Boomzap Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Boomzap Entertainment is a casual game
s developer
based in Singapore
. It was formed in 2005 and has released ten games to date. Boomzap has developed for Microsoft Windows
, Mac OS X
, Nintendo DS
and Wii
. Its games are available on casual games portals such as Big Fish Games
, Reflexive Entertainment
, Oberon Media
, iWin
, Yahoo!
, WildTangent
, GameHouse
and others.
Boomzap is known in the game industry for being one of the few companies to use a pure virtual office
environment. Articles have been written on the subject in the Casual Games Association Magazine and Gamasutra
regarding their prototyping methods. A feature article on Gamasutra
was released on April 1, 2010 that further elaborated Boomzap's "quick and dirty" production process for making games.
at Crytek
. Simonsen serves as the company's Technical Director and worked on the Spider-Man
game for the Nokia
N-Gage
. Boomzap Entertainment is composed of two legal entities: Boomzap Inc. in the state of Washington, USA and Boomzap Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. Both companies are private corporations owned by Natsuume and Simonsen.
As of July 2011, the company employs 41 game developers working out of Japan, Singapore, Russia, Georgia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
on December 31, 2010. It peaked at #1 on the all PC charts and is still within the Top 100 Hidden Object PC Games on Big Fish Games' site. It was also the first game featured as a Collector's Edition. The iPad and iPhone ports were released simultaneously on Big Fish Games
on August 25, 2011.
Death at Fairing Point: A Dana Knightstone Novel is a game in the Hidden Object/Adventure genre that plays like a mystery novel. The main character is Dana Knightstone, a fiction writer who uncovers a mystery while on vacation in Scotland.
on April 19, 2011 as a sequel to Antique Road Trip USA. Similar to the prequel, it is a hidden object game with different mini-games. It received positive reviews from various game sites like iWin, Gamezebo
and Big Fish Games
where the customizable hint-giving puppy was pointed out as a "cute and welcome addition to the game."
on May 30, 2010 where it quickly rose to #5 on the all formats chart. Antique Road Trip is a game in the Hidden Object genre containing different types of mini-games. Gamezebo
gave a score of 3.5 out of 5 stars to the game, saying "Still, Antique Road Trip is a solid game, if not an especially profound or memorable one." Antique Road Trip: USA was released as an app with Free and Full versions on the iOS for both the iPhone and iPad in the months of June and July in 2011.
on August 25, 2011. In Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom, Princess Sophia is led by the Fairy Queen to the Goblin Kingdom to ask the Goblin King about the whereabouts of her people. However, there are dark forces at work, waiting to spring a trap on the human princess.
Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom is the first game by Boomzap to be released on both Mac and PC platforms simultaneously.
on December 26, 2010. Awakening: Moonfell Wood picks up where Awakening: The Dreamless Castle leaves the main character, continuing the story of Princess Sophia. In a review by Gamezebo
, the game was given a 3.5/5 rating, saying that "the story in Awakening: Moonfell Wood is intriguing, especially for those who have played the first game and would like to see where Sophia’s journey takes her next."
Awakening: Moonfell Wood peaked at #2 and stayed within the top 10 PC games for 42 days. The Mac version also entered the top 10 Mac games chart, peaking at #3. The iOS port was released last May 26, 2011 for the iPad and July 7, 2011 for the iPhone.
on February 14, 2010. Awakening is an adventure/hidden object PC
casual game set in a light fantasy setting. It debuted as the #3 game on the Big Fish Games Top 100 downloads list, quickly rising to #1 for all formats.. Awakening has also been released in German, Spanish, French, and Japanese - and has ranked at #1 in every language. According to a review by About.com
, "Awakening: The Dreamless Castle is a superb example of a hidden object/adventure game." Awakening: The Dreamless Castle was released on the iPad last Dec 16, 2010 and on the iPhone last Dec 18, 2010 .
, a Nintendo
Wii
game being developed by Boomzap Entertainment. It was scheduled for release in April 2010, and was eventually released in May 2010.
http://www.iwin.com/. The game peaked at #4 on the Top 10 Games on iWin
's portal, and was the #1 Tycoon game on iWin for the same week.
of Singapore
to create a game demo for the game Orchard, which was later signed by Majesco.. The game was released in January 2009.
and other casual game portals. Zen Fashion is a drag-matching Match-3 type puzzle game.
. It gave the same rating of 3.5 stars to the sequel, noting that "Armchair adventurers who enjoy Match-3 games will no doubt enjoy clicking through the story-heavy Jewels of Cleopatra 2: Aztec Mysteries."
Gamezebo
gave 3.5 of out 5 stars to the original Jewels of Cleopatra, stating "What it all adds up to is a well-made, enjoyable gem-matching romp in full Egyptian garb.".
Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles is a collection of nine different puzzle mini-games in a light fantasy theme. According to a review by Jayisgames, Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles is "A solid collection of puzzles built into a lasting and interesting new whole." Gamezebo
gave the game 4 out of 5 stars in its review, stating that "while the puzzle themes will be immediately familiar to casual games, the developer added enough of a new twist to most of these digital diversions to keep us glued to the PC for hours."
Casual game
A casual game is a video game targeted at or used by a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games...
s developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It was formed in 2005 and has released ten games to date. Boomzap has developed for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. Its games are available on casual games portals such as Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
, Reflexive Entertainment
Reflexive Entertainment
Reflexive Entertainment is a computer game developer based in Lake Forest, California. The company was founded by Lars Brubaker in 1997...
, Oberon Media
Oberon Media
Oberon Media is a multi-platform casual games company, delivering casual games solutions across online, social, mobile/Smartphone, interactive TV and retail categories...
, iWin
Iwin
Iwin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Grzmiąca, within Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
, Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
, WildTangent
WildTangent
WildTangent is a Redmond, Washington based game network, privately held in the United States that powers game services for several PC manufacturers including HP, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Samsung, Acer and Lenovo...
, GameHouse
GameHouse
GameHouse is a casual game developer, publisher, digital video game distributor, and portal, based in Seattle, Washington, United States-History:...
and others.
Boomzap is known in the game industry for being one of the few companies to use a pure virtual office
Virtual office
A virtual office is a combination of off-site live communication and address services that allow users to reduce traditional office costs while maintaining business professionalism...
environment. Articles have been written on the subject in the Casual Games Association Magazine and Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
regarding their prototyping methods. A feature article on Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
was released on April 1, 2010 that further elaborated Boomzap's "quick and dirty" production process for making games.
History
Boomzap was founded in 2005 by Christopher Natsuume and Allan Simonsen. Natsuume, the company's Creative Director was formerly lead producer for Far CryFar Cry
Far Cry is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek Studios from Germany and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004, for Microsoft Windows. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. It received positive reviews upon release...
at Crytek
Crytek
Crytek is a German video game company founded in 1999 by three Turkish brothers: Cevat, Avni and Faruk Yerli. Crytek's main headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany, with five other studios in Kiev, Budapest, Nottingham, Sofia and Seoul. The company is best known for developing the game Far Cry and...
. Simonsen serves as the company's Technical Director and worked on the Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
game for the Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
N-Gage
N-Gage
The N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 60 platform, released in October 2003. It began sales on October 7, 2003. The N-Gage QD replaced the original N-Gage in 2004....
. Boomzap Entertainment is composed of two legal entities: Boomzap Inc. in the state of Washington, USA and Boomzap Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. Both companies are private corporations owned by Natsuume and Simonsen.
As of July 2011, the company employs 41 game developers working out of Japan, Singapore, Russia, Georgia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Facts and numbers
- Founders: 2 (Allan Simonsen and Christopher Natsuume)
- Games released to date: 14
- Languages developed in: 11 (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin)
- Platforms developed on: 4 (PC, Mac, Wii, iOS)
- Staff members: 47 (including founders)
- Countries developing in: 6 (Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Georgia, and the Philippines)
Death at Fairing Point: A Dana Knightstone Novel (Collector's Edition)
Death at Fairing Point: A Dana Knightstone Novel (Collector's Edition) was released exclusively on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on December 31, 2010. It peaked at #1 on the all PC charts and is still within the Top 100 Hidden Object PC Games on Big Fish Games' site. It was also the first game featured as a Collector's Edition. The iPad and iPhone ports were released simultaneously on Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on August 25, 2011.
Death at Fairing Point: A Dana Knightstone Novel is a game in the Hidden Object/Adventure genre that plays like a mystery novel. The main character is Dana Knightstone, a fiction writer who uncovers a mystery while on vacation in Scotland.
Antique Road Trip 2: Homecoming
Antique Road Trip 2: Homecoming was released on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on April 19, 2011 as a sequel to Antique Road Trip USA. Similar to the prequel, it is a hidden object game with different mini-games. It received positive reviews from various game sites like iWin, Gamezebo
Gamezebo
Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the casual games industry, offering interviews, features, reviews, previews, strategy guides, news and podcasts....
and Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
where the customizable hint-giving puppy was pointed out as a "cute and welcome addition to the game."
Antique Road Trip: USA
Antique Road Trip: USA was released as an exclusive game on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on May 30, 2010 where it quickly rose to #5 on the all formats chart. Antique Road Trip is a game in the Hidden Object genre containing different types of mini-games. Gamezebo
Gamezebo
Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the casual games industry, offering interviews, features, reviews, previews, strategy guides, news and podcasts....
gave a score of 3.5 out of 5 stars to the game, saying "Still, Antique Road Trip is a solid game, if not an especially profound or memorable one." Antique Road Trip: USA was released as an app with Free and Full versions on the iOS for both the iPhone and iPad in the months of June and July in 2011.
Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom
Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom is the third game in the Awakening series, and was released as an exclusive game on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on August 25, 2011. In Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom, Princess Sophia is led by the Fairy Queen to the Goblin Kingdom to ask the Goblin King about the whereabouts of her people. However, there are dark forces at work, waiting to spring a trap on the human princess.
Awakening: The Goblin Kingdom is the first game by Boomzap to be released on both Mac and PC platforms simultaneously.
Awakening: Moonfell Wood
Awakening: Moonfell Wood was released as an exclusive game on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on December 26, 2010. Awakening: Moonfell Wood picks up where Awakening: The Dreamless Castle leaves the main character, continuing the story of Princess Sophia. In a review by Gamezebo
Gamezebo
Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the casual games industry, offering interviews, features, reviews, previews, strategy guides, news and podcasts....
, the game was given a 3.5/5 rating, saying that "the story in Awakening: Moonfell Wood is intriguing, especially for those who have played the first game and would like to see where Sophia’s journey takes her next."
Awakening: Moonfell Wood peaked at #2 and stayed within the top 10 PC games for 42 days. The Mac version also entered the top 10 Mac games chart, peaking at #3. The iOS port was released last May 26, 2011 for the iPad and July 7, 2011 for the iPhone.
Awakening: The Dreamless Castle
Awakening: The Dreamless Castle was released as an exclusive game on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
on February 14, 2010. Awakening is an adventure/hidden object PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
casual game set in a light fantasy setting. It debuted as the #3 game on the Big Fish Games Top 100 downloads list, quickly rising to #1 for all formats.. Awakening has also been released in German, Spanish, French, and Japanese - and has ranked at #1 in every language. According to a review by About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, "Awakening: The Dreamless Castle is a superb example of a hidden object/adventure game." Awakening: The Dreamless Castle was released on the iPad last Dec 16, 2010 and on the iPhone last Dec 18, 2010 .
Pirates Plund-Arrr
On January 7, 2010, Majesco announced Pirates Plund-ArrrPirates Plund-Arrr
Pirates Plund-Arrr is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released exclusively for the Wii. It was developed by Boomzap Entertainment and published by Majesco. It has only been released in North America on May 25, 2010....
, a Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game being developed by Boomzap Entertainment. It was scheduled for release in April 2010, and was eventually released in May 2010.
Passport to Paradise
On December 24, 2009, Passport to Paradise was released by iWinIwin
Iwin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Grzmiąca, within Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
http://www.iwin.com/. The game peaked at #4 on the Top 10 Games on iWin
Iwin
Iwin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Grzmiąca, within Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
's portal, and was the #1 Tycoon game on iWin for the same week.
Orchard
In 2007, Boomzap received funding from the Media Development AuthorityMedia Development Authority
The Media Development Authority is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts .-History:...
of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to create a game demo for the game Orchard, which was later signed by Majesco.. The game was released in January 2009.
Zen Fashion
On May 21, 2008, Zen Fashion was released on Big Fish GamesBig Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
and other casual game portals. Zen Fashion is a drag-matching Match-3 type puzzle game.
Jewels of Cleopatra 2: Aztec Mysteries
Jewels of Cleopatra 2: Aztec Mysteries was released in 2008, developed by Boomzap under publisher Encore, Inc.Encore, Inc.
Encore, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based software publisher focused on retail sales.Encore is a wholly owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, which acquired Encore's assets from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California in August 2002.In November 2008 Encore announced...
. It gave the same rating of 3.5 stars to the sequel, noting that "Armchair adventurers who enjoy Match-3 games will no doubt enjoy clicking through the story-heavy Jewels of Cleopatra 2: Aztec Mysteries."
Jewels of Cleopatra
Boomzap developed the tile-matching puzzle series, Jewels of Cleopatra (released in 2007) under publisher Encore, Inc.Encore, Inc.
Encore, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based software publisher focused on retail sales.Encore is a wholly owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, which acquired Encore's assets from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California in August 2002.In November 2008 Encore announced...
Gamezebo
Gamezebo
Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the casual games industry, offering interviews, features, reviews, previews, strategy guides, news and podcasts....
gave 3.5 of out 5 stars to the original Jewels of Cleopatra, stating "What it all adds up to is a well-made, enjoyable gem-matching romp in full Egyptian garb.".
Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles
In 2007, Boomzap released the game Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles, also published by Encore, Inc.Encore, Inc.
Encore, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based software publisher focused on retail sales.Encore is a wholly owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, which acquired Encore's assets from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California in August 2002.In November 2008 Encore announced...
Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles is a collection of nine different puzzle mini-games in a light fantasy theme. According to a review by Jayisgames, Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles is "A solid collection of puzzles built into a lasting and interesting new whole." Gamezebo
Gamezebo
Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the casual games industry, offering interviews, features, reviews, previews, strategy guides, news and podcasts....
gave the game 4 out of 5 stars in its review, stating that "while the puzzle themes will be immediately familiar to casual games, the developer added enough of a new twist to most of these digital diversions to keep us glued to the PC for hours."
External links
- Boomzap Entertainment Homepage
- Official Boomzap Entertainment page on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Official Boomzap Page on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...