4J Studios
4J Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland. It has a second office located in East Linton. Founded in April 2005 by VIS Entertainment alumni Chris van der Kuyl, Paddy Burns and Frank Arnot, the company is best known for porting Minecraft to consoles and handheld platforms.[2]
Private | |
Industry | Video games |
Predecessor | VIS Entertainment |
Founded | 19 April 2005 |
Founders |
|
Headquarters | , Scotland |
Key people | |
Number of employees | 18[1] (2009) |
Website | 4jstudios.com |
History
4J Studios was founded by Chris van der Kuyl, Paddy Burns and Frank Arnot on 19 April 2005, twelve days after van der Kuyl's previous video game venture, VIS Entertainment, entered into administration.[3][4] All three were previously employed by that company, of which van der Kuyl as president and chief executive officer.[4][5]
On 13 November 2012, co-founder and studio director Arnot announced that he had left 4J Studios to found Stormcloud Games, another video game developer, alongside co-workers Andy West and Pat McGovern.[6][7] In March 2018, 4J Studios invested a "six-figure sum" in Puny Astronaut, a Dundee-based developer founded by Abertay University alumni.[8] 4J Studios' van der Kuyl and Burns subsequently joined that company's board of directors, of which van der Kuyl also became their chairman.[9]
Games developed
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships | PlayStation 2, Xbox | Bethesda Softworks |
2006 | Star Trek: Encounters | PlayStation 2 | |
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (port) | PlayStation 3 | ||
2007 | Star Trek: Conquest | PlayStation 2, Wii | |
2008 | AMF Bowling Pinbusters! | Nintendo DS | Vir2L Studios |
Overlord: Raising Hell (port) | PlayStation 3 | Codemasters | |
Ducati Moto | Nintendo DS | Vir2L Studios | |
Banjo-Kazooie (port) | Xbox 360 | Microsoft Game Studios | |
2009 | Banjo-Tooie (port) | ||
Wuggle | iOS | 4J Studios | |
Texas Wuggle | |||
2010 | Perfect Dark (port) | Xbox 360 | Microsoft Game Studios |
2012 | Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition | Microsoft Studios | |
2013 | Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition | PlayStation 3 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
2014 | Minecraft: Xbox One Edition | Xbox One | Microsoft Studios |
2014 | Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition | PlayStation 4 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition | PlayStation Vita | ||
2015 | Minecraft: Wii U Edition | Wii U | Mojang |
2017 | Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition | Nintendo Switch |
References
- "Behind the Fur and Feathers with 4J Studios - MundoRare". mundorare.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Microsoft officially owns Minecraft and developer Mojang now". polygon.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "New State of Emergency declared as Glasgow firm takes on game". scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Games company 4J enjoys year of profit". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "4J's Chris van der Kuyl". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Minecraft XBLA and Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion developers form Stormcloud Games studio". polygon.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "New studio Storm Cloud launches in Scotland". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- Kerr, Chris. "Minecraft console edition dev invests in Scottish studio Puny Astronaut". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "4J Studios invests 'six-figure sum' in Scottish indie dev Puny Astronaut". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 1 July 2018.