Frozenbyte Inc. is a Finnish
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 larg ...
founded in 2001 and based in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
. it had approximately 130 employees. Frozenbyte's first commercial game was ''
Shadowgrounds'' for
Microsoft Windows. Both ''
Shadowgrounds'' and its follow-up ''
Shadowgrounds: Survivor'' were released for
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which i ...
in 2009, ported by IGIOS and published by
Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing (sometimes also referred to as LGP) was a software company based in Nottingham in England. It ported, published and sold video games running on Linux operating systems. As well as porting games, LGP also sponsored the deve ...
.
Frozenbyte's next commercial game, ''
Trine'' was released in 2009 for Microsoft Windows in 2009, and has since been ported to Linux,
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and la ...
, the
PlayStation Network
PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smar ...
, and Nintendo eShop. The game spawned 2 sequels, ''
Trine 2
''Trine 2'' is a side-scrolling, puzzle-platform game developed by Frozenbyte. It is the sequel to '' Trine'' and was released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in December 2011, and later for Linux in March 2012. ''Trine 2' ...
'' which was released on Microsoft Windows, OS X,
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
, and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
in December 2011, Linux in March 2012, and Wii U eShop in November 2012, and ''
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power'' which was released via
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizat ...
Early access
Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...
in August 2015. A fourth installment, ''
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince'' was released in October 2019.
A ''
Humble Indie Bundle'' sale started on 12 April 2011, and featured five games from Frozenbyte, including ''Trine'', ''Shadowgrounds'', and ''Shadowgrounds: Survivor'', for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It also contained an executable version along with source code for an unfinished game, ''Jack Claw'', and a pre-order for their upcoming game, ''
Splot''. As of August 2021, Splot has still to be published, and buyer's libraries on
Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle, Inc. is a digital storefront for video games, which grew out of its original offering of Humble Bundles, collections of games sold at a price determined by the purchaser and with a portion of the price going towards charity and t ...
say "There are no full release builds planned of Splot for Windows, Mac, and Linux".
On 4 December 2015, the company announced ''
Shadwen
''Shadwen'' is a stealth video game developed and published by Frozenbyte. The game was released for Windows, macOS, Linux and PlayStation 4 in May 2016.
Gameplay
''Shadwen'' is a stealth video game played from a third-person view.
Plot
An a ...
'', a
stealth game
A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow th ...
where time moves only when the player moves.
On 28 May 2019, the company announced a new upcoming game ''
Starbase'', a
Sci-FI
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univ ...
MMO that was allegedly in development in secret for 5 years prior.
Games developed
*''
Shadowgrounds'' — (2005)
*''
Shadowgrounds: Survivor'' — (2007)
*''
Trine'' — (2009)
*''
Trine 2
''Trine 2'' is a side-scrolling, puzzle-platform game developed by Frozenbyte. It is the sequel to '' Trine'' and was released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in December 2011, and later for Linux in March 2012. ''Trine 2' ...
'' — (2011)
*''
Splot'' — (2014)
*''
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power'' — (2015)
*''
Shadwen
''Shadwen'' is a stealth video game developed and published by Frozenbyte. The game was released for Windows, macOS, Linux and PlayStation 4 in May 2016.
Gameplay
''Shadwen'' is a stealth video game played from a third-person view.
Plot
An a ...
'' — (2016)
* ''
Has-Been Heroes
''Has-Been Heroes'' is an action video game developed by Frozenbyte and published by GameTrust. The game was released on 28 March 2017 in North America and in Europe and Australia on 4 April 2017 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft W ...
'' — (2017)
* ''
Nine Parchments
''Nine Parchments'' is a twin stick action role-playing game developed and published by Frozenbyte. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2017. The game's story revolves around students of th ...
'' — (2017)
*''
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince'' — (2019)
*''
Starbase'' (2021)
References
External links
''Frozenbyte'' Official website
Privately held companies of Finland
Video game companies established in 2001
2001 establishments in Finland
Companies based in Helsinki
Video game companies of Finland
Video game development companies
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