Twisted Pixel Games
Encyclopedia
Twisted Pixel Games is a video game developer
based in Austin, Texas
. Originally a contractor, Twisted Pixel now releases games based on their own intellectual properties
such as The Maw
and 'Splosion Man
. The company uses their own proprietary engine, known as BEARD to power their games. On October 12, 2011 it was announced that Twisted Pixel had become part of Microsoft Studios.
, providing engineering work for NBA Ballers: Chosen One
and Blitz: The League II
. In 2008 Twisted Pixel announced that their focus had shifted to digitally distributed games based on their own new intellectual properties
. In 2008 the company moved from Madison, Indiana
to their current location in Austin, Texas
. According to CEO Michael Wilford the move was to "tap into a broader talent pool."
Initially Twisted Pixel targeted WiiWare
as their service of choice. Speaking of the 2005 planned state of the service "Back then, WiiWare was planned to be more like Xbox Live Arcade" stated CEO Micheal Wilford. He noted the original plans for the service would require companies to submit games to Nintendo for approval, similar to the submission process Microsoft uses for Xbox Live Arcade. Early discussions with Microsoft were not positive, but Wilford stated that Nintendo was eager to work with them. "Twisted Pixel was the first company to get a green light for WiiWare." Nintendo later changed their WiiWare model to one that required no submission process. Twisted Pixel opted not to use the service and continued talks with Microsoft. In 2007 Wilford met with David Every, the portfolio planner for Xbox Live Arcade at that time. Twisted Pixel pitched multiple games, including The Maw
, which would become their first Xbox Live Arcade title.
Released on January 21, 2009, The Maw tells the story of the extraterrestrial
Frank and a purple, amorphous creature called The Maw, who have crash-landed their spacecraft on an alien planet. Their second title, 'Splosion Man
, is a platform game
where players control an escaped science experiment with the ability to explode himself repeatedly. It was released on July 22, 2009. Twisted Pixel's third title, Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley
was released October 6, 2010. Players control Captain Smiley, a comic book hero whose comics are poorly received. Seeking help from Twisted Pixel themselves he "jumps" in other comics, hoping to glean from each genre's popularity. On December 3, 2010 Twisted Pixel announced Ms. Splosion Man
, a sequel to 2009's Splosion Man. It was released on July 13, 2011.
On February 1, 2011 the company revealed their latest game, The Gunstringer
, a third person shooter designed for use with the Xbox 360
Kinect peripheral. The game was originally intended to be the first Xbox Live Arcade
game to be featured as a Kinect title but instead became a retail release. It is set as a live-action play set in the Old West. The protagonist, killed by his posse, has been resurrected and seeks revenge. Live action sequences for the game were filmed at The Paramount Theatre
in Austin, Texas
where the company is located.
Their games have been generally well received by critics, and collectively have won several awards. The Maw won the 2008 Audience Choice award at PAX10
, and was a finalist at the Independent Games Festival
2009. Splosion Man was voted by the Xbox Live community as the Best Original Xbox Live Arcade Game of 2009. In a September 2010 ranking, IGN
listed it eleventh in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time. It also received several Best of E3 awards in 2009. Captain Smiley, the lead character in Comic Jumper received the Best New Character award from Official Xbox Magazine
in 2010.
released an iOS game entitled MaXplosion, which featured several similarities to Splosion Man, including the same game mechanics. Speaking on Twitter
, Twisted Pixel programmer Mike Henry believed the game to be "a complete theft". Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford also pointed out that Twisted Pixel Games once pitched Splosion Man to Capcom, but the game was rejected. Twisted Pixel do not plan to take legal action against Capcom. Capcom responded to the allegations saying that the game was developed independently by Capcom Mobile, a different division from the one that had discussions with Twisted Pixel, and the game's similarities to Splosion Man was a coincidence. Wilford later explained that the pitch to Capcom was presented to the US branch of the company, and that the UK division handles all mobile game development. He stated that it was unlikely that Capcom US passed on the game pitch to Capcom UK.
' Granny 3D animation toolset. Razor can be adapted to develop in 3D or 2.5D configurations. Games are scripted using Lua, which allows the developers to share code between titles.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Originally a contractor, Twisted Pixel now releases games based on their own intellectual properties
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
such as The Maw
The Maw (video game)
The Maw received above average ratings from critics. It currently averages 75 out of 100 on Metacritic for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions. GameRankings reports similar scores of 76.06% for the Xbox 360 and 73.33% for the PC. Accolades came from outlets such as Games Radar and GamePro with...
and 'Splosion Man
'Splosion Man
'Splosion Man is a 2.5D action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade digital download service. It was released on July 22, 2009 as part of the 2009 Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
. The company uses their own proprietary engine, known as BEARD to power their games. On October 12, 2011 it was announced that Twisted Pixel had become part of Microsoft Studios.
History
Twisted Pixel Games was founded in 2006 by industry veterans Michael Wilford, Frank Wilson and Josh Bear. The company first performed contract work for the now-defunct Midway GamesMidway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
, providing engineering work for NBA Ballers: Chosen One
NBA Ballers: Chosen One
NBA Ballers: Chosen One is a video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to NBA Ballers: Phenom.NBA Ballers: Chosen One allows players to live the life of an NBA superstar. The game features competitive combo and super-move systems.-Gameplay:When playing, your performance...
and Blitz: The League II
Blitz: The League II
Blitz: The League II is an American football video game in Midway's Blitz series. It was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 13, 2008. Five new teams and 4 relocated clubs are included in the new installment. The new teams are the Los Angeles Riot, the Houston Riders , Vancouver...
. In 2008 Twisted Pixel announced that their focus had shifted to digitally distributed games based on their own new intellectual properties
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
. In 2008 the company moved from Madison, Indiana
Madison, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
to their current location in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. According to CEO Michael Wilford the move was to "tap into a broader talent pool."
Initially Twisted Pixel targeted WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
as their service of choice. Speaking of the 2005 planned state of the service "Back then, WiiWare was planned to be more like Xbox Live Arcade" stated CEO Micheal Wilford. He noted the original plans for the service would require companies to submit games to Nintendo for approval, similar to the submission process Microsoft uses for Xbox Live Arcade. Early discussions with Microsoft were not positive, but Wilford stated that Nintendo was eager to work with them. "Twisted Pixel was the first company to get a green light for WiiWare." Nintendo later changed their WiiWare model to one that required no submission process. Twisted Pixel opted not to use the service and continued talks with Microsoft. In 2007 Wilford met with David Every, the portfolio planner for Xbox Live Arcade at that time. Twisted Pixel pitched multiple games, including The Maw
The Maw (video game)
The Maw received above average ratings from critics. It currently averages 75 out of 100 on Metacritic for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions. GameRankings reports similar scores of 76.06% for the Xbox 360 and 73.33% for the PC. Accolades came from outlets such as Games Radar and GamePro with...
, which would become their first Xbox Live Arcade title.
Released on January 21, 2009, The Maw tells the story of the extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
Frank and a purple, amorphous creature called The Maw, who have crash-landed their spacecraft on an alien planet. Their second title, 'Splosion Man
'Splosion Man
'Splosion Man is a 2.5D action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade digital download service. It was released on July 22, 2009 as part of the 2009 Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
, is a platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
where players control an escaped science experiment with the ability to explode himself repeatedly. It was released on July 22, 2009. Twisted Pixel's third title, Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley
Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley
Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley is an action video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games and co-published with Microsoft Game Studios. It was released for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace on October 6, 2010 as part of Microsoft's Game Feast promotion...
was released October 6, 2010. Players control Captain Smiley, a comic book hero whose comics are poorly received. Seeking help from Twisted Pixel themselves he "jumps" in other comics, hoping to glean from each genre's popularity. On December 3, 2010 Twisted Pixel announced Ms. Splosion Man
Ms. Splosion Man
Ms. Splosion Man is an action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games, and was released on Xbox 360 on July 13, 2011. It is the sequel to 's Splosion Man. The game takes place directly after Splosion Man. In the celebration of 'Splosion Man's capture the scientists accidentally create...
, a sequel to 2009's Splosion Man. It was released on July 13, 2011.
On February 1, 2011 the company revealed their latest game, The Gunstringer
The Gunstringer
The Gunstringer is a video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360 with Kinect. It was released on September 13, 2011 in North America and September 16, 2011 in Europe...
, a third person shooter designed for use with the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Kinect peripheral. The game was originally intended to be the first 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...
game to be featured as a Kinect title but instead became a retail release. It is set as a live-action play set in the Old West. The protagonist, killed by his posse, has been resurrected and seeks revenge. Live action sequences for the game were filmed at The Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre (Austin, Texas)
The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre venue/movie theatre located in downtown Austin, Texas in the United States of America. The classical revival style structure was built in 1915...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
where the company is located.
Their games have been generally well received by critics, and collectively have won several awards. The Maw won the 2008 Audience Choice award at PAX10
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
, and was a finalist at the Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
2009. Splosion Man was voted by the Xbox Live community as the Best Original Xbox Live Arcade Game of 2009. In a September 2010 ranking, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed it eleventh in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time. It also received several Best of E3 awards in 2009. Captain Smiley, the lead character in Comic Jumper received the Best New Character award from Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
in 2010.
Controversy
In January 2011 CapcomCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
released an iOS game entitled MaXplosion, which featured several similarities to Splosion Man, including the same game mechanics. Speaking on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, Twisted Pixel programmer Mike Henry believed the game to be "a complete theft". Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford also pointed out that Twisted Pixel Games once pitched Splosion Man to Capcom, but the game was rejected. Twisted Pixel do not plan to take legal action against Capcom. Capcom responded to the allegations saying that the game was developed independently by Capcom Mobile, a different division from the one that had discussions with Twisted Pixel, and the game's similarities to Splosion Man was a coincidence. Wilford later explained that the pitch to Capcom was presented to the US branch of the company, and that the UK division handles all mobile game development. He stated that it was unlikely that Capcom US passed on the game pitch to Capcom UK.
Technology
All of Twisted Pixel's games are powered by BEARD, a proprietary engine. Content is developed with the company's proprietary Razor editor in conjunction with RAD Game ToolsRAD Game Tools
RAD Game Tools is privately held company owned by Jeff Roberts and Mitch Soule based in Kirkland, Washington that develops video and computer game software technologies which are licensed primarily by video game companies. RAD Game Tools is somewhat unusual among middleware companies as they...
' Granny 3D animation toolset. Razor can be adapted to develop in 3D or 2.5D configurations. Games are scripted using Lua, which allows the developers to share code between titles.
Developed games
- The MawThe Maw (video game)The Maw received above average ratings from critics. It currently averages 75 out of 100 on Metacritic for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions. GameRankings reports similar scores of 76.06% for the Xbox 360 and 73.33% for the PC. Accolades came from outlets such as Games Radar and GamePro with...
(2009) - 'Splosion Man'Splosion Man'Splosion Man is a 2.5D action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade digital download service. It was released on July 22, 2009 as part of the 2009 Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
(2009) - Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain SmileyComic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain SmileyComic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley is an action video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games and co-published with Microsoft Game Studios. It was released for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace on October 6, 2010 as part of Microsoft's Game Feast promotion...
(2010) - Ms. Splosion ManMs. Splosion ManMs. Splosion Man is an action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games, and was released on Xbox 360 on July 13, 2011. It is the sequel to 's Splosion Man. The game takes place directly after Splosion Man. In the celebration of 'Splosion Man's capture the scientists accidentally create...
(2011) - The GunstringerThe GunstringerThe Gunstringer is a video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360 with Kinect. It was released on September 13, 2011 in North America and September 16, 2011 in Europe...
(2011)