mobile game
A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
and mobile app developer. FinBlade was founded by John Chasey,
Fergus McNeill
Fergus McNeill is a Scottish author and award-winning interactive entertainment developer. He has designed and created games since the early 1980s, working with companies such as CRL, Silversoft, Macmillan Group, Activision, SCi Eidos and EA. H ...
Barry Simpson Barry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name
* Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 1950 ...
in August 2007. Much of the FinBlade team previously worked at
mobile game
A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
The studio were one of the first supporters of the Zeemote
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
analogue joystick for mobiles with their 2-Player Fireworks title announced in January 2008.
Later that month the new studio received critical success when FinBlade won the TIGA Best Mobile Game category for Tomb Raider: Anniversary, developed for the New Media division of
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
. This was followed in June 2008 where they were nominated in the Best New UK/European Studio category in the Develop Industry Excellence Awards.
In the second half of 2008, making use of the Bedrock technology from
Metismo
Founded in 1969, Software AG is an enterprise software company with over 10,000 enterprise customers in over 70 countries. The company is the second largest software vendor in Germany, and the seventh largest in Europe. Software AG is traded on t ...
the studio's output was largely focused on the Apple iPhone with many original and licensed titles appearing and charting on the App Store.
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
support quickly followed with versions of many of their titles appearing for distribution on
Handango
Handango was an online store selling mobile apps for personal digital assistants and smartphones headquartered in Irving, Texas.
History
Handango InHand was founded in 1999 by Randy Eisenman. It is an app store for finding, installing, and b ...
, before billing support was added to the
Android Market
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sys ...
. FinBlade later received nominations in the 'Best Casual Game' and '2009 Groundbreaker' categories for Tennis Slam in the Handango Champion Awards for the Android.
In June 2009 with the advent of a broader range of mobile content available on the iPhone FinBlade also started developing applications, commencing with Red Bull GP on the iPhone, published by Red Bull Racing, The Men Who Stare at Goats app promoting the
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
adaption of Jon Ronson's book, followed by a match report and news centre app for
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...
All the app titles reached the top of their respective category charts in the UK App Store.
In December 2009 the iPhone title Battleship, based on the Hasbro board game and developed by FinBlade, was published by EA Mobile to critical acclaim, described as the 'best board game adaption yet' by
cNET.com
''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
and receiving a Gold Award from mobilegamefaqs.com.
2010 saw a series of mobile versions of the
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
TV series from
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
, published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...
which won the Mobile Village Superstar Award in the Consumer App: Game category, and another Hasbro title Pictureka!, published by EA Mobile.
In 2011 the multi-format titl Spellathon was developed for the charity mencap, a spelling-bee game featuring Stephen Fry, on the web and mobile devices which seeks to both educate and raise funds for the charity.
During 2013 they agreed a deal with Puzzler Media, a subsidiary of DC Thomson to create a new social / mobile destination for puzzle players, Puzzler World.
Awards
*2008 TIGA Best Mobile Game - Tomb Raider
*2008 Nominated Develop Industry Excellence Awards - Best New UK/European Studio
*2009 Nominated Handango - Best Casual Game - Tennis Slam
*2009 Nominated Handango - 2009 Groundbreaker - Tennis Slam
*2010 MobileVillage Superstar Award - Consumer App: Game - Deadliest Catch
WordSearch
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a word game that consists of the letters of words placed in a grid, which usually has a rectangular or square shape. The objective of this puzzle is to find and mark all ...
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
'' published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
'' published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...
WordSearch
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a word game that consists of the letters of words placed in a grid, which usually has a rectangular or square shape. The objective of this puzzle is to find and mark all ...
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
'' published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
Link on UK AppStore
*'' Ernie Els Golf 2008'' published by FinBlade
*''GrooveYard'' published by FinBlade Link on UK AppStore
*''Halloween WordSearch'' published by FinBlade (seasonal availability)
*''Liverpool FC Match & News Centre'' published by
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...
*''
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
WordSearch
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a word game that consists of the letters of words placed in a grid, which usually has a rectangular or square shape. The objective of this puzzle is to find and mark all ...
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
'' published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
WordSearch
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a word game that consists of the letters of words placed in a grid, which usually has a rectangular or square shape. The objective of this puzzle is to find and mark all ...
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
'' published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...
Windows Mobile titles
*''
Deadliest Catch
''Deadliest Catch'' is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The ...
'' published by
Hands-On Mobile
Hands-On Mobile is a wireless entertainment company, established in 2001.
The company develops, publishes and distributes mobile content via network operators and portals. It offers its content in or via Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP in Engli ...