Panic Inc.
{{Short description|American software company and video game publisher}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Panic Inc.
| logo = Panic Inc Logo.svg
| logo_size = 128px
| type = Private
| founded = January 1st, 1997
| founders = Steven Frank
Cabel Sasser
| location = Portland, Oregon, U.S.
| key_people = Steven Frank
Cabel Sasser
| industry = {{unbulleted list|Software|Video games|Consumer electronics}}
| products = Transmit, Coda, Playdate
| num_employees = At least 1,000
| homepage = {{URL|https://panic.com}}
}}
Panic Inc. is an American software development and video game publishing company based in Portland, Oregon. The company specializes in macOS and iOS applications and began publishing video games in 2016.
Panic was founded by Steven Frank{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/06/07/apple-iphone-developer-tech-wireless-cx_rr_0608apple.html|title=Developers To Jobs: Give Me My iPhone!|first=Rachel|last=Rosmarin|date=June 8, 2007|newspaper=Forbes|access-date=July 18, 2010}} and Cabel Sasser In 1997.{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2013/10/2/4794332/panic-campo-santo-cabel-sasser|title=How Panic got into video games with Campo Santo|last=Tach|first=Dave|date=2013-10-02|website=Polygon|access-date=2019-03-03}}
Products
= Software =
Panic is known for their flagship app Transmit,
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/05/video-ipad-loading-software-onto-apple-e/|title=Video: iPad Loading Software onto Apple ][e|last=Sorrel|first=Charlie|date=May 13, 2010|magazine=Wired|access-date=July 18, 2010}} as well as their Audion media player, Unison usenet client, and Nova code editor (a successor to their web development app Coda). The company has won multiple Apple Design Awards for their products.
In 1999, Audion was introduced as a skinnable MP3 media player. One of its competitors, SoundJam MP, was acquired by Apple in 2000 and was further developed into iTunes 1.0, which became available in 2001.{{Cite web|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1002145/11soundjam.html|title=The Song Is Over for SoundJam|date=2001-05-01|website=Macworld|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}} Panic retired Audion in 2004 and began distributing it free of charge.
{{cite news|url=http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Panic_Retires_Audion_Reveals_Inside_Story/|title=Panic "Retires" Audion; Reveals Inside Story|last=Gibson|first=Brad|date=November 11, 2004|newspaper=The Mac Observer|access-date=July 18, 2010}}
After Audion, Panic focused development on two other software applications. In 2004, they released Unison, a Usenet reader,{{Cite web|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1029252/unison.html|title=Panic unveils Unison, Usenet reader for Mac OS X|date=2004-01-28|website=Macworld|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}} and Stattoo, a tool that shows "digital statistics" overlayed on the Mac OS X desktop wallpaper.{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Peter |date=April 28, 2004 |title=Panic's Stattoo 'tattoos' info on your desktop |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/170933/panic-4.html |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Macworld |language=en}} In 2007, the web development application Coda was introduced.
{{cite news|url=http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Panic_Releases_Coda_1.0/|title=Panic Releases Coda 1.0|last=Martellaro|first=John|date=April 24, 2007|access-date=July 18, 2010}} In 2019, Panic announced a successor to Coda named Nova.{{Cite web|url=https://panic.com/blog/nova-our-next-big-thing/|title=Panic Blog » Nova. Our next big thing.|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-14}}
| class="wikitable"
!App !Platform !Type !{{Refh}} |
| colspan="4" |Active development |
|---|
| Transmit
|macOS |FTP client | |
| Nova
|macOS |Web development | |
| Prompt
|iOS |Command line | |
| Panic Pals
|iOS |iMessage stickers | |
| Playdate Sticker Pack
|iOS |iMessage stickers | |
| colspan="4" |Discontinued |
| “Code Editor”
|iOS |Web development | |
| Audion
|macOS |Music player |
| CandyBar
|macOS |Icon customization |
| Coda
|macOS |Web development | |
| Desktastic
|macOS |Desktop annotation | |
| Stattoo
|macOS |Computer statistics | |
| Status Board
|iOS |Information display |
| Transmit
|iOS |FTP client |
| Unison
|macOS |Usenet client |
= Video games =
The company published their first video game, Firewatch, on February 9, 2016.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/01/firewatch-american-wilderness-campo-santo|title=Firewatch: hope and heartbreak in the American wilderness|date=February 1, 2016|access-date=February 6, 2016|work=The Guardian|ref=firewatch1}} Panic published their second game, Untitled Goose Game, on September 20, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/8/28/17791562/untitled-goose-game-switch-mac-pc-2019-nindies|title=Mischief-filled Untitled Goose Game is coming to Nintendo Switch|last=Radulovic|first=Petrana|date=2018-08-28|website=Polygon|access-date=2019-03-03}}
| class="wikitable"
!Title !Platform(s) !Developer !Release date !{{Refh}} |
| Firewatch
|PC (Windows, macOS, Linux), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |{{date|2016-02-09}} |
| Untitled Goose Game
|PC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |{{date|2019-09-20}} |
| Nour: Play with Your Food
|PC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch |Terrifying Jellyfish |{{date|2023-09-12}} |
| Thank Goodness You're Here!
|PC (Windows and macOS), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch |Coal Supper |{{date|2024-08-01}} |
| Arco
|PC (Windows, macOS), Nintendo Switch |Franek Nowotniak, Max Cahill, José Ramón “Bibiki” García, Antonio “Fáyer” Uribe |{{date|2024-08-15}} |
| Despelote
|PC (Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena |{{date|2025-05-01}} |
| Time Flies
|PC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch |Playables |2025 |
| Big Walk
|2025 |
| Herdling
|Okomotive |2025 |
| Blippo+
|Blippo+ |2025 |
= Playdate =
{{Main|Playdate (console)}}
On May 22, 2019, Panic unveiled Playdate, a handheld gaming device, designed by Panic in collaboration with the Swedish firm Teenage Engineering. The device features a 400x240 pixel 1-bit screen, a directional pad on the left, two buttons on the right, and a mechanical crank on the right edge of the device.{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-people-who-published-firewatch-are-now-making-a-gam-1834958316|title=The People Who Published Firewatch Are Now Making A Game Console With, Uh, A Crank|last=Fahey|first=Mike|website=Kotaku|date=May 22, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-22}}
Games are released in "seasons", at a rate of two games per week for twelve weeks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/5/22/18628360/playdate-panic-teenage-engineering-qwop-katamari|title=Playdate is an adorable handheld with games from the creators of Qwop, Katamari, and more|last=Webster|first=Andrew|date=2019-05-22|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-05-22}} Games will automatically download to the device when available. While some video games for Playdate are being produced at Panic, most games are created by indie game developers such as Keita Takahashi, Zach Gage, Bennett Foddy, and Shaun Inman.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-05-23 |title=Playdate, a new handheld console backed by indie royalty, unveiled in new issue of Edge magazine |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/playdate-new-handheld-console-edge-magazine-333-katamari-damacy/ |access-date=2019-05-23 |website=GamesRadar |language=en}}
Awards
| class="wikitable"
!Year !App !Award !Category !Result !{{Refh}} |
| 2003
|Transmit 2 |Best Mac OS X User Experience |Runner-up | |
| 2004
|Unison 1.0.2a |Best Mac OS X Product |Runner-up | |
| 2004
|Unison 1.0.2a |Best Mac OS X User Experience |{{won}} | |
| 2005
|Transmit 3 |MacWorld Best of Show |{{won}} |
| 2005
|Transmit 3.2 |Best Mac OS X Tiger Technology Adoption |{{won}} |
| 2007
|Coda 1 |Best Mac OS X User Experience |{{won}} {{cite news|url=http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/06/13/apple.design.awards.2007/|title=Apple Design Awards 2007 winners announced|date=June 13, 2007|newspaper=Macnn|access-date=July 18, 2010}} |
| 2013
|Coda 2 |Mac OS X |{{won}} |
| 2021
|Nova |Interaction |{{Nominated}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Panic Inc.}}
Category:American companies established in 1997
Category:Macintosh software companies
Category:Companies based in Portland, Oregon
Category:Software companies based in Oregon
Category:Privately held companies based in Oregon
Category:Video game companies of the United States
Category:Video game companies established in 1997
Category:Software companies established in 1997
Category:Video game publishers
Category:1997 establishments in Oregon
Category:Software companies of the United States