Bossa Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London. It is known for its comedic, physics-based games Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | October 2010 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | Daniel Clough (studio general manager)[1] |
| Products | Surgeon Simulator, I Am Bread |
Number of employees | 40[2] (2024) |
| Parent |
|
| Website | bossastudios.com |
History
editBossa was founded in October 2010 by Henrique Olifiers (gamer-in-chief), Roberta Lucca (marketer-in-chief), Ric Moore (technologist-in-chief), and Imre Jele (creator-in-chief).[3][4][5] The establishment was formally announced in June 2011, when it had opened its office at the Silicon Roundabout in London, England.[5] Bossa was acquired by the television production company Shine Group in 2011, with the deal announced on 16 September, without disclosing terms.[3][6] At the time, Bossa had 20 employees, and its first game, Monstermind, launched that same month for the Facebook Platform.[3][6] Monstermind won the BAFTA award in the "Online – Browser" category in February 2012.[7]
Subsequent games by Bossa were Toy Run and Merlin: The Game, the latter based on the Shine-produced TV series Merlin.[8][9] Following the commercial success of Surgeon Simulator, Bossa underwent a management buyout process in July 2015 that returned Shine's stake (transferred to Endemol Shine UK after Shine merged with Endemol in December 2014) to the studio's founders.[10][11]
The company received a US$10 million investment in a series A round in September 2017.[12] Shortly thereafter, they hired former Valve writer Chet Faliszek to lead a new Seattle-based studio for them, working on an unannounced cooperative title.[13][14]
According to CNBC, Bossa acquired between US$10 and 30 million in another investment round in 2019, with NetEase as one of the largest investors in this series, gaining a minority stake in Bossa.[15]
In August 2022 some of Bossa Studios IPs including Surgeon Simulator, I Am Bread, and I Am Fish was sold to TinyBuild for a reported $3 million.[16]
Amid complaints against management, Bossa announced it would lay off 10 employees in November 2020.[17][18] and in January 2024, Bossa laid off 19 employees, or a third of its total staff.[2]
Games
editGames developed
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Monstermind | Facebook Platform | Bossa Studios | |
| 2012 | Toy Run | Facebook Platform | ||
| Merlin: The Game | Facebook Platform | |||
| 2013 | Surgeon Simulator | Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 | Originally titled Surgeon Simulator 2013 | |
| 2014 | Surgeon Simulator Touch | Android, iOS | Port of Surgeon Simulator | |
| Twelve a Dozen | iOS | |||
| Deep Dungeons of Doom | Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows | |||
| 2015 | I Am Bread | Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | ||
| Spy_Watch | iOS | |||
| Outlaw Poker | Android | |||
| 2016 | Surgeon Simulator VR: Meet The Medic | Microsoft Windows | Virtual reality spin-off of Surgeon Simulator | |
| Emily: Displaced | macOS, Microsoft Windows | Sega | Part of Help: The Game | |
| Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 | Bossa Studios | Virtual reality version of Surgeon Simulator | |
| Worlds Adrift Island Creator[19] | Microsoft Windows | Free creation and playtest tool released alongside Worlds Adrift | ||
| 2018 | Surgeon Simulator CPR | Nintendo Switch | Port of Surgeon Simulator | |
| 2019 | Hogwash | iOS, macOS, tvOS | Apple Arcade exclusive | |
| 2020 | Surgeon Simulator 2 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | ||
| 2021 | I Am Fish[20] | Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S | Curve Digital |
Games published
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Thomas Was Alone | Android, iOS | Mike Bithell |
| 2017 | Purrfect Date | iOS, Microsoft Windows | Team Bae |
| 2019 | The Bradwell Conspiracy | iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | A Brave Plan |
Cancelled
editReferences
edit- ^ GamesIndustry Staff (24 September 2019). "Jobs roundup: Daniel Clough appointed general studio manager at Bossa". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ a b Batchelor, James (5 January 2024). "Bossa Studios lays off one third of its staff". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Cohen, David (16 September 2011). "Bossa Stomps Into Facebook Games With Monstermind". Adweek. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Hoggins, Tom (24 September 2015). "We are bread: Bossa Studios' unique recipe for game development". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ a b MCV Staff (23 June 2011). "London-based Bossa comes out of hiding". MCV. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ a b Lee, Edmund (16 September 2011). "News Corp.'s Shine Buys U.K. Gaming Company Bossa Studios". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Video Games Awards Winners & Nominees in 2012". BAFTA. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ MCV Staff (4 July 2014). "Develop Awards 2014 – The Finalists: Creative Contribution: Audio". MCV. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Karmali, Luke (18 June 2012). "Merlin to Bewitch Facebook Users in New Game". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Farber, Alex (31 July 2015). "Endemol Shine gaming arm completes MBO". Broadcast. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (16 August 2016). "Bossa returns to multiplayer roots". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Dring, Christopher (12 September 2017). "Bossa Studios secures $10m in Series A investment". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Batchelor, James (18 September 2017). "Bossa hires Half-Life, Portal writer Chet Faliszek". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Byrne, Katherine (19 September 2017). "Bossa Studios to open new Seattle studio headed by Valve's Chet Faliszek". MCV. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (26 November 2019). "The game developer behind 'Surgeon Simulator' just raised up to $30 million to take on China". CNBC. Archived from the original on 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "TinyBuild acquires Bossa Studios IPs for $3m". GamesIndustry.biz. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (24 November 2020). "After crunch and amid layoffs, Surgeon Simulator dev Bossa hopes for a fresh start in 2021". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Batchelor, James (24 November 2020). "Bossa Studios confirms layoffs amid complaints against management". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Morrison, Angus (28 April 2016). "Bossa releases free Worlds Adrift Island Creator". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Wales, Matt (9 March 2020). "Surgeon Simulator dev's I Am Fish prototype being turned into a full game". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.