NDreams
Encyclopedia
nDreams, Ltd. is a video game developing company located in Farnborough, Hampshire
in the United Kingdom
. The company was formed in August 2006 thanks to former SCi
/Eidos
creative director, Patrick O'Luanaigh
. nDreams was listed in Develop magazine
as one of the hot companies to look for in 2008. nDreams was featured in the September 2009 issue of Edge
magazine about their Xi project for PlayStation Home. Non-digital retail is a secondary aim of the company, but two of the projects that they're creating for digital platforms lend themselves to additional distribution at retail. nDreams are registered Sony
, Microsoft
, and Nintendo
developers, and their key focus with regards to console gaming is on digital distribution, looking at Xbox Live Arcade
and PlayStation Network in particular.
, a game which will cater to a female audience that isn't getting the attention it deserves. Venus Redemption is nDreams first title and is currently in development.
The next ARG to come from nDreams, the first being Xi, is called Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life and was not based in Home like Xi was. Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life was released in March 2010 and ended in November 2010 and was co-developed by Reebok
, starring Lewis Hamilton
.
, the expanding virtual world on Sony
's PlayStation 3
console. In the last two years (from 2009), nDreams has released 19 Home spaces and 13 Home items across multiple territories.
The first project for nDreams was the world's first console-based and virtual world-based alternate reality game
, Xi
. Xi was released on March 23, 2009 (with hints a month before its release) and lasted a total of 12 weeks. Xi was an expansion to PlayStation Home in the European and North American versions. It took place within PlayStation Home, across the web and in the real world. Following Xi, nDreams is working on several projects in PlayStation Home. On December 23, 2010, nDreams released the "Xi Museum" giving users access to a majority of what Xi offered, minus the game itself.
nDreams is responsible for the design and decoration of the PlayStation Events Spaces when an event is held in one of the various event spaces.
nDreams next project for Home was a personal space called "The Pirate Galleon Apartment". This is the European Home's first personal space to have a mini-game with prizes ("Man the Cannon"; users take control of a cannon and defend their ship). This is also the first personal space for Europe to have music (a tiki hut called "Cap'n Tarquin's"). The space was released on October 23, 2009 to the European Home and on November 12, 2009 to the North American Home.
On February 4, 2010, nDreams released another personal space called "Musicality" for Europe, and soon after in North America. It features a balcony overlooking a big space for dancing and a music mini-game. Filling an entire end of the Musicality space is a stage area devoted to band equipment. Users can launch into the multiplayer music game, where they can compete against their friends for a top score playing on drums, guitar and other instruments.
On March 17, 2011, nDreams released a new game space in Europe and North America called "Aurora" which according to nDreams "is a unique game world full of challenges and secrets to uncover that will evolve over time with new features, characters, games, and narrative." It was updated to Aurora 1.2 on October 6, 2011. There is also a personal space dedicated to Aurora.
nDreams has more spaces and virtual items in development and are determined to continue to push the bar in terms of what is possible in Home.
. It is a PC educational tool that allows users to create linear or interactive stories by piecing together images, sound and text.
Sports & Entertainment in a new non-exclusive strategic partnership as part of their ongoing drive to develop bespoke games with agencies and brands. They will provide "non-traditional" games products to their advertising clients. They are going to be working closer with M&C on a range of games including, alternate reality games, social games, and console games.
, the studio behind LittleBigPlanet
.
nDreams was nominated for a Develop Award again in 2010, this time in the "Business Development" category. The award was won by Sony XDev.
nDreams was included on Guardian Tech Media Invest 100 list (top 100 companies for innovation) for Games and Entertainment. nDreams was also nominated for the prestigious Kemp Little
Innovation award, for outstanding business innovation (which was won by Cortexica) in 2010.
In 2011, nDreams was nominated for another Develop Award in the "Business Development" category for the second year in a row. The award was won by Mind Candy
.
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The company was formed in August 2006 thanks to former SCi
SCi
Square Enix Limited, doing business as Square Enix Europe, is a British publisher of video game software wholly owned by Square Enix. Square Enix Europe has its head office in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
/Eidos
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
creative director, Patrick O'Luanaigh
Patrick O'Luanaigh
Patrick O'Luanaigh of London, England was employed as Head of External Development at Codemasters, where he worked on titles including Micro Machines, before co-heading their internal design studio. He produced titles including Operation Flashpoint, Prisoner of War, and the Cannes Palm d'Or...
. nDreams was listed in Develop magazine
Develop (magazine)
Develop is a monthly trade magazine for the video games industry. Based in Hertford, Hertfordshire, the magazine allows participation by anyone working in the video game industry. Develop is the only European-based website and print magazine aimed exclusively at the development community...
as one of the hot companies to look for in 2008. nDreams was featured in the September 2009 issue of Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
magazine about their Xi project for PlayStation Home. Non-digital retail is a secondary aim of the company, but two of the projects that they're creating for digital platforms lend themselves to additional distribution at retail. nDreams are registered Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
developers, and their key focus with regards to console gaming is on digital distribution, looking at Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and PlayStation Network in particular.
Games
In an interview with Edge magazine, O'Luanaigh told Edge of the company's plans to invigorate the casual market with Venus RedemptionVenus Redemption
Venus Redemption is an episodic video game currently in development by nDreams that will cater primarily to a female audience. Venus Redemption is nDreams first title. It will be released for the PC, Mac, iPhone, Wii and web browsers...
, a game which will cater to a female audience that isn't getting the attention it deserves. Venus Redemption is nDreams first title and is currently in development.
The next ARG to come from nDreams, the first being Xi, is called Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life and was not based in Home like Xi was. Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life was released in March 2010 and ended in November 2010 and was co-developed by Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, starring Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
.
PlayStation Home
nDreams claims to be one of the world's leading independent developers and publishers in PlayStation HomePlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social gaming network developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network . It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar under PlayStation Network. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN...
, the expanding virtual world on Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
's PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
console. In the last two years (from 2009), nDreams has released 19 Home spaces and 13 Home items across multiple territories.
The first project for nDreams was the world's first console-based and virtual world-based alternate reality game
Alternate reality game
An alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions....
, Xi
Xi (alternate reality game)
Xi was the world's first console-based and virtual world-based alternate reality game.It was a one-time-only play, unfolding in real time, and only available on the PlayStation 3 through the social gaming network, PlayStation Home...
. Xi was released on March 23, 2009 (with hints a month before its release) and lasted a total of 12 weeks. Xi was an expansion to PlayStation Home in the European and North American versions. It took place within PlayStation Home, across the web and in the real world. Following Xi, nDreams is working on several projects in PlayStation Home. On December 23, 2010, nDreams released the "Xi Museum" giving users access to a majority of what Xi offered, minus the game itself.
nDreams is responsible for the design and decoration of the PlayStation Events Spaces when an event is held in one of the various event spaces.
nDreams next project for Home was a personal space called "The Pirate Galleon Apartment". This is the European Home's first personal space to have a mini-game with prizes ("Man the Cannon"; users take control of a cannon and defend their ship). This is also the first personal space for Europe to have music (a tiki hut called "Cap'n Tarquin's"). The space was released on October 23, 2009 to the European Home and on November 12, 2009 to the North American Home.
On February 4, 2010, nDreams released another personal space called "Musicality" for Europe, and soon after in North America. It features a balcony overlooking a big space for dancing and a music mini-game. Filling an entire end of the Musicality space is a stage area devoted to band equipment. Users can launch into the multiplayer music game, where they can compete against their friends for a top score playing on drums, guitar and other instruments.
On March 17, 2011, nDreams released a new game space in Europe and North America called "Aurora" which according to nDreams "is a unique game world full of challenges and secrets to uncover that will evolve over time with new features, characters, games, and narrative." It was updated to Aurora 1.2 on October 6, 2011. There is also a personal space dedicated to Aurora.
nDreams has more spaces and virtual items in development and are determined to continue to push the bar in terms of what is possible in Home.
Other projects
In early 2008, nDreams completed a short piece of work on a project called iStoriesIStories
iStories is a simple and addictive PC educational tool that allows people to create their own linear or interactive stories by piecing together images, sound and text. It was designed to be simple to use, yet powerful underneath the surface, and it's now being used across the globe for both...
. It is a PC educational tool that allows users to create linear or interactive stories by piecing together images, sound and text.
- Project Y is currently in development for mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s running Android and iOS. It features a highly unique funding model and is a lifestyle application.
- Friday Town is a groundbreaking new social game created through a partnership between Cadbury Crunchie and nDreams for FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. The game invites players into a virtual world, called Friday Town, and challenges them to help its inhabitants brighten up their lives with a series of puzzles that will unfold over the coming weeks and months.
- Spirit of Adventure is the first ever soap opera on Facebook. It combines a compelling tale and strong characters with a variety of puzzles to create a unique narrative-driven Facebook experience.
- StreetDance 3D, a Facebook app, is the first collaborative project between nDreams and Vertigo FilmsVertigo FilmsVertigo Films is a British film production and film distribution company.- History :In 2002, Vertigo Films was created by producers Allan Niblo , James Richardson , director Nick Love Vertigo Films is a British film production and film distribution company.- History :In 2002, Vertigo Films was...
, and is an action-packed dance game inspired by the movieStreetDance 3DStreetDance 3D is a British dance film which was released on 21 May 2010. The film was released in RealD 3D, XpanD 3D, and Dolby 3D with Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini directing it. Britain's Got Talent stars George Sampson, Diversity and Flawless made their debut appearances to the big screen...
. The game features motion-captured dance moves (recorded at Pinewood Studios) and music from the film.
Partnerships
nDreams has partnered with M&C SaatchiM&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi is an international advertising agency network formed in January 1995 by the brothers Maurice Saatchi and Charles Saatchi after they were ousted from the advertising agency group Saatchi & Saatchi which they had founded in 1970...
Sports & Entertainment in a new non-exclusive strategic partnership as part of their ongoing drive to develop bespoke games with agencies and brands. They will provide "non-traditional" games products to their advertising clients. They are going to be working closer with M&C on a range of games including, alternate reality games, social games, and console games.
Awards and nominations
nDreams was a nominee for a Develop Award in the "Best New Studio" category at the 2009 Develop Industry Excellence Awards. The winner was Media MoleculeMedia Molecule
Media Molecule is a British video game developer based in Guildford in Surrey. The studio was founded in January 2006 by former Lionhead Studios employees Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith, and Kareem Ettouney...
, the studio behind LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
.
nDreams was nominated for a Develop Award again in 2010, this time in the "Business Development" category. The award was won by Sony XDev.
nDreams was included on Guardian Tech Media Invest 100 list (top 100 companies for innovation) for Games and Entertainment. nDreams was also nominated for the prestigious Kemp Little
Kemp Little
Kemp Little LLP is a boutique technology-focused law firm based in London. It specializes in TMT, but also has expanded into other practice areas such as corporate, litigation and employment...
Innovation award, for outstanding business innovation (which was won by Cortexica) in 2010.
In 2011, nDreams was nominated for another Develop Award in the "Business Development" category for the second year in a row. The award was won by Mind Candy
Mind Candy
Mind Candy is a British entertainment company, formed in 2003 by UK internet entrepreneur Michael Acton Smith, and based in Shoreditch, London, England...
.