Gamefam
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2019 (2019)[1]
Founder
  • Joe Ferencz
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Key people
  • Joe Ferencz (CEO)
ProductsVideo games
BrandsRoMonitor
Number of employees
250+ (January 2023)[2]
SubsidiariesSilicon Digital
WebsiteGamefam.com

Gamefam Studios is an American video game company. It primarily utilizes Roblox as a video game development platform,[1] while also using Fortnite Creative and Minecraft as engines to create maps and minigames.[3] It has produced content for brands such as Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic Speed Simulator), the National Football League, Hot Wheels, Doctor Strange, Kung Fu Panda, Samsung, and Puma and staged virtual concerts for musicians such as The Chainsmokers and Saweetie.[4][5]

History

Gamefam was founded in 2019 in Los Angeles, California, United States, by Joe Ferencz, the current CEO. Ferencz was originally involved with bringing Hot Wheels into the Forza series and Rocket League, and while doing so, he was observing Roblox's success as a free-to-play video game platform.[6] Explaining his reason for founding Gamefam, Ferencz told TechCrunch, "Roblox truly is the Metaverse for this younger generation. What that means is that each game needs to have a very distinctive and attractive immersion to it, in a way that mobile free-to-play doesn’t."[1] The company is described by Ferencz as the "first and only fully-dedicated, professional game publishing company on Roblox"[7] and has recruited veteran Roblox developers.[5]

In November 2020, Gamefam, with the partnership of Mattel, released Hot Wheels Open World on Roblox, which is a Hot Wheels-themed open world racing game.[8][9]

In October 2021, Gamefam partnered with WowWee to create toys for their popular Roblox game Twilight Daycare.[10]

In November 2021, Gamefam a partnership with WildBrain to start integrating various brands into their portfolio of Roblox titles.[11]

In March 2022, Gamefam announced they have raised $25 million in its Series A funding round, which was led by Konvoy Ventures and participated in by Play Ventures, Makers Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners and Galaxy Interactive.[12]

In April 2022, Gamefam, with the partnership of Sega of America, released Sonic Speed Simulator on Roblox, which is a Sonic the Hedgehog game.[13] Its launch was the largest on Roblox, with 70 million plays[14] and 275,000 concurrent players in the first week of its release, and it would reach 500 million visits in its first four months. Joe Ferencz called it "the No. 1 branded game of all time on Roblox".[5]

Accusations of employee mistreatment

In December 2022, former employees accused Gamefam of underpaying their employees while crunching them, as well as laying some off before the holidays without much warning, which was reportedly against the contract. Because the employees reported working on Sonic Speed Simulator while being mistreated, the hashtag #SonicSweatshopSimulator trended on Twitter as a protest by fans. Gamefam released a statement denying the accusations and began banning users who brought up them up in the Sonic Speed Simulator Discord server.[15][16] In April 2023, Gamefam settled with an employee after he had filed a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the company had violated the National Labor Relations Act by threatening retaliation against employees that spoke with coworkers about their salaries. The employee was paid $5,000 USD in bonuses and Gamefam was legally obligated to remind its employees of their rights.[4][17]

Games

Gamefam's current Roblox games include:[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ha, Anthony (March 11, 2021). "Gamefam aims to be the first big gaming company built on Roblox". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  2. ↑ Holt, Kris (March 23, 2022). "Gamefam, Publisher Of Hit Roblox Games Like Twilight Daycare, Raises $25 Million In Its Series A Round". Forbes. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ Writer, Jeffrey Rousseau Staff (August 1, 2023). "Gamefam and the business of advertising on game platforms". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Carpenter, Nicole (April 11, 2023). "Sonic the Hedgehog Roblox game studio can't stop its workers from discussing pay". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Takahashi, Dean (December 5, 2022). "Gamefam sees rapid growth in making games for Roblox". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (April 5, 2021). "Roblox is so lucrative that it has attracted professional studios like Gamefam". VentureBeat. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  7. ↑ Obedkov, Evgeny (April 7, 2021). "Gamefam is publisher that helps Roblox developers generate six-figure revenues". Game World Observer. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Mattel, Gamefam Team for Roblox Hot Wheels Game". License Global. November 19, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  9. ↑ Maier, Erik (November 20, 2020). "Gaming Roundup | Hot Wheels built a game inside of a different game". Autoblog. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  10. ↑ "WowWee and Gamefam Announce Partnership Geared at Bringing the Metaverse to the Doll Aisle". Yahoo Finance. October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  11. ↑ Media, aNb (April 7, 2022). "MGA Entertainment Partners With Gamefam and WildBrain Spark for Landmark L.O.L. Surprise! Roblox Integration". aNb Media, Inc. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  12. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (March 23, 2022). "Gamefam raises $25M to build games for Roblox". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  13. ↑ Alexander, Christina (April 13, 2022). "Sonic the Hedgehog's next video game is in Roblox". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  14. ↑ McCracken, Harry (April 19, 2023). "Roblox grows up". Fast Company. Fast Company, Inc. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ Bevan, Rhiannon (December 12, 2022). "Sonic Speed Simulator Devs Accused Of Crunching And Underpaying Staff". TheGamer. Valnet Inc. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ Coulson, Josh (December 13, 2022). "More Developers Speak Out Against Roblox Sonic Speed Simulator Developer Gamefam". TheGamer. Valnet Inc. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  17. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (April 11, 2023). "Gamefam settles NLRB complaint alleging retaliation over pay discussions amongst staffers". GamesIndustry.biz.
  18. ↑ "Our Games — Gamefam". Gamefam. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  19. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (May 24, 2023). "Gamefam will build immersive world for Cirque du Soleil inside Roblox". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  20. ↑ Luster, Joseph (December 21, 2023). "My Hero Academia Battlegrounds Roblox Beta Goes Live as Service's 1st Official Anime Game". Crunchyroll News. Crunchyroll LLC. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  21. ↑ "NickALive!: Paramount, Gamefam Partner For 'SpongeBob,' 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Fan Experiences In Roblox". NickALive!. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Barbie Dreamhouse Tycoon Launches on Roblox, Timed to Movie Release". Metaverse Marcom. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
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