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Maximum Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in
Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland, California, Oakland. Walnut Creek has a total population of 70,127 per t ...
. Originally founded in 2009 as a publisher of family-oriented titles for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
and
Nintendo Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
, the company shifted to publishing games of all genres for all ages across all platforms shortly after inception. Maximum Games has acted as a sub-publisher and North American distributor for many other major video game publishers including
Nacon Nacon SA (formerly Bigben Interactive SA) is a French video game publisher, holdings company and gaming peripherals manufacturer based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for va ...
,
Microids Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activision ...
,
Funcom Funcom Oslo AS (formerly Funcom N.V. and Funcom Productions AS) is a Norwegian video game developer and publisher that specializes in online games. It is best known for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) titles ''Conan Ex ...
, and
Focus Home Interactive Focus Entertainment (formerly Focus Home Interactive) is a French video game publisher based in Paris. It is a subsidiary of PulluP Entertainment Group. Founded in 1996, Focus has published and distributed original titles such as ''Sherlock Holm ...
. Some of the most notable franchises they have partnered on include the ''Farming Simulator'' series, ''
Five Nights at Freddy's ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' (''FNaF'') is a video game series and media franchise created by Scott Cawthon that includes video games, novels, graphic novels, and films. The story arcs typically follow a night guard or other character trying t ...
'', ''
Bendy and the Ink Machine ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' is an Episodic video game, episodic survival horror game developed and published by Joey Drew Studios. It was initially released to Game Jolt on February 10, 2017, as the first of five chapters, with a full worldwi ...
'', '' Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid'', '' Divinity: Original Sin'', and the ''WRC'' series. Maximum Games expanded into funding and development with a new publishing label in 2018 called Modus Games. In 2019, the company acquired its first studio, Brazilian-based The Balance, Inc. and rebranded it as Modus Studios Brazil. In 2024, Maximum Games was grouped together with several other related publisher labels under the parent brand Maximum Entertainment.


History

Maximum Games is a privately held California corporation, and was founded as "Maximum Family Games" in 2009 by
Christina Seelye Christina Seelye is an American Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur. She is the Chief executive officer, CEO and Founder CEO, founder of video game publisher Maximum Games, and its subsidiaries Modus Games and Modus Studios. Career In June 2001, Chr ...
and Len Ciciretto. During the 2009 holiday season, the company launched two successful Nintendo DS titles, Junior Brain Trainer and Junior Classic Games, with placement in major US retailers. In 2010, the company published 16 new products for the Nintendo DS, Wii and PC platforms. In the same year, the company was granted third-party publishing status with
Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi founded the company to p ...
and
Sony Computer Entertainment America Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game console ...
, and in 2011, they were granted the same status in Europe with both companies. In 2012, the company also secured its license with
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
. That May, the company legally changed its name to Maximum Games. Following the rebrand, Maximum Games began rapidly expanding into sales and physical distribution in North America for European publishers, specifically for the seventh console generation. The company's output averaged around eight releases per year, handling packaging, third-party logistics, and negotiating with retailers to secure placements for physical releases. By 2015, the company had invested $2.5 million in future games and shipped a total of 1 million units across all releases. In March 2016, Maximum Games acquired UK-based video game publisher and distributor Avanquest Software Publishing Ltd. The acquisition marked Maximum's move to expand distribution of its games globally, establishing a European sales and marketing position. During this time, they also established a second European subsidiary, Maximum Games Ireland Limited. In 2017, Maximum Games began development of its first fully owned IP, ''
Extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
'', which released in the following year. The expansion into development would lay the foundation for its publishing label Modus Games, focusing on AAA publishing services for independent developers. During this same time, the company further developed its European network of partners and retailers, offering games in over 30+ countries. In 2018, Len Ciciretto transitioned out of the company and is no longer a shareholder. In October 2020, Maximum Games entered an agreement with Nacon to handle third-party logistics for their lineup of RIG computer and gaming accessories. Maximum Games began offering direct-to-consumer shipping from its own digital storefront in December 2020. It currently sells partner titles, Modus Games titles, and store exclusive collector's editions. The company was purchased by Swedish firm Zordix AB in November 2021, for a total of $42 million, with additional earnouts of up to $30 million. In February 2023, Zordix consolidated Dimfrost,
Invictus Games The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event first held in 2014, for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel, both serving and veterans. The word 'Invictus' is Latin for 'unconquered', chosen as an embodiment of th ...
, Mane6, Modus Brazil, and Zordix Racing to create Modus Studios. It also acquired
FUN Labs Fun Labs Romania SRL is a Romanian video game developer based in Bucharest. Founded in 1999, it long worked with Activision on a multitude of projects, including several ''Cabela's'' games. On March 14, 2023, the company was acquired by Maximu ...
. The company further consolidated in February 2024, announcing that publishers Maximum Games, Modus Games, Just For Games, and Merge Games, and developer Modus Studios, would all be grouped under the name Maximum Entertainment.


Modus Games

In December 2017, Maximum Games created a new division of the company called Modus Games, focused on providing full-service publishing services to independent video game developers. Modus Games' first title published was action-adventure title ''
Extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
'', developed by
Iron Galaxy Iron Galaxy Studios, LLC is an American video game developer studio based in Chicago, Illinois, with additional studios in Orlando, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee. Iron Galaxy often collaborates with publishers and developers to provide "tec ...
. In 2019, Modus Games purchased the independent Brazilian game studio The Balance, Inc., which it previously partnered with to publish the action game '' Override: Mech City Brawl''. The company was rebranded as Modus Studios Brazil and operates independently of the publishing arm, offering porting, development support, and development of original IPs.


History

Modus Games was first introduced in 2018 when the company was soft launched with the release of Iron Galaxy's ''Extinction''. The company was fully launched in March 2019. Their first title as a publishing label was Finnish developer Frozenbyte's '' Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince'', which received favorable reviews. Modus Games has since partnered with several developers of varying sizes for both physical and digital releases globally. The company has made their first foray into the collectibles market with the announcement of a collector's edition for Dreams Uncorporated's
action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games empha ...
''
Cris Tales ''Cris Tales'' (stylized as ''CrisTales'') is a role-playing video game developed by Colombian indie game studios Dreams Uncorporated and Syck, and published by Modus Games. It was released for Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, P ...
''. In October 2020, Modus Games initiated an ongoing charitable initiative called Games Giving Back, in which the company donates a portion of each games' profits towards a charity, often in a similar theme to each game being highlighted. The first of these donations was to the Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation, an organization that helps women advance their careers through coaching and mentorship. In January 2022, Modus Games acquired Mane6, the development team behind ''
Them's Fightin' Herds ''Them's Fightin' Herds'' is an indie fighting game developed by Mane6 and published by Modus Games. It features a cast of ungulate characters fighting each other to find a champion worthy of gaining a magical key that will protect their worl ...
''.


Modus Studios Brazil

Following the release of '' Override: Mech City Brawl'' by Brazilian studio The Balance, Inc., Modus Games purchased and rebranded the developer as Modus Studios Brazil in 2019. The company operates independently of the publishing arm, and has since released a sequel titled '' Override 2: Super Mech League''. It is the company's first developer acquisition under the Modus name. In addition to development, the studio also co-develops and offers porting services for other Modus published games.


List of video games

Games published and/or developed


Notes


Distributed games

*'' A Plague Tale: Innocence'' *''
Bendy and the Ink Machine ''Bendy and the Ink Machine'' is an Episodic video game, episodic survival horror game developed and published by Joey Drew Studios. It was initially released to Game Jolt on February 10, 2017, as the first of five chapters, with a full worldwi ...
'' *'' Call of Cthulhu'' *'' Car Mechanic Simulator 2018'' *''
Conan Exiles ''Conan Exiles'' is a survival video game developed and published by Funcom for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game is set in the world of ''Conan the Barbarian'', with the custom playable character being rescued by Conan, beginning t ...
'' *''
Farming Simulator ''Farming Simulator'' is a farming simulation video game series developed by GIANTS Software. The locations are based on American, European and Asian environments. Players are able to farm, breed livestock, grow crops, and sell assets create ...
'' series *'' Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted'' *''Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2'' *'' Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach'' *'' The Golf Club 2'' *''
GreedFall ''GreedFall'' is an action role-playing game developed by Spiders (company), Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. The game is set in an early 18th century-styled fantasy setting and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, a ...
'' *'' Infinite Air with Mark McMorris'' *'' Kena: Bridge of Spirits'' *'' Minecraft: Story Mode'' *''
Nickelodeon Kart Racers ''Nickelodeon Kart Racers'' is a 2018 racing game developed by Bamtang Games and published by GameMill Entertainment in North America and Maximum Games in Europe. The game features Nickelodeon characters in a crossover, including ''SpongeBob Squar ...
'' *'' Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid'' *'' Remothered: Broken Porcelain'' *''
The Sinking City ''The Sinking City'' is an action-adventure game developed by Frogwares and inspired by the works of horror fiction author H. P. Lovecraft. Set in the fictional city of Oakmont, Massachusetts during the 1920s, the story follows private investiga ...
'' *'' SnowRunner'' *'' Spintires: MudRunner'' *'' The Surge'' *''
Vampyr ''Vampyr'' () is a 1932 Gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories '' In a Glass Darkly''. The ...
'' *'' Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood''


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2009 establishments in California Video game companies established in 2009 American companies established in 2009 Video game publishers Video game companies based in California Companies based in Contra Costa County, California Walnut Creek, California Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area 2021 mergers and acquisitions American subsidiaries of foreign companies