Pendulo Studios

Pendulo Studios was established in Madrid during September 1993 by Ramón Hernáez, Rafael Latiegui, Felipe Gómez Pinilla and Miguel Angel Ramos.{{cite journal | author=Gutiérrez, Francisco | title=En Directo con... Los programadores de "Igor: Objetivo Uikokahonia" | journal=PC Manía | language=Spanish | date=June 1994 | number=20 | page=26 }} The founders had been students together in college,{{cite AV media | people = François, Tommy (Director); Guillemonat, Victorien (Editor) | url=https://archive.org/download/Runaway_A_road_adventure_French_Version_-_Windows95-2000_FRE/Runaway-ARoadAdventure_FrenchVersion.mp4 | language=French | year = 2003 | title = Making Of | publisher = Game One, Focus Home Interactive | accessdate=17 June 2019 }} and they formed for the purpose of creating a graphic adventure game.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990826185250/http://www.ciudadfutura.com/macedonia/pendulo.htm | url=http://www.ciudadfutura.com/macedonia/pendulo.htm | title=Entrevista a Rafael Latiegui, Ramón Hernáez y Felipe Gómez | author=Rodríguez, Fernando | work=Macedonia Magazine | language=Spanish | archive-date=26 August 1999 | url-status=dead }} While Spanish developers like Aventuras AD had released successful interactive fiction games in the 1980s, including those with graphics,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220061738/https://es.ign.com/la-aventura-original-zx/63099/blog/aventuras-ad-de-la-pediatria-al-videojuego | url=https://es.ign.com/la-aventura-original-zx/63099/blog/aventuras-ad-de-la-pediatria-al-videojuego | title=Aventuras AD: de la pediatría al videojuego | date=9 January 2013 | author=Esteve, Jaume | work=IGN España | language=Spanish | archive-date=20 February 2019 | url-status=live }} a fully graphic adventure game had never been made in Spain.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428032146/https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reportajes/mejores-aventuras-graficas-espanolas-61010 | url=https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reportajes/mejores-aventuras-graficas-espanolas-61010 | title=Las mejores aventuras gráficas españolas | author=Ruiz, Clara Castaño | date=12 August 2017 | work=HobbyConsolas | language=Spanish | archive-date=28 April 2019 | url-status=live }}{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Actualidad; Primera aventura gráfica española | journal=Micromanía | issue=72 | volume=Second Época | language=Spanish | page=6 }}{{cite journal | author=Gutiérrez, Francisco | title=El Gran Salto | journal=PC Manía | language=Spanish | date=June 1994 | number=20 | pages=24, 25 }}

The result was Igor: Objective Uikokahonia in 1994, a game developed in dire economic circumstances by Pendulo's four founders, assisted by two contractors.{{cite journal | author=Ricart, Enrique | title=Todo por Amor | journal=Micromanía | issue=74 | volume=Second Época | language=Spanish | date=July 1994 | pages=46, 47 }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814223556/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/brunchstorming-is-spanish-for-work-if-youre-pendulo-studio | url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/brunchstorming-is-spanish-for-work-if-youre-pendulo-studio | title='Brunchstorming' is Spanish for 'work,' if you're Pendulo Studios | author=Conditt, Jessica | date=2 April 2012 | work=Joystiq | archive-date=14 August 2013 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210104802/http://www.adventure-island.nl/index.php?file=interviews%2Finterviewpendulo | url=http://www.adventure-island.nl/index.php?file=interviews/interviewpendulo | title=Interview met Rafael Latiegui van Pendulo Studios | date=2 September 2005 | author=Staff | work=Adventure Island | archive-date=10 February 2006 | url-status=dead | access-date=3 May 2020 }} While Spain's game industry had thrived in the golden age of Spanish software, the 16-bit era had heralded a market collapse for game development in the country.{{cite book |editor1=Wolf, Mark J. P. | title=Video Games Around the World | date=May 2015 | publisher=MIT Press | isbn=978-0-262-52716-3 | chapter=Spain |author1=Garin, Manuel |author2=Martínez, Víctor Manuel | pages=521–533 }} Pendulo later noted that "there was practically no national production and the prospects were not too encouraging" when Igor began, and Latiegui recalled a moment when the team nearly abandoned the project because of low financial projections by publishers. The team's funds were limited—Gerard Masnou of GameLive PC reported that Igor was made on a budget under 400,000 pesetas—and working conditions were poor. Pendulo was located for a time in the corner of a warehouse in Madrid's Arganda del Rey municipality. According to Latiegui, Igor{{'}}s development was "absolutely amateurish",{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008212726/http://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/articulos/31/0/entrevista-con-pendulo-studios-rafael-latiegui/ | url=http://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/articulos/31/0/entrevista-con-pendulo-studios-rafael-latiegui/ | title=Entrevista con Péndulo Studios: Rafael Latiegui | author=The 3DJuegos Team | date=22 February 2010 | language=Spanish | work=3DJuegos | archive-date=8 October 2013 | url-status=dead }} and he noted that the team was self-taught throughout production.{{cite magazine | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115201628/http://www.justadventure.com/TheInventory/TheInventory.shtm | url=http://www.justadventure.com:80/TheInventory/TheInventory.shtm | title=Interview with Pendulo | magazine=The Inventory | date=February 2004 | archive-date=15 November 2006 | issue=12 | publisher=Just Adventure | pages=10–14 | url-status=dead | access-date=3 May 2020 }} In retrospect, Pinilla summarized Pendulo's situation during Igor as a serious challenge.{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Una historia aventurada | pages=18, 19 | journal=Edge España | issue=16 | date=2007 }} Nevertheless, Latiegui later called the game successful enough to inspire Pendulo to pursue game development as a profession.

Ramos ultimately left Pendulo after Igor{{'}}s completion, but Latiegui, Ramón Hernáez and Felipe Gómez Pinilla chose to continue the company alone.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010118180000/http://www.meristation.com/articulos/pendulo1.htm | url=http://www.meristation.com/articulos/pendulo1.htm | title=Entrevistamos a los creadores de Hollywood Monsters | author=Jordi | date=12 December 1997 | language=Spanish | work=MeriStation | archive-date=18 January 2001 | url-status=dead }} Pendulo's second game was Hollywood Monsters. The team found it to be a significantly greater challenge than Igor had been, and its budget was tight.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030709000217/http://www.meristation.com/sc/articulos/articulo.asp?c=GEN&cr=846 | url=http://www.meristation.com/sc/articulos/articulo.asp?c=GEN&cr=846 | title=Entrevista; Péndulo Studios, creadores de Runaway | author=Luna, Alberto de Vega | language=Spanish | date=29 June 2001 | work=MeriStation | archive-date=9 July 2003 | url-status=dead }} It required a long production cycle of around two and a half years. Including the voice cast, roughly 40 people contributed to Hollywood Monsters, most of them outside contractors. Hernáez said that managing the large number of contributors was the "most important change" to Pendulo's development process since Igor. Pinilla told Game 40 that development would have gone faster with more contributors, but that it was "impossible to have more people." Spain's game development industry remained weak during production: Francisco Delgado of Micromanía cited Hollywood Monsters as one of the few Spanish-made games under development in 1997.{{cite journal | author=Delgado, Francisco | title=Hollywood Monsters: Brillante futuro | journal=Micromanía | issue=34 | date=November 1997 | volume=Third Época | language=Spanish | pages=72, 73 }} To obtain a theme song for Hollywood Monsters, publisher Dinamic Multimedia hired the band La Unión to record an original track.{{cite interview | subject1=Pinilla, Felipe Gómez | subject2=Latiegui, Rafael | interviewer=Caballé, Guillem |title=Entrevista a Péndulo Studios | language=Spanish | date=7 December 1997 | url=https://archive.org/details/Game40RadioProgramArchive/%2353+Game+40+-+07+Diciembre+1997.mp3 | work=Game 40 | accessdate=19 June 2019 }}

Upon its launch in December 1997,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010629055140/http://www.dinamic.com/acercate/historia.asp?id=7 | url=http://www.dinamic.com/acercate/historia.asp?id=7 | title=Un poco de Historia; 97 | archive-date=29 June 2001 | language=Spanish | publisher=Dinamic Multimedia | url-status=dead }} Hollywood Monsters became a hit.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305053813/http://www.marcaplayer.com/2011/07/01/reportajes/1309519934.html | url=http://www.marcaplayer.com/2011/07/01/reportajes/1309519934.html | title=Los maestros de la aventura gráfica | author=Navarro, David | date=1 July 2011 | work=MarcaPlayer | language=Spanish | archive-date=5 March 2013 | url-status=live }} In 2011, a writer for MarcaPlayer called it "one of the most played and best-selling adventures in Spanish software" history.{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Vuelve la madre de las aventuras | date=May 2011 | issue=32 | journal=MarcaPlayer | language=Spanish | page=72 }} It had sold 250,000 units in Spain alone by that date.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107143756/https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/noticias/visitamos-oficinas-pendulo-studios-10297| url=https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/noticias/visitamos-oficinas-pendulo-studios-10297 | title=Visitamos las oficinas de Péndulo Studios | date=25 May 2011 | author=Sanz, José Luis| work=HobbyConsolas | language=Spanish | archive-date=7 January 2019 | url-status=live }} As a greater commercial and critical success than Igor: Objective Uikokahonia, Hollywood Monsters marked a turning point for Pendulo Studios. It has been cited by publications such as PC Actual,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618041129/https://www.pcactual.com/noticias/actualidad/odisea-crear-juego-espana-2_1902 | url=https://www.pcactual.com/noticias/actualidad/odisea-crear-juego-espana-2_1902 | title=La odisea de crear un juego en España | date=25 September 2008 | author=Staff | work=PC Actual | language=Spanish | archive-date=18 June 2019 | url-status=live }} 3DJuegos,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704112005/https://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/analisis/11116/0/hollywood-monsters-2/ | url=https://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/analisis/11116/0/hollywood-monsters-2/ | title=Análisis de Hollywood Monsters 2 | author=Pastor, Alberto | date=22 June 2011 | work=3DJuegos | language=Spanish | archive-date=4 July 2019 | url-status=live }} Vandal and MeriStation as the title that put Pendulo on the map.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321070427/http://www.vandal.net/avances/pc/runaway-a-twist-of-fate/7744/3 | url=http://www.vandal.net/avances/pc/runaway-a-twist-of-fate/7744/3 | title=Impresiones de Runaway: A Twist of Fate para Ordenador | author=Fontanet-Bel, Fernando | date=10 March 2010 | language=Spanish | work=Vandal | archive-date=21 March 2013 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://archive.today/20190704112945/https://vandal.elespanol.com/avances/pc/hollywood-monsters-2/12391/2%23p-13 | url=https://vandal.elespanol.com/avances/pc/hollywood-monsters-2/12391/2#p-13 | title=Impresiones Hollywood Monsters 2 (PC) | author=Cano, Jorge | date=29 April 2011 | work=Vandal | language=Spanish | archive-date=4 July 2019 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818024959/http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_analisis.php?pic=PC&idj=cw4bc864e5a6832&id=cw4df76c5a31ef5 | url=http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_analisis.php?pic=PC&idj=cw4bc864e5a6832&id=cw4df76c5a31ef5 | title=El rejuvenecer de un clásico | date=16 June 2011 | author=García, Roberto | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=18 August 2011 | url-status=dead }} It became a classic in its home country,{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Avances; Runaway: A Twist of Fate | issue=18 | date=March 2010 | journal=MarcaPlayer | page=84 }} although it failed to see releases outside Southern Europe.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010203143500/http://www.adventuregamer.com/previews/runaway.shtml | url=http://www.adventuregamer.com/previews/runaway.shtml | title=Previews – Runaway: A Road Adventure | author=Bronstring, Marek |date=13 October 2000 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=3 February 2001 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520024831/https://as.com/meristation/2011/05/26/noticias/1306393200_090939.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2011/05/26/noticias/1306393200_090939.html | title=Pendulo: "Hollywood Monsters 2 no es ni un homenaje ni una secuela" | author=García, Enrique | date=26 May 2011 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=20 May 2019 | url-status=live }} In 1997, a PC Manía writer cited Hollywood Monsters as proof that Pendulo "is to graphic adventure in Spain what LucasArts is to the rest of the world."{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Con sabor nacional | issue=62 | date=December 1997 | journal=PC Manía | language=Spanish | page=202 }} Xan Pita of El Mundo later remarked, "Thanks to this game, ... Pendulo made a good dent in the industry."{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040409034420/https://www.elmundo.es/ariadna/2002/83/1015582423.html | url=https://www.elmundo.es/ariadna/2002/83/1015582423.html | title=El juego del 'Lucas Arts' español | author=Pita, Xan | date=7 March 2002 | work=El Mundo | language=Spanish | archive-date=9 April 2004 | url-status=live }}

Hollywood Monsters{{'}} success led Pendulo to begin a sequel. However, the project changed shape to become Runaway: A Road Adventure,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401203611/http://www.adventure-treff.de/artikel/interviews.php?id=1 | url=http://www.adventure-treff.de/artikel/interviews.php?id=1 | title=Interviews; Kai Fiebig | date=12 January 2001 | author=Gilbertz, Luc | language=German | work=Adventure-Treff | archive-date=1 April 2015 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010715022534/http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/99_11/10/1/index.asp | url=http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/99_11/10/1/index.asp | title= Dinamic prepara sus novedades | author=Staff| language=Spanish | work=GameSpot Spain | date=10 November 1999 | archive-date=15 July 2001 | url-status=dead }} conceived during summer 1998. Runaway became Pendulo's largest production to date,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030811212723/http://www.runaway-lejeu.com/lejeu/lejeu_pendulo.htm | url=http://www.runaway-lejeu.com/lejeu/lejeu_pendulo.htm | title=Interview de Pendulo Studios | publisher=Focus Home Interactive | language=French | archive-date=11 August 2003 | url-status=dead }} and GameLive PC{{'}}s Gerard Masnou wrote that it "was the most ambitious graphic adventure ever developed in Spain" at the time.{{cite journal | author=Masnou, Gerard | title=Hispano aventuras gráficas | date=June 2003 | journal=GameLive PC | issue=30 | language=Spanish | pages=28–33 }} According to Joan Font of GameLive PC, the industry still suffered from a dearth of professional talent while Runaway was in development. Spain's education system lacked courses for game development, and the country's existing industry professionals often migrated to foreign companies for better working conditions and pay. As a result, most of Pendulo's staff on Runaway consisted of autodidacts who learned in part on the job.{{cite journal | author=Font, Joan | title=Así se hace un juego | journal=GameLive PC | issue=8 | date=June 2001 | language=Spanish | pages=24–28, 30–33 }} The game's team was small: Rafael Latiegui said that Runaway had nine core members during most of its creation, assisted by a series of part-timers on elements such as music. Despite the industry's limited workforce, Ramón Hernáez said that Pendulo had a "relatively" easy time finding talent.

Originally planned as a 2D project, Runaway was revamped during development to utilize 3D aspects, and after numerous delays debuted in Spain during July 2001.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020308024451/http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/01_07/06/8/index.asp | url=http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/01_07/06/8/index.asp | title=Runaway ya está a la venta. | date=6 July 2001 | work=GameSpot Spain | language=Spanish | author=Staff | archive-date=8 March 2002 | url-status=dead }} Early sales reports were positive,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020308024102/http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/01_09/17/7/index.asp | url=http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/01_09/17/7/index.asp | title=Los Sims encabezan la lista de juegos más vendidos en España | author=Staff | work=GameSpot Spain | language=Spanish | date=17 September 2001 | archive-date=8 March 2002 | url-status=dead }} but the game's performance was severely hampered by the bankruptcy of its publisher, Dinamic, that September.{{cite journal | author=Masnou, Gerard | title=Aventuras; Ediciones de lujo | date=March 2003 | issue=27 | journal=GameLive PC | language=Spanish | page=101 }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011005034440/http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/01_09/24/1/index.asp | url=http://www.gamespot-es.com/news/01_09/24/1/index.asp | title=Confirmado oficialmente el cierre de Dinamic | author=Staff | date=24 September 2001 | work=GameSpot Spain | language=Spanish | archive-date=5 October 2001 | url-status=dead }} The closure was a major blow to the Spanish game industry: MarcaPlayer later called it "probably the most traumatic event that the Spanish video game industry has experienced in history". Although English, Italian and German localizations of Runaway had been planned,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010405130444/http://www.adventuregamer.com/news/archives/arc0-2001.shtml | url=http://www.adventuregamer.com/news/archives/arc0-2001.shtml | title=Runaway delayed & new screenshots | date=3 January 2001 | author=Hagerup, Eivind | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=5 April 2001 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011026101314/http://www.pendulostudios.com/spanish/noticias.htm | url=http://www.pendulostudios.com:80/spanish/noticias.htm | title=Runaway; Noticias | date=10 July 2001 | publisher=Pendulo Studios | language=Spanish | archive-date=26 October 2001 | url-status=dead | access-date=3 May 2020 }} the closure of Dinamic cast doubt on the game's future outside Spain. Latiegui remarked at the time that, unless a deal to repurchase the rights from Dinamic emerged "very quickly", Pendulo could go bankrupt.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021224105242/http://www.bonusweb.cz/zurnal/zurnalpc/runaway011016.html | url=http://www.bonusweb.cz/zurnal/zurnalpc/runaway011016.html | title=Vydani adventury Runaway ohrozeno! | author=Tichacek, Petr | language=Czech | work=BonusWeb | date=16 October 2001 | archive-date=24 December 2002 | url-status=dead }} Pendulo proceeded to undertake lawsuits and engage the publisher in a legal battle for the rights,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228010106/http://games.tiscali.cz/news/news.asp?id=5593 | url=http://games.tiscali.cz/news/news.asp?id=5593 | title=Těžká cesta adventury Runaway do Čech | author=Korgull | date=21 August 2002 | work=Tiscali.cz | language=Czech | archive-date=28 December 2007 | url-status=dead }} a process that lasted roughly one year.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204062946/http://la-aventura.net/entrevistas/rafael-latiegui | url=http://la-aventura.net/entrevistas/rafael-latiegui | title=Entrevista a Rafael Latiegui | author=Althor | date=8 July 2007 | work=La Aventura | language=Spanish | archive-date=4 December 2007 | url-status=dead }} Pendulo struggled to stay solvent. Latiegui later called the period an extreme challenge; the company had to lay off the majority of its staff to make payroll,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204074825/http://www.aventuraycia.com/v3/entrevista.php?id=11 | url=http://www.aventuraycia.com/v3/entrevista.php?id=11 | title=Entrevista con Rafael Latiegui | author=García, Paco | date=July 2007 | work=Aventura y CÍA | language=Spanish | archive-date=4 February 2008 | url-status=dead }} and Pendulo ceased game development activities.

Pendulo secured the rights to Runaway in July 2002. At the time, Latiegui said that the developer could recover if the game sold well enough, noting that Pendulo had "never stopped having development ideas".{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030404063414/http://www4.terra.es/juegos/pc/avances/articulo_avances_pc/0,2075,3248%7c0,00.html | url=http://www4.terra.es/juegos/pc/avances/articulo_avances_pc/0,2075,3248%7c0,00.html | date=2003 | title=FX publica Runaway versión mejorada | author=Romero, Eric | work=Terra Juegos | language=Spanish | archive-date=4 April 2003 | url-status=dead }} It was released in the German market by DTP Entertainment,{{cite magazine | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813153740/http://www.justadventure.com/TheInventory/TheInventory.shtm | url=http://www.justadventure.com:80/TheInventory/TheInventory.shtm | title=The Lounge; Interview with DTP | date=November 2003 | issue=10 | magazine=The Inventory | publisher=Just Adventure | archive-date=13 August 2006 | pages=20–23 | url-status=dead | access-date=3 May 2020 }} and met with commercial success there.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720222903/http://www.hamburger-wirtschaft.de/html/hw2006/artikel/08_portrait/06_04_16_dtp_entertainment.html | url=http://www.hamburger-wirtschaft.de/html/hw2006/artikel/08_portrait/06_04_16_dtp_entertainment.html | title=Die Spielemacher vom Goldbekkanal | author=Mansutti, Klaus Jürgen | date=April 2006 | work=Hamburger Wirtschaft | publisher=Hamburg Chamber of Commerce | language=German | archive-date=20 July 2018 | url-status=live }} Pendulo soon landed deals to launch the game in Poland and France, the latter through Focus Home Interactive.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030219180721/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/whatsnew.htm?20021220| url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/whatsnew.htm?20021220 | title=Runaway | date=20 December 2002 | author=Staff | work=Jeux Video | language=French | archive-date=19 February 2003 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031008205104/http://www.pendulostudios.com/runaway/esp_noticias.htm| url=http://www.pendulostudios.com/runaway/esp_noticias.htm | title=Francia y Polonia Se Apuntan | date=16 December 2002 | publisher=Pendulo Studios | language=Spanish | archive-date=8 October 2003 | url-status=dead }} By January 2004, Runaway{{'}}s sales totaled 400,000 units at full price in Europe.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040328072325/http://www.mcvonline.de/?article_id=268141 | url=http://www.mcvonline.de/?article_id=268141 | title=Crimson Cow zieht positive Jahresbilanz | date=9 January 2004 | author=Mischkowski, Frank | language=German | work=MCV | archive-date=28 March 2004 | url-status=dead }} The game's success financially stabilized Pendulo, which rehired most of its layoffs from the Dinamic turmoil. Felipe Gómez Pinilla dubbed the game "a turning point for" the company; in 2015, researchers Víctor Manuel Martínez and Manuel Garin cited Runaway as the start of Pendulo's own brand of adventure game. Its later games reused Runaway{{'}}s cartoonish aesthetic.{{cite book | author=Jiménez, Daniel González | date=8 May 2014 | title=Arte de videojuegos. Da forma a tus sueños | language=Spanish | publisher=Ra-Ma Editorial | isbn=978-84-9964-276-5 | pages=140–149 }} Runaway{{'}}s popularity also helped to reinvigorate the adventure genre as a whole,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626051556/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/22157 | url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/22157 | title=Day One – Pendulo Studios Interview | author=Allin, Jack | date=15 August 2012 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=26 June 2019 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423034632/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060414/cifaldi_01.shtml | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060414/cifaldi_01.shtml | title=The Connection is Made: Developer Highlights from Game Connection 2006 (Part One) | author=Cifaldi, Frank | date=14 April 2006 | work=Gamasutra | archive-date=23 April 2006 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060325205123/http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8663 | url=http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8663 | title=Q&A: 'GDC: Game Connection – Nicolas Magnier, Krysalide' | author=Sheffield, Brandon | date=23 March 2006 | work=Gamasutra | archive-date=25 March 2006 | url-status=dead }} which had been seen as a declining field in countries such as Germany and France.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040224174454/http://www.golem.de/0305/25464.html | url=http://www.golem.de/0305/25464.html | title=Klassische Adventures – Kehrt das totgeglaubte Genre zurück? | date=13 May 2003 | author=Wiesner, Thorsten | language=German | work=Golem.de | archive-date=24 February 2004 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041119044403/http://www.pcgames.de/index.cfm?article_id=107902| url=http://www.pcgames.de/index.cfm?article_id=107902 | title=Runaway – Adventure-Zukunft gesichert? | author=Bringewatt, Stefan | date=28 November 2002 | language=German | work=PC Games | archive-date=19 November 2004 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220075907/https://next.liberation.fr/guide/2003/04/18/a-la-poursuite-de-la-croix-indienne_462055 | url=https://next.liberation.fr/guide/2003/04/18/a-la-poursuite-de-la-croix-indienne_462055 | title=A la poursuite de la croix indienne | author=Cario, Erwan | date=18 April 2003 | language=French | work=Libération | archive-date=20 February 2019 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220074327/https://www.lalibre.be/archive/the-westerner-focus-pc-45-51b882c4e4b0de6db9a9f645| url=https://www.lalibre.be/archive/the-westerner-focus-pc-45-51b882c4e4b0de6db9a9f645 | title=The Westerner – Focus – PC – 45 € | author=Staff | date=6 March 2004 | language=French | work=La Libre Belgique | archive-date=20 February 2019 | url-status=dead }} Runaway has been cited as a contributing factor to the reenergization of adventure games by publications such as La Libre Belgique, Gameblog,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010162359/http://www.gameblog.fr/dossier_1061_20-point-and-click-essentiels-de-l-histoire-du-jeu-video | url=http://www.gameblog.fr/dossier_1061_20-point-and-click-essentiels-de-l-histoire-du-jeu-video | title=20 point and click essentiels de l'Histoire du Jeu Vidéo | date=1 April 2017 | work=Gameblog | language=French | archive-date=10 October 2019 | url-status=live }} GameStar,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210150011/http://gamestar.de/tests/adventure/1466585/runaway_2.html | url=http://gamestar.de/tests/adventure/1466585/runaway_2.html | title=Tests – Adventure; Runaway 2 | date=4 December 2006 | author=Schmidt, Christian | language=German | work=GameStar | archive-date=10 February 2009 | url-status=dead }} Hamburger Wirtschaft, Jeux Video, PC Games and MeriStation.{{cite journal | author=Schütz, Felix | title=Test; Runaway 2 | date=January 2007 | journal=PC Games | language=German | pages=120, 121 }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611022838/https://as.com/meristation/2012/03/31/reportajes/1333184400_101694.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2012/03/31/reportajes/1333184400_101694.html | title=Regreso al Pasado: Aventuras Gráficas Españolas | author=Otero, César | date=31 March 2012 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=11 June 2019 | url-status=live }}

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=Runaway 1 logo.svg|image2=Runaway 2 logo.svg|image3=Runaway 3 logo.svg|caption3=The Runaway trilogy became Pendulo's most successful series, with 1.5 million units sold by 2010.}}

Pendulo Studios began to plan a sequel to Runaway soon after the first game's international launch. Rafael Latiegui later said that the team "wanted to immediately get [into] a video game" after spending a year away, and that a sequel was the "quickest way" because of the groundwork already laid. He noted that Runaway had not been developed with a sequel in mind, but that a large number of unused ideas nevertheless remained after the first game's release.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028021047/http://www.sanctuaire-aventure.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=684 | url=http://www.sanctuaire-aventure.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=684 | title=Interviews : Interview de Pendulo Studios | author=Staff | work=Le Sanctuaire de l'Aventure | language=French | date=24 November 2005 | archive-date=28 October 2007 | url-status=dead }} The first game's commercial performance, combined with the team's desire to explore Runaway further, ultimately became a key inspiration to greenlight a sequel.

Runaway 2 was first announced by DTP Entertainment in August 2003, at the Games Convention in Leipzig. Pendulo opted to reuse the same game engine from the first title, with upgrades. The project was initially scheduled for late 2004.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040623003527/http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=212461 | url=http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=212461 | title=GC: Angekündigt: Runaway 2 | author=Bringewatt, Stefan | work=PC Games | language=German | date=21 August 2003 | archive-date=23 June 2004 | url-status=dead }} Because of Runaway{{'}}s high profits, Pendulo was able to put its own money into Runaway 2, although most of the game's funding derived from French investments. The game underwent numerous delays,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129191131/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00006935_preview.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00006935_preview.htm | title=Preview; Runaway 2 : The Dream Of The Turtle | date=13 October 2006 | author=Jihem | work=Jeux Video | language=French | archive-date=29 November 2006 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129215553/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2006/00015658.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2006/00015658.htm | title=Runaway 2 reporté, épisode 3 | author=Staff | date=21 February 2006 | language=French | work=Jeux Video | archive-date=29 November 2006 | url-status=dead }} first to mid-2005 and then to late 2005, spring 2006 and September 2006.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050901194418/http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=329703 | url=http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=329703 | title=Runaway 2 kommt später | author=Stolzenberg, Justin | date=18 August 2004 | work=PC Games | language=German | archive-date=1 September 2005 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218132144/http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=375300 | url=http://www.pcgames.de/?article_id=375300 | title=Runaway 2 erst im 4. Quartal 2005 | author=Stolzenberg, Justin | date=31 May 2005 | work=PC Games | language=German | archive-date=18 February 2006 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709135141/https://www.pcgames.de/Runaway-2-The-Dream-Of-The-Turtle-Spiel-31110/Downloads/Weihnachtlicher-Trailer-435700/ | url=https://www.pcgames.de/Runaway-2-The-Dream-Of-The-Turtle-Spiel-31110/Downloads/Weihnachtlicher-Trailer-435700/ | title=Weihnachtlicher Trailer | author=Stolzenberg, Justin | date=16 December 2005 | language=German | work=PC Games | archive-date=9 July 2019 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709132221/https://www.pcgames.de/Runaway-2-The-Dream-Of-The-Turtle-Spiel-31110/News/Auf-September-verschoben-459263/ | url=https://www.pcgames.de/Runaway-2-The-Dream-Of-The-Turtle-Spiel-31110/News/Auf-September-verschoben-459263/ | title=Auf September verschoben | author=Wollner, Ralph | date=23 March 2006 | work=PC Games | language=German | archive-date=9 July 2019 | url-status=live }} Discussing these setbacks at the time, Latiegui argued that it was "important for the quality of development" to take precedence over deadlines. Released in November 2006 as Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061130124304/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/0001/00011540.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/0001/00011540.htm | title=Runaway 2 : The Dream of the Turtle – PC | language=French | work=Jeux Video | archive-date=30 November 2006 | url-status=dead }} the game continues the story of Brian Basco and Gina, who fall into trouble because of a plane crash during their vacation to Hawaii.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206115433/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00007057_test.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00007057_test.htm | title=Runaway 2 : The Dream Of The Turtle; Test | author=Jihem | date=16 November 2006 | work=Jeux Video | language=French | archive-date=6 December 2006 | url-status=dead }} Runaway 2 received an international release roughly 8 months before its mid-2007 Spanish launch.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914123126/http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_articulo.php?pic=GEN&id=cw468abbf962d69 | url=http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_articulo.php?pic=GEN&id=cw468abbf962d69 | title=Entrevista; Runaway 2, Sueño de Verano | author=Ortiz, Nacho | date=1 July 2007 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=14 September 2007 | url-status=dead }}

A third Runaway game was considered during Runaway 2{{'}}s creation, and Pendulo unofficially confirmed that it was under development in November 2006.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120222111/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2006/00018966-runaway-3-confirme.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2006/00018966-runaway-3-confirme.htm | title=Runaway 3 confirmé | author=Staff | date=29 November 2006 | language=French | work=Jeux Video | archive-date=20 January 2009 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803002435/http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_noticia.php?pic=PC&id=cw456e0c5ab3a06&idj=5750 | url=http://www.meristation.com:80/v3/des_noticia.php?pic=PC&id=cw456e0c5ab3a06&idj=5750 | title=Pendulo confirma un futuro Runaway 3 | author=Fortes, Francisco A. | date=29 November 2006 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=3 August 2008 | url-status=dead | access-date=3 May 2020 }} It received an official announcement at Games Convention in August 2007; certain outlets initially reported that Runaway 3 would be set in Japan and would take place immediately after its predecessor.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720132711/http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_noticia.php?id=cw46cdae7dd8b19&pic=PC&idj=cw46cdaea18a9e8&idp= | url=http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_noticia.php?id=cw46cdae7dd8b19&pic=PC&idj=cw46cdaea18a9e8&idp= | title=[GC] Runaway 3 se ambientará en Japón | author=Taboada, Pablo González | date=23 August 2007 | language=Spanish | work=MeriStation | archive-date=20 July 2009 | url-status=dead }} The game was first shown in February 2008 at the Game Developers Conference, where its name was revealed as Runaway: A Twist of Fate.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306120835/http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=1626 | url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=1626 | title=Runaway sequel's fate takes a twist | author=Allin, Jack | date=29 February 2008 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=6 March 2008 | url-status=dead }} Pendulo and publisher Focus Home Interactive hoped to attract series newcomers with the numberless title, and Jeux Video reported that the game was "not the direct follow-up" to Runaway 2, but a relatively standalone project.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305044150/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00008693-runaway-a-twist-of-fate-preview.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00008693-runaway-a-twist-of-fate-preview.htm | title=Aperçus; Runaway : A Twist of Fate | author=Jihem | date=22 February 2008 | work=Jeux Video | language=French | archive-date=5 March 2008 | url-status=dead }} A new engine was adopted for A Twist of Fate that offered improved graphics,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709145556/https://www.pcgames.de/Runaway-3-A-Twist-of-Fate-Spiel-31111/News/Runaway-A-Twist-of-Fate-696870/ | url=https://www.pcgames.de/Runaway-3-A-Twist-of-Fate-Spiel-31111/News/Runaway-A-Twist-of-Fate-696870/ | title=Runaway: A Twist of Fate: Neue Screenshots zum kommenden Adventure | author=Thöing, Sebastian | date=7 October 2009 | language=German | work=PC Games | archive-date=9 July 2019 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919092353/http://www.gamestar.de/news/pc/adventure/pointclick/1958954/runaway_a_twist_of_fate.html | url=http://www.gamestar.de/news/pc/adventure/pointclick/1958954/runaway_a_twist_of_fate.html | title=Runaway: A Twist of Fate; Screenshots aus dem Adventure | date=11 September 2009 | author=Linken, Andre | work=GameStar | language=German | archive-date=19 September 2009 | url-status=dead }} although the game retained a pre-rendered 2D visual style.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206231948/http://adventuregamers.com/article/id,1074 | url=http://adventuregamers.com/article/id,1074 | title=Archived Preview: Runaway: A Twist of Fate | author=Braun, Benjamin | date=30 September 2009 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=6 December 2010 | url-status=dead }} A Twist of Fate tells the story of Brian's attempt to escape from an insane asylum, where he is detained after being accused of murder. Unlike the first two Runaway entries, the game features Gina as a playable character alongside Brian.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618002637/https://as.com/meristation/2010/03/24/analisis/1269414000_019277.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2010/03/24/analisis/1269414000_019277.html | title=Una oda a los clásicos | author=García, Roberto | date=24 March 2010 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=18 June 2019 | url-status=live }} A Twist of Fate was first released internationally in November 2009;{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206232037/http://adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=2016 | url=http://adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=2016 | title=Runaway 3 takes off early at Adventure Shop | author=Allin, Jack | date=26 November 2009 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=6 December 2010 | url-status=dead }} its Spanish version, again delayed, launched in early 2010. By the time of its Spanish release, global sales of the three Runaway games had reached 1.5 million units, according to ABC.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820034148/https://sevilla.abc.es/videos-cultura/20100325/esta-aqui-runaway-twist-592540443001.html | url=https://sevilla.abc.es/videos-cultura/20100325/esta-aqui-runaway-twist-592540443001.html | title=Ya esta aqui Runaway: A Twist of Fate, una saga que ha vendido 1,5 millones de copias en todo el mundo | author=Staff | work=ABC | date=25 March 2010 | language=Spanish | archive-date=20 August 2019 | url-status=live }}

Pendulo opted to retire the Runaway franchise after A Twist of Fate, although the team retained ideas for potential sequels. Latiegui explained in 2011, "After almost a decade with the saga, we needed a break." The team reported that it was particularly tired of Brian as a character.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625063841/https://www.adventurecorner.de/pages/486/interview-with-pendulo-studios-englisch | url=https://www.adventurecorner.de/pages/486/interview-with-pendulo-studios-englisch | title=Interview with Pendulo Studios (Englisch) | author=Team Adventure Corner | date=21 May 2012 | work=Adventure Corner | archive-date=25 June 2012 | url-status=live }} Instead, the team chose to pursue a new project under the name The Next Big Thing. Fan requests for a sequel to Hollywood Monsters were ongoing throughout the creation of the Runaway trilogy.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030906151053/http://www.adventuregamers.com/display.php?id=269 | url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/display.php?id=269 | title=Runaway Interview | author=Bronstring, Marek | date=20 July 2003 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=6 September 2003 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317114842/http://pc.ongames.com/articulos_hollywood-monsters-2 | url=http://pc.ongames.com/articulos_hollywood-monsters-2 | title=Entrevistamos en exclusiva a Pendulo Studios | date=17 May 2011 | author=Fernández, Mireia | work=OnGames |language=Spanish | archive-date=17 March 2012 | url-status=dead }} Latiegui said of the situation, "To each new game that we have been making, the reaction of the Spanish public has been the same: 'When is the next Hollywood Monsters?' " This pressure from fans became a key motivation for the team to return to the Hollywood Monsters concept. In April 2010, Pendulo and publisher Focus Home Interactive announced The Next Big Thing.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102162714/https://adventuregamers.com/news/view/20920 | url=https://adventuregamers.com/news/view/20920 | title=Small peek at The Next BIG Thing unveiled by Pendulo Studios | author=Allin, Jack | date=16 April 2010 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=2 January 2016 | url-status=live }}{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216081511/http://www.focus-home.com/index.php?rub=news&id=55| url=http://www.focus-home.com/index.php?rub=news&id=55 | title=Focus Home Interactive and Pendulo Studios Unveil {{'}}The Next Big Thing{{'}} | date=16 April 2010 | publisher=Focus Home Interactive | archive-date=16 December 2011 | url-status=live }} Commentators from Adventure Gamers and Jeux Video noted the project's close similarity to Hollywood Monsters,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028132630/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18533| url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18533 | title=The Next BIG Thing hands-on | author=Allin, Jack | date=4 March 2011 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=28 October 2014 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605185712/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012886-the-next-big-thing-preview.htm | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012886-the-next-big-thing-preview.htm | title=Aperçu; The Next BIG Thing | date=2 June 2010 | author=Baryton, Antoine | work=Jeux Video | archive-date=5 June 2010 | language=French | url-status=dead }} and in April 2011 the game was retitled Hollywood Monsters 2 in Spain.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103064136/https://as.com/meristation/2011/04/14/noticias/1302802800_089948.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2011/04/14/noticias/1302802800_089948.html | title=The Next Big Thing cambia su nombre por Hollywood Monsters 2 | author=Otero, César | date=14 April 2011 | work=MeriStation | archive-date=3 January 2019 | language=Spanish | url-status=live }}

At the start, Pendulo conceived The Next Big Thing as a high-definition remake of Hollywood Monsters, but it increasingly drifted from this framework over time.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707041950/https://www.vidaextra.com/entrevistas/hollywood-monsters-2-entrevista-a-pendulo-studios | url=https://www.vidaextra.com/entrevistas/hollywood-monsters-2-entrevista-a-pendulo-studios | title={{'}}Los Sims han mordido el polvo frente a Hollywood Monsters 2{{'}}: entrevista a Pendulo Studios | date=4 July 2011 | language=Spanish | author=Marquez, Rubén | work=Vida Extra | archive-date=7 July 2011 | url-status=live }} Latiegui explained that the final product "is not a second part, nor a remake"; rather, the team borrowed heavily from Hollywood Monsters and attempted to take its ideas in new directions.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520024831/https://as.com/meristation/2011/05/26/noticias/1306393200_090939.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2011/05/26/noticias/1306393200_090939.html | title=Pendulo: {{'}}Hollywood Monsters 2 no es ni un homenaje ni una secuela' | author=García, Enrique | date=26 May 2011 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=20 May 2019 | url-status=live }} Sue Bergman and Ron Ashman were removed in favor of new protagonists: reporters Dan Murray and Liz Allaire of The Quill. As with Hollywood Monsters, The Next Big Thing takes place in a fantasy version of Hollywood where monsters act in films. The story explores the film industry's shift away from monster movies, which threatens to leave their casts out of work.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912170730/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18468 | url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18468 | title=The Next BIG Thing Review | author=Raha, Shuva | date=21 April 2011 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=12 September 2015 | url-status=live }} The Next Big Thing first launched in April 2011,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110184545/http://www.adventuregamers.com/news/view/21086| url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/news/view/21086| title=The Next BIG Thing releases right on cue | author=Blair, Jason L. | date=21 April 2011 | work=Adventure Gamers | archive-date=10 November 2016 | url-status=live }} and it proved to be a "huge failure" commercially, according to Pendulo's Josué Monchan.

Rethinking the company's style and brand after the failure of The Next Big Thing, Pendulo opted to create a game with a darker, more serious tone and more casual gameplay. Monchan stated that Pendulo could not find funding for a more traditional project. As a result, the team created Yesterday (2012), its first fully dramatic title. However, Pendulo was hit hard by Spanish economic turmoil; Yesterday{{'}}s budget was significantly smaller than the one for Runaway 3. Monchan noted that Yesterday again underperformed, which he blamed in part on a publisher that had lost faith in the team's ability to succeed. Pendulo undertook a new Runaway title in 2012, under the name Hidden Runaway.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026065557/https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reviews/analisis-point-and-click-hidden-runaway-45798 | url=https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reviews/analisis-point-and-click-hidden-runaway-45798 | title=Análisis point and click de Hidden Runaway | author=Hernández, David Alonso | date=28 November 2012 | language=Spanish | work=HobbyConsolas | archive-date=26 October 2017 | url-status=live }} Unlike Pendulo's earlier work, Hidden Runaway is a hidden object game aimed at casual players. The game was released for iOS devices in October 2012,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709224638/https://vandal.elespanol.com/noticia/74324/hidden-runaway-lo-nuevo-de-pendulo-ya-disponible-en-la-app-store/ | url=https://vandal.elespanol.com/noticia/74324/hidden-runaway-lo-nuevo-de-pendulo-ya-disponible-en-la-app-store/ | title=Hidden Runaway, lo nuevo de Pendulo, ya disponible en la App Store | date=20 October 2012 | language=Spanish | work=Vandal | archive-date=9 July 2019 | url-status=live }} and proved once again to be a commercial failure.

Unable to find an investor for another game, Pendulo turned to a crowdfunding campaign in 2012 for the tentative project Day One.{{Cite web|url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/22157|title = Day One – Pendulo Studios|date = 15 August 2012}} The campaign proved unsuccessful; Monchan stated that Pendulo had not spent time building a network of connections that would allow it to survive without a publisher. Following Pendulo's failure to fund Day One, the company entered a two-year period in which it released no original games.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712205639/https://www.eldiario.es/juegoreviews/noticias/Pendulo-Studios-trabaja-aventura-grafica_0_333167305.html | url=https://www.eldiario.es/juegoreviews/noticias/Pendulo-Studios-trabaja-aventura-grafica_0_333167305.html | title=Pendulo Studios trabaja en su nueva aventura gráfica | author=Alonso, Álvaro | date=9 December 2014 | work=El Diario | language=Spanish | archive-date=12 July 2019 |url-status=live }} Albert Garciá of La Vanguardia noted that "the future of this company was uncertain" during the period.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712205624/https://www.lavanguardia.com/tecnologia/videojuegos/20141212/54421343639/pendulo-studios-nueva-aventura-grafica.html | url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/tecnologia/videojuegos/20141212/54421343639/pendulo-studios-nueva-aventura-grafica.html | title=Pendulo Studios trabaja en una nueva aventura gráfica | author=Garciá, Albert | date=12 December 2014 | work=La Vanguardia | language=Spanish | archive-date=12 July 2019 | url-status=live }} To survive during these two years, Pendulo downsized and spent time porting its existing catalogue of games to iOS. Monchan compared the strategy to one that Revolution Software had previously used to stay solvent, and noted that The Next Big Thing and Yesterday saw more success on mobile devices than they had on personal computers.{{cite conference | author=Monchan, Josué |title=Trial, Success, Error, Restart: Twenty Years of Pendulo Studios |conference=AdventureX |date=6 December 2014 |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/josuemonchan2014 |access-date=3 October 2019 }}

In November 2014, Pendulo Studios began an undisclosed new project with publisher Microids, ending its hiatus from original releases. The two companies announced the deal that December.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712205320/https://as.com/meristation/2014/12/09/noticias/1418129820_139575.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2014/12/09/noticias/1418129820_139575.html | title=Los españoles Pendulo Studios están de vuelta | author=García, Enrique | date=9 December 2014 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=12 July 2019 }} Pendulo and Microids proceeded to release a sequel to Yesterday, entitled Yesterday Origins, in November 2016.{{cite web | url=https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reviews/yesterday-origins-analisis-aventura-pendulo-studios-71036 | title=Yesterday Origins – Análisis de la aventura de Pendulo Studios | author=Ruiz, Clara Castaño | date=8 November 2016 | language=Spanish | work=HobbyConsolas | access-date=12 July 2019 }} Directly after the game's completion, Microids proposed the idea of adapting the Blacksad comic series into a game. The publisher was owned by the same media conglomerate as Blacksad publisher Dargaud.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329175254/https://as.com/meristation/2019/02/26/reportajes/1551213785_058186.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2019/02/26/reportajes/1551213785_058186.html | title=La Mansión Maníaca #3: Entrevista a Pendulo sobre Blacksad y mucho más | date=28 February 2019 | author=Yago Lago | language=Spanish | work=MeriStation | archive-date=29 March 2019 | url-status=live }} Although Pendulo had never worked with a license before,{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712201141/https://www.mundodeportivo.com/videojuegos/20190415/461657468667/blacksad-under-the-skin-videojuego-avance.html | url=https://www.mundodeportivo.com/videojuegos/20190415/461657468667/blacksad-under-the-skin-videojuego-avance.html | title=Corrupción, fama, boxeo y detectives: Blacksad pasa del papel al videojuego | author=Amores, Marina | date=15 April 2019 | work=Mundo Deportivo | language=Spanish | archive-date=12 July 2019 | url-status=live }} the developer's Josué Monchán noted that the team had "been Blacksad fans for a long time" and agreed to the idea immediately.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712190630/http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20181005/blacksad-uno-videojuegos-mas-esperados/1811862.shtml | url=http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20181005/blacksad-uno-videojuegos-mas-esperados/1811862.shtml | title=Blacksad, uno de los videojuegos más esperados | date=5 October 2018 | author=Jiménez, Jesús | work=RTVE | language=Spanish | archive-date=12 July 2019 | url-status=live }} The team then storyboarded a pitch and submitted it to Dargaud and Blacksad{{'}}s authors, who approved it.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623220736/https://www.20minutes.fr/culture/2085083-20170612-dessinateur-blacksad-rejouit-future-adaptation-bd-jeu-video | url=https://www.20minutes.fr/culture/2085083-20170612-dessinateur-blacksad-rejouit-future-adaptation-bd-jeu-video | title=Le dessinateur de "Blacksad" se réjouit de la future adaptation de sa BD en jeu vidéo | author=Mimran, Olivier | date=12 June 2017 | work=20 minutes | language=French | archive-date=23 June 2019 | url-status=live }} YS Interactive initially assisted Pendulo.{{cite web | url=https://areajugones.sport.es/2017/06/08/pendulo-studios-adaptara-el-comic-blacksad-en-un-videojuego/ | title=Pendulo Studios adaptara el comic Blacksad en un videojuego | date=8 June 2017 | author=Diaz, Patricia | work=Sport | language=Spanish | access-date=12 July 2019 }}

Blacksad: Under the Skin was unexpectedly announced in June 2017.{{cite web | url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/669114/microids-annonce-la-trilogie-syberia-sur-switch-ainsi-que-blacksad-flashback-et-gear-club.htm | title=Microïds annonce la trilogie Syberia sur Switch, ainsi que Blacksad, Flashback et Gear.Club | author=ChewbieFR | date=9 June 2017 | work=Jeuxvideo.com | language=French | access-date=12 July 2019 }} Gameblog's Vincent Elmer-Haerrig called the project a "gamble" for Pendulo, as Under the Skin is aimed at "a fringe of players who are both comic-philes and video game lovers."{{cite web | url=http://www.gameblog.fr/news/76419-blacksad-pendulo-se-revele-en-images-pour-les-fans-de-bd | title=Blacksad (Pendulo) se révèle en images pour les fans de BD | author=Elmer-Haerrig, Vincent | date=28 June 2018 | work=Gameblog | language=French | access-date=12 July 2019 }} It was Pendulo's first game to use fully 3D visuals. Lead animator Carlos Hernández told Mundo Deportivo that the game's production was "a great difficulty" for the team, particularly because of its small size: Pendulo numbered 17 members by 2019. Under the Skin was released in November 2019. In late 2020, Pendulo reported that "the impact [Blacksad] has had on the market has been much greater" than Pendulo's other recent titles, which the company attributed to the project's "more narrative, modern adventure" style.

In March 2018, during the production of Under the Skin, Microids announced that Pendulo would develop an adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313231037/https://es.ign.com/vertigo-1/130629/news/microids-hara-una-adaptacion-de-vertigo | url=https://es.ign.com/vertigo-1/130629/news/microids-hara-una-adaptacion-de-vertigo | title=Microïds hará una adaptación de Vertigo | author=Martín, María P. | work=IGN Spain | date=13 March 2018 | language=Spanish | archive-date=13 March 2018 | url-status=live }} The publisher obtained the rights to Hitchcock's "name and likeness" for the game, Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315073535/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/03/13/microids-vertigo-game/ | url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/03/13/microids-vertigo-game/ | title=Alfred Hitchcock's face licensed for a Vertigo game | author=O'Connor, Alice | date=13 March 2018 | work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun | archive-date=15 March 2018 | url-status=live }} According to Microids, the game would be "loosely" inspired by the film, following it aesthetically and thematically.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231054015/https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/XboxOne/39513/2173807/Vertigo-Pendulo_und_Microds_arbeiten_an_einem_Adventure_zu_Hitchcocks_Kino-Oldie.html | url=https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/XboxOne/39513/2173807/Vertigo-Pendulo_und_Microds_arbeiten_an_einem_Adventure_zu_Hitchcocks_Kino-Oldie.html | title=Vertigo: Pendulo und Microïds arbeiten an einem Adventure zu Hitchcocks Kino-Oldie | author=Wöbbeking, Jan | date=14 March 2018 | work=4Players | language=German | archive-date=31 December 2020 | url-status=dead }} In November 2020, Pendulo revealed that development of Vertigo was "quite advanced" and that it would be a "narrative adventure" title.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128083230/https://as.com/meristation/2020/11/28/reportajes/1606550515_914667.html | url=https://as.com/meristation/2020/11/28/reportajes/1606550515_914667.html | title=Pendulo Studios, los españoles que quisieron competir con LucasArts | author=Oller, Martin | date=28 November 2020 | work=MeriStation | language=Spanish | archive-date=28 November 2020 | url-status=live }} The game was first shown at the Guerrilla Collective Showcase in June 2021, where its title was announced as Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo.{{cite press release | url=https://www.microids.com/us/guerrilla-collective-microids-unveils-narrative-game-alfred-hitchcock-vertigo-through-a-first-enigmatic-teaser-us/ | title=Guerrilla Collective: Microids unveils narrative game Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo through a first enigmatic teaser | date=5 June 2021 | location=Paris | publisher=Microids | accessdate=7 June 2021 }}{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607061003/https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/Allgemein/43296/2198417/Alfred_Hitchcock_-_Vertigo-Psychothriller_zwischen_Realitaet_und_Fantasie_angekuendigt.html | url=https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/Allgemein/43296/2198417/Alfred_Hitchcock_-_Vertigo-Psychothriller_zwischen_Realitaet_und_Fantasie_angekuendigt.html | title=Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo: Psychothriller zwischen Realität und Fantasie angekündigt | author=Kleffmann, Marcel | date=6 June 2021 | work=4Players | language=German | archivedate=7 June 2021 | url-status=live }} The game follows the story of Ed Miller, a man who enters therapy to cope with the mysterious after-effects of a car crash. Monchan noted that "Vertigo [was] not our only frame of reference" for the story, also citing Hitchcock's Spellbound, Rebecca and Psycho as influences, among others. The game was first released for computers in 2021, followed by a console release in 2022.

In August 2022, Microids revealed that Pendulo Studios was developing Tintin Reporter – Cigars of the Pharaoh, an "action and investigation adventure" based on the comic of the same name in the Adventures of Tintin series.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822170400/https://vandal.elespanol.com/noticia/1350755939/anunciado-tintin-reporter-cigars-of-the-pharaoh-un-juego-basado-en-el-mitico-comic/ | url=https://vandal.elespanol.com/noticia/1350755939/anunciado-tintin-reporter-cigars-of-the-pharaoh-un-juego-basado-en-el-mitico-comic/ | title=Anunciado Tintin Reporter: Cigars of the Pharaoh, un juego basado en el mítico cómic | author=Cano, Jorge | date=August 22, 2022 | work=Vandal | language=Spanish | archivedate=August 22, 2022 | url-status=live }} Microids had announced its plan to publish an unnamed Tintin video game previously, after striking a deal with the Hergé Foundation in 2020.{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103013102/https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/Allgemein/36985/2189618/Microds.html | url=https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/Allgemein/36985/2189618/Microds.html | title=Microids: Action-Adventure auf Basis von Tim und Struppi für PC und Konsolen in Entwicklung | author=Kleffmann, Marcel | date=April 26, 2020 | language=German | work=4Players | archivedate=January 3, 2023 | url-status=live }} Tintin Reporter – Cigars of the Pharaoh was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on November 7, 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/11/03/next-week-on-xbox-new-games-for-november-6-to-10/|title=Next Week on Xbox: New Games for November 6 to 10|website=Xbox Wire|first=Mike|last=Nelson|date=November 3, 2023|access-date=May 6, 2025|archive-date=May 4, 2025|archive-url=https://gamerant.com/tintin-reporter-cigars-pharoah-interview/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.microids.com/tintin-reporter-cigars-of-the-pharaoh-the-game-is-available-now/|title=Tintin Reporter – Cigars of the Pharaoh: The game is available now!|website=Microids|author=Team Microids|date=November 7, 2023|access-date=May 6, 2025|archive-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505175451/https://www.microids.com/tintin-reporter-cigars-of-the-pharaoh-the-game-is-available-now/|url-status=live}} It was later released for the Nintendo Switch on October 17, 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.microids.com/tintin-reporter-cigars-of-the-pharaoh-coming-to-nintendo-switch-on-october-17-2024/|title=Tintin Reporter – Cigars of the Pharaoh: Coming to Nintendo Switch on October 17, 2024!|website=Microids|author=Team Microids|date=August 8, 2024|access-date=May 6, 2025|archive-date=May 4, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250504053417/https://www.microids.com/tintin-reporter-cigars-of-the-pharaoh-coming-to-nintendo-switch-on-october-17-2024/|url-status=live}}

• Day One

• Daedalic Entertainment
• Frogwares
• House of Tales

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.pendulo-studios.com/}}

{{Pendulo Studios}}

Category:Companies based in Madrid

Category:Spanish companies established in 1993

Category:Video game companies established in 1993

Category:Privately held companies of Spain

Category:Video game companies of Spain

Category:Video game development companies