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Fishlabs GmbH

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	2004; 20 years ago (2004)
Founders	Michael Schade Christian Lohr
Headquarters	Hamburg, Germany
Products	Galaxy on Fire Chorus
Number of employees	70 (2024)
Parent	Deep Silver (2013–present)
Website	fishlabs.de

Fishlabs GmbH (formerly Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH and Deep Silver Fishlabs) is a German video game developer based in Hamburg. Founded in 2004 by Michael Schade and Christian Lohr, the studio is best known for its Galaxy on Fire series. Following a brief bankruptcy proceeding, Fishlabs was acquired by Koch Media and reorganized as part of their game publishing label Deep Silver.

History

Michael Schade and Christian Lohr opened Fishlabs in 2004, incorporated under the name Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH. That same year, the company received a round of financing, which allowed them to pay for development expenses for several years while generating revenue from their releases. It developed advergames like Barclaycard's Waterslide Extreme. In May 2010, Fishlabs planned a series B round and announced its plans to move into the massively multiplayer online games market.

By mid-2013, Fishlabs had run out of money; in October, 25 jobs were cut before the company went into self-administration. On 2 December, media company Koch Media announced that it had acquired Fishlabs, which would henceforth operate as the dedicated mobile studio for its game publishing label, Deep Silver. As the agreement was an asset deal, all of Fishlabs' assets, including 52 employees, were transferred to Koch Media and incorporated in a new division, called Deep Silver Fishlabs. The company's former legal entity, Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH, was to be dissolved, and both founders left the company. Schade and Lohr left the company and founded Everspace developer Rockfish Games. As result of the change in ownership, and the associated financial stability, Fishlabs also moved into video game publishing.

In March 2022, Fishlabs received €5.5 million in funding from the German government for the company's Project Black. Described as a third-person action game, the project was expected to be completed by August 2026. By January 2023, the company employed 95 people. In September, Embracer Group, the parent company of Koch Media (now known as Plaion), underwent cost cutting restructuring. Project Black was cancelled and about 12 employees were laid off.

Fishlabs then pitched a new Red Faction game following the closure of series developer Volition. Despite initial positive reception, the title was cancelled in November 2023 and around 50 Fishlabs employees were laid off.

List of video games

References

1. Fröhlich, Petra (15 August 2024). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2024" [The largest game studios in Germany in 2024]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
2. Etherington, Darrell (11 February 2013). "Galaxy On Fire Space Sim MMO For iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Coming In Q3 2013". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
3. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (2 December 2013). "Galaxy on Fire developer Fishlabs purchased by Koch Media". Polygon. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
4. ^ Chapple, Craig (14 May 2014). "'It was the hardest time we've ever gone through': How Fishlabs came back from the brink". MCV. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
5. Dredge, Stuart (27 July 2009). "Fishlabs reveals Waterslide Extreme iPhone stats". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
6. vaughn597 (12 May 2010). "Next10: Fishlabs to move into mobile MMOGs, Series B round planned". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
7. Handrahan, Matthew (31 January 2018). "Rockfish Games: Building success, piece by piece". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
8. Gameswirtschaft (4 April 2023). "Games-Förderung: 5,5 Mio. € für Chorus-Studio Fishlabs". GamesWirtschaft.de (in German). Retrieved 21 June 2024.
9. Fröhlich, Petra (16 January 2023). "Die größten Games-Studios in Deutschland 2023 (Update)" [The largest game studios in Germany in 2023 (update)]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
10. ^ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (20 June 2024). "How Embracer's cuts killed a potential Red Faction sequel and gutted a promising studio". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
11. Phillips, Tom (28 November 2023). "Layoffs hit Galaxy on Fire, Chorus developer Fishlabs - sources". Eurogamer. Retrieved 28 November 2023.

External links

• Official website

v t e Deep Silver (list of games)
Franchises	Dead Island Emergency Galaxy on Fire Homefront Lost Horizon Metro Painkiller Red Faction Saints Row Secret Files TimeSplitters
Studios	Dambuster Studios Fishlabs Free Radical Design Volition
Related	Plaion

• German companies established in 2004
• Companies based in Hamburg
• Deep Silver
• Video game companies established in 2004
• Video game companies of Germany
• Video game publishers
• Video game development companies
• 2013 mergers and acquisitions