Funtactix
 | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| URL | www.funtactix.com |
Funtactix is an award winning[1] online game development studio specializing in social games and mobile games based on major motion pictures.[2] Funtactix was acquired by Playtech in March 2016 and rebranded as FTX Games.[3]
History
Funtactix was founded in Israel in 2006 by Yaron Leifenberg and Ilan Graicer, backed by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) and Benchmark Capital.
- In 2008, the current CEO, Sam Glassenberg, ex-DirectX Lead Program Manager, joined the company. The company released Moondo, an online world of 3D, web-browser-based, multi-player action games.
- In 2009, the company was reset. Co-founder Ilan Graicer left the company and Funtactix completely rebuilt its technology as a Flash and HTML5 platform used to create IP-based online worlds and games.[4]
- In 2011 Paramount and Funtactix announced a multi-title deal to create social games for select Paramount brands.[5] The partnership resulted in the release of titles based on Rango (March 2011) and Mission: Impossible (November 2011).
- In 2012 Lions Gate Entertainment and Funtactix announced The Hunger Games Adventures,[6] which was released on Facebook (March 23, 2012), iPad (September 2012) and iPhone (February 7, 2013)[7]
- In 2015 Funtactix announced the creation of FTX Games, a new publishing division focused on pairing third party developers and film/television properties[8]
- In 2016 Funtactix was acquired by Playtech and officially rebranded as FTX Games[3]
Products and Timeline
Power Rangers: UNITE
On January 6, 2015, Funtactix announced a partnership with Saban Brands to create a new mobile card battle game based on the Power Rangers named Power Rangers: UNITE[9]
Hot Tub Time Machine: Tap That
The official mobile game of the Hot Tub Time Machine films, Hot Tub Time Machine: Tap That was announced on December 22, 2014[10] and then launched on Facebook, Google Play Store and App Store on January 15, 2015[11]
The League: Daily Fantasy Football
The official fantasy football game for The League, The League: Daily Fantasy Football was launched on September 18, 2014[12]
The Hunger Games Adventures
The official social network game for The Hunger Games film and novel was released in closed beta for fans concurrently with the theatrical release of the film on March 23, 2012[13] The game was then released to the public a week later on March 30, 2012.[14] The Hunger Games Adventures was then released on iPad on September 13, 2012[15] and iPhone/iPod Touch on February 7, 2013, with a release on the Kindle Fire following on October 18, 2013.[16]
Mission:Impossible - The Game
The official social network game for the Mission: Impossible film series was launched on November 21, 2011[17] shortly before the theatrical release of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.
New Boyz: The World
The official social network game for the hip hop duo The New Boyz was launched on May 2, 2011[18] shortly before the release of the group's second album Too Cool to Care.
Rango: The World
Launched day-and-date with, and based on the animated movie Rango, Rango: The WORLD is a flash based MMO / virtual world for kids. This online game is one of several planned games as part of a multi title deal with Paramount to produce virtual worlds and games for selected Paramount brands.[4][19][20]
Moondo
Moondo, a virtual world of online multi-player 3D games, was one of the first full 3D action games in the browser and the first to introduce the cross-gaming concept of a single avatar used in multiple games. Moondo was up for a year (2008–2009) and had over 150,000 active players over that period. As part of the company reset in 2009, Moondo was taken down.
Acrobatix
Acrobatix is a rendering and animation system that enables a high-fidelity representation of animated characters and items on low-end, non-hardware-accelerated user platforms like Flash, mobile devices and netbooks. The system is optimized for item-based economies and enables a swift pipeline with a lean distribution system that is highly cost efficient. One of the major benefits of Acrobatix is the use of motion capture data for ultra high-resolution characters.
Awards
- 2013 Webby – Best Social Game on Tablet and Other Devices[1]
- 2013 Webby – People’s Voice Award[1]
- 2013 Variety – Best Entertainment IP-based Mobile Game[21]
- 2012 Forbes – Top 10 Tech Company in Israel[22]
References
- ^ a b c Webby Awards. May 21, 2013.
- ^ [1] Gamasutra. February 14, 2012
- ^ a b [2] VentureBeat. May 31, 2016.
- ^ a b [3] Venturebeat. February 10, 2011.
- ^ [4] PR Newswire. November 21, 2011.
- ^ [5] Business Wire. February 1, 2012.
- ^ Cult of Mac. February 13, 2013.
- ^ [6] Ad Week. January 15, 2015.
- ^ [7] Adweek. January 6, 2015.
- ^ [8] AdWeek. December 22, 2014.
- ^ [9] AppAdvice. January 15, 2015.
- ^ [10] The League - Official Facebook Page. September 18, 2014.
- ^ [11] Inside Social Games. February 1, 2012.
- ^ [12] Games.com. March 28, 2012.
- ^ [13] SlideToPlay.com. September 18, 2012.
- ^ [14] The Hunger Games Adventures official blog. October 18, 2013
- ^ [15] Hollywood Reporter. November 21, 2011
- ^ [16] AOL Games.com. May 2, 2011
- ^ [17] Gamasutra. February 10, 2011
- ^ [18] Variety. February 10, 2011.
- ^ 2013 Variety – Best Entertainment IP-based Mobile Game
- ^ Forbes – Top 10 Tech Company in Israel