MumboJumbo
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Mark Dochtermann, Ron Dimant |
| Website |
www |
MumboJumbo, LLC is an independent developer of games for personal computers, game consoles and mobile devices. MumboJumbo Mobile, LLC publishes entertainment software for Android and iOS devices.
History
The company was founded in January 2001 by Mark Dochtermann and Ron Dimant[1] after leaving Ritual Entertainment. In 2003 it became one of the first independent developers to popularize casual games by partnering with portal sites to make games available for download directly to Windows and Mac computers.
MumboJumbo was previously a United Developers Company that acquired other development companies including Zono, Ritual Entertainment,[2] and Hot Lava Studios.[3]
On January 24, 2007, MumboJumbo announced their acquisition of Ritual Entertainment, a popular developer of first person shooter titles such as SiN and Star Trek: Elite Force II. Upon acquisition Ritual was made to assist with work on casual game titles, causing many prominent employees to leave the company and many analysts to speculate why the acquisition had been made in the first place. Some analysts have since criticized the move as both foolish and a massive waste of money. It is still unclear as to the purpose of MumboJumbo's decision, as MumboJumbo has still not released an official statement regarding their intentions to acquire a game developer known for creating mature titles in order to re-purpose them for casual game development.[4]
On January 25, 2010, a jury in the 193rd Civil District Court in Dallas County, Texas awarded MumboJumbo $4,600,000 in damages resulting from a breach of contract on the part of their former business partner PopCap Games. MumboJumbo had previously held a North American retail distribution agreement with the casual games developer. According to MumboJumbo, the relationship was violated when PopCap Games began to develop its own strategies for selling at retail. During the 12-day trial, MumboJumbo's law firm Rose-Walker showed that PopCap's actions "severely damaged" their business relationship with Wal-Mart.[5]
Games developed
- Myth III: The Wolf Age (2001)[6]
- Luxor Series: Luxor, Luxor Mahjong, Luxor 2, Luxor 3, Luxor Amun Rising, Luxor: Quest for the Afterlife, Luxor 5th Passage, Luxor HD, Luxor Evolved, Luxor 2 HD
- Angelica Weaver: Catch Me When You Can: Be the detective; Catch the killer in the present and the past
- Midnight Mysteries Series: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy, Salem Witch Trials, Devil on the Mississippi, Haunted Houdini, Witches of Abraham, Ghostwriting, Possession
- 7 Wonders Series: 7 Wonders, 7 Wonders 2, 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven, 7 Wonders: Magical Mystery Tour, 7 Wonders: Ancient Alien Makeover
- Samantha Swift Series: The Hidden Roses of Athena, The Golden Touch, The Fountains of Fate, The Mystery from Atlantis
- Chainz Series: Chainz, Chainz 2 Relinked, Chainz Galaxy
- Pickers: Pick • Sell • Trade • Haggle • Appraise
- Glowfish: A Magical Underwater Adventure
- Unlikely Suspects
- Discovery: A Seek and Find Adventure
- Zombie Bowl-O-Rama
- Elements
- Tornado Jockey
- Square Logic: Everyday Genius
- Little Farm
- Reaxxion
- ZoomBook
- Johnny Bravo in The Hukka-Mega-Mighty-Ultra-Extreme Date-O-Rama
References
- ↑ Mumbo Jumbo Announced
- ↑ Ritual Entertainment Acquired By Casual Games Developer January 24th 2007, archived from the original
- ↑ MumboJumbo Acquires Casual Dev Hot Lava July 31st 2007
- ↑ Ritual Entertainment Acquired by Casual Games Developer January 24th 2007.
- ↑ Gamezebo: MumboJumbo awarded $4.6 million in PopCap lawsuit
- ↑ Smith, Sean (November 19, 2001). "Myth III Team Axed; Mac Version Spared". Insidemacgames.com. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
Andrew Meggs, formerly of Myth III developer MumboJumbo, wrote that the Myth III development team had been laid off two weeks earlier: "The entire Myth III team was terminated on November 2, 2001."