Alawar
{{Short description|Russian video game company}}
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{{Infobox company
| name = Alawar
| logo = Logo Alawar New 2022.jpg
| type = Private
| industry = Video games
| founded = {{Start date and age|1999}} in Novosibirsk, Russia
| founders = {{Unbulleted list
|Sergey Zanin
|Alexander Lyskovsky
}}
| hq_location_city = Lewes, Delaware
| hq_location_country = U.S.
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = Sergey Zanin (CEO)
| num_employees = 50+ (2021)
| homepage = {{URL|company.alawar.com}}
}}
Alawar Entertainment is an international developer and publisher of video games. Founded in Novosibirsk, Russia, it is based in Lewes, Delaware, United States. Its main areas of activity are free-to-play games.{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine |url=https://archive.org/search?query=collection:classicpcgames%20AND%20creator:%22Alawar%20Entertainment%22 |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=archive.org}}{{Cite web |title=Alawar Entertainment Inc - Company Profile and News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1997983Z:RU |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en}} The company's games have sold more than 200 million copies.{{Cite web |title=About company {{!}} Alawar Midcore Games |url=https://company.alawar.com/en/about/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |language=en-US}}
History
The company was founded in 1999 by Novosibirsk State University students Alexander Lyskovsky and Sergey Zanin. Game development was the first department of the company. Alawar released two games: Puzzle Rally{{Cite web|url=https://download.cnet.com/Puzzle-Rally/3000-2099_4-10042011.html|title = Puzzle Rally}} and Bubble Bobble Nostalgie.{{Cite web|url=https://bubble-bobble-nostalgie.software.informer.com/|title=Bubble Bobble Nostalgie. Get the software safely and easily.|website=Software Informer|accessdate=5 April 2023}}
In 2001, the company released Magic Ball, a 3D arkanoid-style game developed by Dream Dale in Irkutsk. Magic Ball was ported to PlayStation consoles and iOS. In 2006, Alawar became one of the first companies to support SMS payments in Russia{{Cite web|url=https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5c2e77dcc906e200abbab4a9/istoriia-kompanii-alawar-ot-ofisnyh-kazualok-do-dushevnyh-igr--5c33d18a26ab5500aa27911e|title = История компании Alawar - от офисных казуалок до душевных игр 🎮}} for its products.
In 2008, the first games in the Farm Frenzy and The Treasures of Montezuma franchises were released. In August 2009, Alawar and Oleg Kuvaev signed a cooperation agreement that gave Alawar exclusive rights to use the Masyanya brand{{Cite web|url=https://rb.ru/article/alawar-entertainment-poluchil-eksklyuzivnye-prava-na-ispolzovanie-brenda-masyanya-v-igrah/5996817.html|title = Alawar Entertainment получил эксклюзивные права на использование бренда 'Масяня' в играх}} in games until 2014. In 2010, Alawar released around 15 projects for the iPhone and iPad. The Treasures of Montezuma was released on iOS.
In 2019, Alawar developed and published the free-to-play battle royale shooter Watchers (servers shut down in August 2021),{{Cite web|url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/1124980/announcements/detail/3031465734894236862|title=Watchers' End of Service|date=6 June 2021}} as well as Space Robinson, an action game with rogue-like elements. In 2021, Alawar published a 2D narrative detective Song of Farca. Later this year, the company released a 2D action platformer They Always Run by its own production.
In 2022, Alawar released the third chapter of the Beholder saga. In April, the company announced the development of Necrosmith, a rogue-like Necromancer simulator that was released on 13 July 2022 and has sold over 200,000 copies on Steam. On 6 March 2023, Alawar announced the development of Necrosmith 2. On 5 April 2023, Wall World, a mining and tower defense game by Alawar, was released on Steam and sold 200,000 copies in 2 months.
Alawar has a distribution network through its website and affiliate program. On June 1, 2023, Alawar closed its game storefronts.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}
Awards
- 2008 – Farm Frenzy was named the best casual game at the 2008 Game Developers Conference{{Cite web|url=https://stopgame.ru/newsdata/7000/kri_2008_vo_chto_zhe_my_budem_igrat_v_blizhayshee_vremya|title=КРИ 2008 - во что же мы будем играть в ближайшее время|website=StopGame.ru — всё про видеоигры|accessdate=5 April 2023}}
- 2008 – Alawar won the Runet Prize 2008{{Cite web|url=http://archive.premiaruneta.ru/about/archive/premia-2008/laureates/|title = Номинанты и Лауреаты}}
- 2012 – Alawar was named best publisher at the Game Developers Conference{{Cite web|url=https://www.igromania.ru/news/44378/Obyavleny_pobediteli_ceremonii_KRI_Awards_2012.html|title=Объявлены победители церемонии КРИ Awards 2012|website=www.igromania.ru|accessdate=5 April 2023}}
- 2016 – Beholder won the Excellence in Game Design and Best Indie Game categories at the DevGamm Independent Games Conference{{Cite web|url=https://pikabu.ru/story/pobediteli_devgamm_minsk_2016_4614564|title = Победители DevGAMM Минск 2016}}
- 2017 – Do Not Feed The Monkeys received several awards: Best Narrative (DevGamm Conference, Minsk{{Cite web|url=https://pikabu.ru/story/pobediteli_devgamm_awards_minsk_2017_5494772|title = Победители DevGAMM Awards Minsk 2017}}), Most Innovative (3DWire, Segovia), Best Indie Game (FEFFS, Strasbourg), DevGamm Choice (Get It! Conference, Odessa), Media Choice (Indiecade Europe, Paris)
- 2019 – Do Not Feed The Monkeys was a finalist at the Independent Games Festival (IGF) in several categories: Innovative Game, Best Design and Grand Prix
- 2023 – Beholder 3 won the Best Serious Game category at the German Computer Games Awards 2023.[https://deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/gewinner/beholder-3/ Deutschen computerspielpreises 2023]
Games developed
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Platform(s) |
|---|
| scope="row" rowspan="1" | 2016
| Beholder | Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android |
| scope="row" rowspan="2" | 2017
| Distrust | Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Beholder – Blissful Sleep
| Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android |
| scope="row" rowspan="2" | 2018
| {{ill|I am not a Monster: First Contact|ru}} |
| {{ill|Beholder 2|ru}}
| Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android |
| scope="row" rowspan="1" | 2021 |
| scope="row" rowspan="1" | 2022
| Necrosmith |
| 2023
|Wall World |
| 2024
|Necrosmith 2 |
| 2025
|Beholder - Conductor |
| TBA
|Wall World: Deep Threat |
Games published
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://company.alawar.com/}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Video game companies established in 1999
Category:Video game publishers
Category:Companies based in Delaware
Category:Companies established in 1999