Major Game Developers Based in Ireland
Source: Unsplash
The biggest game development companies are usually spread out across the world, often with multiple offices on different continents. Yet over the past five years, the country of Ireland has become a major hub for game development. From console blockbusters to casual mobile gaming, entertainment is streaming from the country. Below, we discuss some of the major adventure, strategy, and casual developers based in Ireland.
Havok Group
The Havok Group is the monitor of Telekinesys Research Limited. They have been operating in Ireland since 1998 and are now a subsidiary of Microsoft. More impressive are their lists of partnerships, which is a who's who list of the gaming industry.
While you may not recognize their games, you will recognize their Havok software. It is a physics engine, navigation system, and cloth simulation engine for use in games. Next time you play an adventure game and see golden treasure bounce from the ground or see the swish of a character's cape, there is a good chance Havok has been responsible for this movement. In October 2024, Havoc integrated with two other companies, Unity and Unreal Engine, so it is likely we will be seeing more from this company in the future.
Playrix
Source: Pixabay
Playrix is one of the main developers of free-to-play mobile games. It was founded by brothers Dmitry and Igor Bukhman, who started by building games at home and uploading them to app catalogs. In less than ten years, they have gone from simple puzzle games to free to play mobile games. One of its most successful outings was Township, which it released on the Facebook social media site. While now primarily a casual title developer, its former resume had some great action games such as Rise of Atlantis and The Path of Hercules.
Casual mobile games are one of the fastest-growing areas in gaming. As people turn to devices as a primary form of entertainment, these games have only grown in popularity. This has also fuelled the success of the online casinos, which provide easy-to-play titles through devices usually based around slot games. This fusion of casual games and slots has resulted in some extremely innovative titles. Some of the best slot games with adventure themes include the Egyptian-themed Book of Dead and Fangtastic Free Spins.
Digit
Digit Games are now owned by Scopely, but are still responsible for some huge action and adventure games. The studio also concentrates on mobile gaming and has recently collaborated with another company, Paramount, to create the Star Trek Fleet Command strategy title. It also uses a free-to-play model that earns revenue through in-game purchases. Before this, they were responsible for Kings of the Realm, one of the highest-grossing strategy games in over 50 countries.
Ireland will continue to produce the games you play on PC, consoles, and mobile. Even if not creating games, the people working here are often responsible for making sure they function and have a degree of believability. This will continue, and your next adventure game may just have been made in this thriving country.
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