting Game, Most Anticipated Game[16].
In October 2011 the company released its first free-to-play game - Found: A Hidden Object Adventure[17] which is now available on both PC and iPad. The second free-to-play project by Elephant Games was released in December 2013 and is called Midnight Castle. The game is a combination of premium hidden-object games quality and free-to-play business model[18].
Games developed by Elephant Games include
F2P Games
- - Found: A Hidden Object Adventure
- - Midnight Castle
HOPA Series (in order of series appearance)[19][20]
- - Lost in the City; Lost in the City: Post Scriptum
- - Mystery Trackers: The Void; Raincliff; Black Isle; The Four Aces; Silent Hollow; Raincliff's Phantoms
- - Hallowed Legends: Samhain; The Templar; The Bone Queen
- - Grim Tales: The Bride; The Legacy; The Wishes; The Stone Queen; Bloody Mary
- - Urban Legends: The Maze
- - Surface: Mystery of Another World; The Noise She Couldn't Make; The Soaring City; The Pantheon
- - Royal Detective: The Lord Of Statues
- - Unfinished Tales: Illicit Love
- - Christmas Stories: Nutcracker
- - Detective Quest: The Crystal Slipper
- - Death Pages: Ghost Library
- - Chimeras: Tune of Revenge
- - Riddles of Fate: The Wild Hunt
Other games
- - Avalon
- - Jungle Heart
- - Road Rush
- - RIP Trilogy
- - Bloom
- - Real Stories: Fashionshop
- - Love is...In Bloom
- - Wisegal
- - Ball Craft
- - Masquerade Mysteries
References
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/elephantgames
- ^ http://elephant-games.com/company/
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/developers/195/index.html
- ^ http://www.uziana.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=239&Itemid=34
- ^ http://indiegamebundle.wikia.com/wiki/RIP_-_Trilogy
- ^ http://www.meridian4.com/games/riptrilogy
- ^ http://store.steampowered.com/app/2540/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1
- ^ http://www.gamekult.com/jeux/real-stories-fashionshop-J91723.html
- ^ http://www.gamespot.com/love-is-in-bloom-the-flower-shop-garden/
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2009-customer-favorites-awards/
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2010-customer-favorites-awards/
- ^ http://promotions.bigfishgames.com/games/best-of-2011-pc.php?afcode=afcd95e67a66
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/daily/best-of-2012-pc/
- ^ http://www.gamezebo.com/games/mystery-case-files-fates-carnival/review
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/developers/195/index.html
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/daily/best-of-2013-pc/
- ^ http://elephant-games.com/games/found-a-hidden-object-adventure/
- ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/behind-the-curtain-the-making-of-midnight-castle/
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/elephantgames/info
- ^ http://elephant-games.com/games/