Mean Hamster Software, Inc. was a
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
founded by
John Swiderski in 1985. Mean Hamster Software created several games for the
Atari 5200 from 1999-2004. They then created ''
Myst'' for Windows Mobile in 2005, and after the release of ''
Riven: The Sequel to Myst'' for Pocket PC in 2006, Mean Hamster began work on its first
casual games. The company is located in
Deer Park, Washington (just outside
Spokane, WA).
In 2006, Mean Hamster Software acquired the rights to the
Exidy catalog, which includes titles such as ''
Crossbow'', ''
Venture'' and ''
Mouse Trap''.
The company closed its doors and laid off all its remaining employees in September 2012.
Casual game development
In 2007, Mean Hamster began work on casual games and partnered with
PlayFirst to produce a casual game entitled ''Pet Shop Hop'' which was released in March 2008. From there, Mean Hamster partnered with
Big Fish Games,
Namco, and Mesmo, Inc. to develop more titles. Games developed by Mean Hamster Software include:
* ''Pet Shop Hop''(March 21, 2008)
* ''Everything Nice'' (April 2, 2009)
* ''Ye Olde Sandwich Shoppe''(May 27, 2009)
* ''Passport to Perfume'' (July 21, 2009)
* ''Cat Wash'' (November 13, 2009)
* ''Vegas Nights (Facebook)''(May 15, 2010)
* ''Remarkable Farkle'' (August 1, 2010)
* ''
Crossbow for
iPhone'' (September 9, 2010)
* ''Sushi Quiz'' (November 21, 2010)
* ''Hospitopia''(January 10, 2011)
* ''Vegas Nights (GSN)'' (April, 2011)
* ''Lizzie's Royal Dinner'' (April, 2011)
* ''Mother Nature'' (Feb 13th, 2012)
* ''Bee Craft'' (July 20, 2012)
Mean Hamster Software was named one of Washington State's "Top Video Game Developers" in the September 2008 Issue of Washington CEO magazine.
References
{{reflist
External links
Mean Hamster official websiteGames developed by Mean Hamsterfrom
MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...
Defunct video game companies of the United States
Video game development companies
Software companies based in Washington (state)
Software companies established in 1985
Privately held companies based in Washington (state)
Companies based in Spokane County, Washington
1985 establishments in Washington (state)