| Ratloop | |
|---|---|
 Ratloop, Inc. / Ratloop Asia | |
|
Founded |
1997 |
|
Industry |
Video Games |
|
Co-Founders |
Sian Yue Tan |
|
Headquarters |
Houston, Texas |
|
Products |
Rocketbirds, etc. |
|
Revenue |
$1 mil. - $5 mil. |
|
Employees |
10 - 20 |
|
Website |
|
Ratloop is an independent video game developer established in early 1997 under the name Team Epochalypse, but was changed to launch the name Ratloop, Inc., when relocated to the US.
Ratloop Inc. was set up in the US over a decade ago by Lucas Pope, James Anderson, Pete Gonzalez and Sian Yue Tan. Ratloop Asia was set up in Singapore to work on Rocketbirds. There was an 8 year break in between founding the two companies in which they all decided to just get better at whatever they were doing back then.
Background
In early 1997, a group of six individuals hailing from various places around the world met in Amsterdam to create Malice™, a groundbreaking first person shooter utilizing the Quake game engine. Malice™ won numerous awards including "Game of Distinction Award" from PCGamer UK, PCM&E's "Best Commercial GLQuake Add-on of 1997", and Adrenaline Vault's "Best Add-on 1997". The following year the group (then called Team Epochalypse) relocated the US to launch Ratloop, Inc., an independent game studio that has continued to produce innovative 3D entertainment products ever since.
In 2000, Ratloop introduced its Mekada® brand that targets the rapidly growing broader audience of casual gamers. The release of Gearhead Garage® (endorsed by Snap-On Tools) marked the establishment of a key long-term affiliation with Activision Value, the largest publisher of value-priced games in the world. Gearhead Garage sold over 100,000 copies and received excellent reviews as well as various awards including the 2002 All Star Award by Children's Software Review. At the same time, Ratloop has continued to support the 3D action genre with titles such as In the Line of Duty: Firefighter™ and FDNY Firefighter™.
Although the company has evolved and expanded considerably over the years, the original founders are still active on the board of directors and remain committed to their core vision of delivering innovative, high quality entertainment experiences. To date, Ratloop has succeeded without relying on external investors.
The company made a return in 2008 when Lucas Pope and Keiko Ishizaka released the small title Mightier. It became a finalist at the IGF 2009 for the Innovation Award.
Earlier that year, in July 2008, Sian Yue Tan applied for a grant with the Media Development Authority of Singapore and set up Ratloop Asia Pte. Ltd., an Asian division of studio, to start full-time work on Rocketbirds: Revolution!, a game he self-funded.
Games
Recent Games
- Mightier - Action-puzzler drawing game
- Rocketbirds: Revolution! - A cinematic 2D action/puzzler game
- Helsing's Fire - Award-winning iOS puzzler
- Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken - A cinematic platform adventure game
Older Games
- Malice - A Quake total conversion
- Gearhead Garage
- Gearhead Garage Adventure
- In the Line of Duty: Firefighter
- FDNY FireFighter American Hero