Independent developer Jellyvision Games today announced its re-branding initiative with the new moniker: Jackbox Games.
After nearly two decades of entertaining players with their landmark YOU DON’T KNOW JACK franchise, the former PC and console developer has expanded into a full-fledged new-generation publisher for multiple games on social and mobile platforms, Roku, and now Ouya.
"The rebranding of our studio represents the completion of an evolution," said Mike Bilder, GM. "Today, Jackbox Games not only has the creative and technical resources to make great games, but we’re seizing on the opportunity presented by new generation platforms to bring more games to market ourselves – however and wherever they best fit."
In May 2012, YOU DON’T KNOW JACK was launched on Facebook as the studio’s first social title, and it was met with critical acclaim ‘ winning SPIKE TV’s "Social Game of the Year." December 2012 saw the launch of the franchise on mobile, starting with iOS, and last spring the first new IP from the publisher hit the market in the form of Lie Swatter. Last week, Ouya announced that the YOU DON’T KNOW JACK franchise will be ported to the Android-powered console platform as a launch title. The studio has also announced two upcoming apps for 2013: Clone Booth and Word Puttz.
"The big payoff for us has always been the engagement people feel when playing YOU DON’T KNOW JACK, which is really born out of our commitment to innovative design, top-notch writing, and high production values," said Harry Gottlieb, founder. "Our move to self-publishing on all these new platforms really frees us up to make a whole lot more of the kinds of games we like to play and to get them into the hands of the players who really want them."
The Chicago-based studio has reached critical and commercial success since its 1995 introduction. The studio has sold more than five million units of YDKJ for PC and console. Last year, there were 3.5 million installs of YDKJ through Facebook, IOS and Android. The company’s products have been showered with praise and hold more than 50 industry awards including the aforementioned SPIKE TV award and 2013 "Best Trivia Game" from the Best App Ever awards.
As a mid-sized independent developer, the team has produced numerous significant industry innovations. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK was one of first games to use writing and audio to provide fully interactive gameplay, where players experience direct interaction with a virtual host. And now the studio has incorporated its brands directly into mid-sized games, previously the exclusive domain of mammoth publishers, expanding the independent monetization model.