| Kalypso Media Group GmbH | |
| Former Name: | Kalypso Media GmbH (2006–2014) |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Video games |
| Hq Location City: | Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate |
| Hq Location Country: | Germany |
| Num Employees: | 200 [1] |
| Num Employees Year: | 2023 |
Kalypso Media Group is a German video game developer and publisher. Founded in 2006 in Worms, the group includes four companies, in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States and has studios, Realmforge Studios, Gaming Minds Studios, Claymore Game Studios, and Nine Worlds Studios. Kalypso is best known for publishing Tropico, Sudden Strike, Dungeons and Railway Empire series.
Kalypso Media was founded on 16 August 2006 by Simon Hellwig and Stefan Marcinek.[2] One year later, a branch was opened in Bracknell, UK, and in June 2009, another in Ridgewood, USA. In 2009, the group opened its second UK outlet in the form of Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. in Leicester. Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. is responsible for the online marketing of its own games and the products of other providers.
In November 2008, it founded the subsidiary Realmforge Studios GmbH, based in Munich, and integrated Boxed Dreams, developer of Ceville. At the same time, it acquired the rights to the Tropico series from Take Two Interactive, with the first Kalypso-published game in the series being Tropico 3.
UK-based Ascaron filed for bankruptcy in April 2009.[3] Kalypso was able to acquire rights to its series DarkStar One, Patrician and Port Royale in June 2009, though left other assets like the Sacred series with Ascaron.[4] Kalypso also acquired fifteen former Ascaron employees to establish its second internal studio, Gaming Minds Studio, in Gütersloh, of which they held 60% ownership, the other 40% owned by Daniel Dumont and Kay Struve, former Ascaron employees that were named to run Gaming Minds.
In July 2010, Berlin manufacturer The Games Company (TGC) filed for bankruptcy and in September, Kalypso took over, acquiring several brands owned by the insolvent company. Kalypso also brought in TGC's internal studio Silver Style Entertainment and created a third internal studio, Noumena Studios in Berlin.[5] The studio was rebranded as Skilltree Studios in 2014, but in March 2016, Kalypso opted to close the studio.[6]
Kalypso founded a sister company for mobile gaming development, Kalypso Media Mobile, in April 2014 in Berlin.[7] The studio’s first mobile and tablet games were released a year later in May 2015.
In January 2016, Stefan Marcinek sold his shares in the Kalypso and left the company, leaving Simon Hellwig as sole shareholder.[8]
Kalypso acquired the Commandos, Imperial Glory, and Praetorians series from Pyro Studios in July 2018. Pyro, whose work has been more focused on supporting Ilion Animation Studios, welcomed Kalypso's opportunity to bring their titles back to the market.[9] Kalypso later announced high-definition remasters of Commandos 2 and Praetorians for early 2020,[10] and the formation of its third internal studio, Claymore Game Studios, to develop new games in the Commandos series. The company fully acquired the remaining ownership of Gaming Minds from Dumont and Struve in June 2020, with Dumont and Struve still remaining as the studio leads.[11]
In October 2021, it announced a new studio in Munich called Nine Worlds Studios, which is named after the nine worlds of Norse mythology. They will be responsible for creating a new Tropico entry. Project Manager Thomas Schneider, formerly of Aesir Interactive, was hired to lead in setting up the studio.[12] [13]
On October 18, 2022, Kalypso announced that co-founder Simon Hellwig had died.[14]
Kalypso has several development studios:
| Release date | Title | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Commandos: Origins | Claymore Game Studios |
| The Inquisitor[19] | The Dust | |
| 2023 | Dungeons 4 | Realmforge |
| Railway Empire 2 | Gaming Minds | |
| Tortuga: A Pirate's Tale | Gaming Minds | |
| 2022 | ||
| Commandos 3 - HD Remaster | Raylight Games | |
| 2021 | Disciples: Liberation | Frima Studio |
| Spacebase Startopia | Realmforge Studios | |
| 2020 | Port Royale 4 | Gaming Minds |
| Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars | Palindrome Interactive | |
| Commandos 2 - HD Remaster | Yippee! Entertainment | |
| Praetorians - HD Remaster | Torus Games | |
| 2019 | Tropico 6 | Limbic Entertainment |
| 2018 | Games Farm | |
| Railway Empire | Gaming Minds | |
| 2017 | Dungeons 3 | Realmforge Studios |
| Games Farm | ||
| Sudden Strike 4 | Kite Games | |
| Urban Empire | Reborn Games | |
| 2015 | Crookz: The Big Heist | Skilltree Studios |
| Grand Ages: Medieval | Gaming Minds | |
| Dungeons 2 | Realmforge Studios | |
| 2014 | Tropico 5 | Haemimont Games |
| 2013 | Dark | Realmforge Studios |
| Rise of Venice | Gaming Minds | |
| Alien Spidey | Enigma Software | |
| Dollar Dash | Candygun Games | |
| Omerta - City of Gangsters | Haemimont Games | |
| 2012 | Anna | Dreampainters Software |
| Sine Mora | Digital Reality | |
| Legends of Pegasus | NovaCore Studios | |
| Hard Reset: Extended Edition | Flying Wild Hog | |
| Port Royale 3 | Gaming Minds | |
| Telltale Games | ||
| Coreplay | ||
| 2011 | Global Ops: Commando Libya | Spectral Games |
| Airline Tycoon II | B-Alive | |
| Games Farm | ||
| Tropico 4 | Haemimont Games | |
| Boulder Dash-XL | Catnip Games | |
| Revolution Under Siege | SEP Reds | |
| Patrician IV: Rise of a Dynasty | Gaming Minds | |
| The First Templar | Haemimont Games | |
| Elements of War | Lesta Studio | |
| Dungeons | Realmforge Studios | |
| Who's That Flying?! | Mediatonic | |
| 2010 | Disciples III | .dat media |
| Pole Position 2010 | destraX Entertainment | |
| DarkStar One: Broken Alliance (Xbox 360) | Ascaron | |
| Patrician IV: Conquest by Trade | Gaming Minds | |
| Darkfall | Aventurine SA | |
| M.U.D. TV | Realmforge Studios | |
| 2009 | Tropico 3 | Haemimont Games |
| Time of Shadows | SkyFallen Entertainment | |
| Dawn of Magic 2 | SkyFallen Entertainment | |
| Ceville | Realmforge Studios | |
| Haemimont Games | ||
| 2008 | Winter Challenge 2008 | |
| AGON - The Lost Sword of Toledo | Private Moon Studios | |
| Imperium Romanum | Haemimont Games | |
| Political Machine 2008 | Stardock | |
| Racing Team Manager | destraX Entertainment | |
| 2007 | Jack Keane | Deck13 Interactive |
| Hollywood Pictures 2 | Sayonara Software | |
| Campus | ||
| Star Assault | GamesArk | |
| Theatre of War | 1C Company |