Squanch Games

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Squanch Games
IndustryVideo games
FoundedAugust 25, 2016; 6 years ago (2016-08-25)
FounderTanya Watson
Justin Roiland
Headquarters,
Key people
Justin Roiland (CEO)
ProductsVideo games
Number of employees
50
Websitesquanchgames.com

Squanch Games (formerly known as Squanchtendo) is a video game development studio based in the United States. The company was founded by Justin Roiland in August 2016. The studio is most known for developing Accounting (2016), Trover Saves the Universe (2019) and High on Life (2022). The company has offices in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Burbank, California.

Company[]

Justin Roiland, the co-creator and voice actor behind the Rick & Morty series, founded Squanchtendo on August 25, 2016 in partnership with Tanya Watson, who previously worked as an executive producer at Epic Games. Roiland previously worked on Pocket Mortys, a mobile game in the Rick & Morty franchise, in conjunction with Adult Swim. He formed the studio with the intention of developing virtual reality games,[1] a passion he have had since 2015, being one of the earliest backers for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.[2] Roiland first met Watson through Ophir Lupu, United Talent Agency's head of games. Watson, using her contacts at Epic Games, helped the studio to expand and recruit talents.[3] "Squanch" is a planet in the Rick & Morty franchise, while "tendo" is a word-play of video game publisher Nintendo, though the company changed its name in 2017 to just "Squanch Games" after being advised by a lawyer.[4]

The studio's first game was Accounting, a VR exploration game released in 2016. The game was developed in collaboration with Crows Crows Crows and William Pugh, the designer of The Stanley Parable.[5] An expanded version of the game, Accounting+, which doubles the length of the original game, was released in December 2017.[6] In August 2018, the company acquired the trademark for Radical Heights, a defunct battle royale game, from Boss Key Productions.[7] The studio then went on to work on Dr. Splorchy Presents: Space Heroes, a project for Google Daydream, and Trover Saves the Universe. Unlike the studio's previous games, which was considered to be a more experiential project, Trover Saves the Universe is "significant in length experience".[3] While Trover features VR component, it is not a necessary requirement as the team wanted the game to reach a larger audience.[8] The game was released in 2019 to generally positive reviews. In January 2021, Watson left the studio, and Roiland assumed the position of the company's chief executive officer.[9]

The company is currently working on High on Life, a comedic first-person shooter set to be released in December 2022.[10]

Games developed[]

Year Title Platform(s)
2016 Accounting Windows, PlayStation 4
2018 Dr. Splorchy Presents: Space Heroes Google Daydream
2019 Trover Saves the Universe Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
2022 High on Life Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

References[]

  1. ^ Buckley, Sean (August 25, 2016). "The co-creator of 'Rick and Morty' just founded a VR studio". Engadget. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Wilde, Tyler (September 24, 2015). "Creature prison: The VR designs of Rick and Morty's co-creator". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Crecente, Brian (June 21, 2018). "'Rick and Morty' Co-Creator Justin Roiland on Splitting Development Time Between Video Games, TV". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rick & Morty co-creator's Squanchtendo rebrands as Squanch Games". MCVUK. December 7, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  5. ^ Davenport, James (March 17, 2016). "New VR project from Justin Roiland and Crows Crows Crows tackles accounting". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  6. ^ Bailey, Dustin (December 8, 2017). "The creators of The Stanley Parable and Rick and Morty are bringing you more Accounting". PCGamesN. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Park, Morgan (May 30, 2018). "Radical Heights trademark acquired by Justin Roiland's VR studio Squanch Games". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Shanley, Patrick (May 29, 2019). "How 'Rick and Morty' Co-Creator Aims to Make Gaming "Funny and Absurd"". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Kerr, Chris (January 11, 2021). "Justin Roiland to become Squanch Games CEO following departure of Tanya Watson". Game Developer. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Diaz, Ana (June 12, 2022). "Rick and Morty's creator is making a comedic first-person shooter". Polygon. Retrieved June 14, 2022.

External links[]

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