SockMonkey Studios
Behaviour UK - North (formerly SockMonkey Studios) is a British video game developer, founded by Teesside University graduates[1] Bob Makin and Darren Cuthbert, in Middlesbrough, North East England.[2]
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 2013 |
| Headquarters | Middlesbrough, United Kingdom |
Key people |
|
| Owner | Behaviour Interactive (2023–present) |
| Website | sockmonkeystudios |
History edit
Founded in February 2013[3] with the help of DigitalCity,[4] prior to SockMonkey Studios Makin and Cuthbert worked at other studios[5] including Team17, Jagex and Iguana.
Makin and Cuthbert were later joined by industry veteran Darren Falcus.[2] Building their foundation on primarily work for hire jobs, the studio collaborated with numerous video game companies such as SEGA, Double Eleven and Team 17[2][6] to assist in the porting of their games to other consoles.
After setting up their offices on Victoria Road in Middlesbrough, in 2015 they moved their headquarters to the Phoenix Building at Teesside University,[4] moving again to Boho 5 [7] as the studio grew and as of 2021 reside at 16/26 Albert Road North[8] in Middlesbrough.
From its inception, the studio experienced growth due to increasing demand within the gaming industry and by 2020 had added dozens of positions. In 2019 alone they reported doubling the headcount in their Teesside office.[9]
In 2020, during an expansion phase, Ron Ashtiani[10] - former CEO of Sumo Group's Atomhawk Business - was added to the board of directors.[11] During 2020, the studio also received funding[12] from Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
In February 2023 it was announced that SockMonkey Studios had been acquired by Behaviour Interactive, becoming Behaviour UK - North.[13]
Contract work edit
Although the studio also worked on full-scale development[6] SockMonkey was predominantly a work-for-hire studio, having worked globally on contracts for both PC and console,[2] including US-based developers such as tinyBuild and Outfit7.[14]
Awards[15][16] edit
| Year | Institution | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | GameBridge | Business Award | Won |
| 2020 | Tees Tech Awards 2020[16] | Tech Ambassador | Nominated |
| Company of the Year | Nominated | ||
| North East Business Awards[17] | Small Business Award: Teesside | Won | |
| Small Business Award: Grand Final | Won | ||
| 2021 | Tees Tech Awards 2021 | Unsung Hero: Darren Falcus | Won |
| Business Leader: Bob Makin | Won | ||
| 2022 | Tees Tech Awards 2022 | Company of the Year | Nominated |
| Game Dev Heroes Awards 2022 | Design Hero 2022: Dewi Roberts | Nominated | |
| Gi.biz Best Places to Work 2022 | Best Boss UK : Bob Makin | Nominated | |
| Best Places to Work: Small Company | Won | ||
| 2023 | Velocitees Awards | Job Creation: Small Business | Nominated |
| Turnover: Small Business | Nominated |
Games[6] edit
| Year | Game Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Wurdy | Development | |
| 2014 | Joe Danger | Porting | Ported to Android |
| SockaMonkeys | Full Development | ||
| The Soccer Monkey | Full Development | ||
| 2015 | Joe Danger Infinity | Porting | Ported to Android |
| Unannounced Title | Porting | Unreleased title | |
| 2016 | Farm Fighters | Development | Added online multiplayer and design work |
| Kingdom Conquest (Unreleased) | Art and Animation | Unreleased mobile title | |
| 2017 | The Rocky Horror Show: Touch Me | Development | Code development |
| PlayPhoto | Development | Addition of Imessage add-on | |
| The Escapists | Porting | ||
| 2018 | Beat the Intro | Development | |
| Songbringer | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch | |
| Prison Architect | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch | |
| 2019 | Prison Architect | Development | Created content and updates for console and PC |
| 2020 | Talking Tom Candy Run | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and added Multiplayer Mode |
| Deliver Us the Moon | Porting | Ported to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 | |
| Tens! | Porting and Development | Ported to PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch added content, Story Mode and Multiplayer Mode | |
| Kill it with Fire | Porting | Ported to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS and Android | |
| 2021 | Totally Accurate Battlegrounds | Development | Co-development of future updates and content and changing the game from premium to free to play |
| 2022 | Happy's Humble Burger Farm | Porting | Ported to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch |
| Little Orpheus | Porting and Development | Remastered and Ported to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 / 5, Switch and PC | |
| Tinykin | Porting | Ported to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, MS Store, PlayStation 4 / 5 and Switch | |
| CoComelon: Play with JJ | Full Development | Nintendo Switch |
References edit
- ^ Manning, Jonathon (2018-07-04). "Teesside Uni graduates some of most successful at launching firms". TeessideLive. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ a b c d Manning, Jonathon (2019-02-05). "Games studio SockMonkey to create 50-strong team by 2021". TeessideLive. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
- ^ "New original video game developed in the North-East launched following investment". The Northern Echo. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ a b "Teesside app development startup expands with new offices". Bdaily Business News. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ "SockMonkey Studios". www.sockmonkeystudios.net. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ a b c "SockMonkey Studios". Retrieved 2021-05-07.
- ^ Manning, Jonathon (2019-09-04). "Middlesbrough's game studio SockMonkey kits out Boho Five office". Business Live. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ Manning, Jonathon (2020-11-18). "Game studio SockMonkey plans to triple headcount after move". Business Live. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ Dawson, Richard (June 17, 2020). "Teesside games studio raises £250,000 to launch its first title". North East Times. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Ins and Outs – June 2020's industry hires roundup | Business News". MCV/DEVELOP. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ "SockMonkey Studios". Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
- ^ "UK studio SockMonkey raises £250,000". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ Pavey, Vince (2023-02-23). "Behaviour Interactive has acquired UK game developer SockMonkey Studios". MCV. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Imrie, Jane (November 18, 2020). "Games studio levels up with move to emerging Teesside tech hub". Bdaily Business News. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Shortlist & Winners". North East Business Awards. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ a b "Tees Tech Awards". Tees Business. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ Manning, Jonathon (2020-09-24). "North East Business Awards 2020: RECAP". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2021-07-28.