Hipster Whale Explained
Hipster Whale is an Australian independent video game developer and publisher founded on 20 November 2014 by Andy Sum and Matt Hall, shortly before making the game Crossy Road.[3] The company has also created the games Shooty Skies, Pac-Man 256 (in collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment), and Disney Crossy Road (in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios).
History
After meeting at GCAP (Game Center: Asia Pacific) 2013, Andy Sum and Matt Hall decided to make Hipster Whale.[4] The name came from discussing free-to-play games and the word "whale" came up in the conversation. Sum was doodling as they were talking and began drawing a whale, which would later become the company's logo. Sum and Hall kept the whale as the mascot for later on.[5]
Hipster Whale's first game, Crossy Road was planned to take a total of six weeks to develop, but after seeing its potential, the developers spent more than 12 weeks on it. Crossy Road was inspired by linear movement games (modern successors to classic platform games)such as Temple Run and Flappy Bird.[6] The name and concept of the game is based on the joke "Why did the chicken cross the road?".[7]
On 22 May 2015, Bandai Namco Entertainment and Hipster Whale announced Pac-Man 256, which featured Pac-Man trying to escape ghosts and overcome a glitch while performing the same mechanics as the 1980 video game, with the glitch based on the Level 256 glitch from the original arcade game,[8] but with upgrades and freemium purchases.[9] On 20 August, the game was released, with the game then being released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 June 2016[10]
In March 2016, Hipster Whale announced a spin-off of Crossy Road, Disney Crossy Road, which would be published by Disney Interactive Studios.[11] On 20 July, the company announced its move into video game publishing, and appointed former Atari and Krome Studios Melbourne employee Clara Reeves as the president of Hipster Whale; she had recently worked at Film Victoria.[12] On 7 September, the company released an update towards Disney Crossy Road, which added Monsters, Inc. characters to the game and a mode called the "Weekend Challenge".[13]
Products
| Year | Title | Genre | Platform |
|---|
| 2014 | Crossy Road | Endless arcade mobile game | iOS, tvOS, Android, Windows Phone |
| 2015 | Pac-Man 256 | iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, OS X, Linux |
| Shooty Skies | iOS, Android, Meta Quest |
| 2016 | Disney Crossy Road (Discontinued) | iOS, Android, Windows Phone |
| 2018 | Piffle | iOS, Android, Nintendo |
| 2020 | Crossy Road Castle | iOS | |
Notes and References
- Web site: Hipster Whale - Press Kit. Hipster Whale. 15 September 2016. 29 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160829204314/http://hipsterwhale.com/press. live.
- Web site: The Arcade Melbourne. The Arcade. 15 September 2015. 12 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151012055714/http://thearcade.melbourne/. live.
- Web site: Publisher Spotlight: Hipster Whale - AdColony. AdColony. 16 January 2015. 11 February 2016. 25 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220625203311/https://www.adcolony.com/blog/2015/01/16/publisher-spotlight-hipster-whale/. live.
- Web site: Crossy Road Press. 11 February 2016. 18 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190418225957/https://www.crossyroad.com/press/. live.
- Web site: Crossy Road: Making the next Flappy Bird. Red Bull. 11 February 2016. 13 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170213083745/http://www.redbull.com/us/en/games/stories/1331701011749/crossy-road-hipster-whale-interview. live.
- Web site: Matt Hall. Twitter. 11 February 2016. 21 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160421091819/https://twitter.com/klicktock/status/538471575838674945. live.
- Web site: More than fun and games with local developers. The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 March 2015. 11 February 2016. 23 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170823170018/http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/macman/more-than-fun-and-games-with-local-developers-20150304-13usxe. live.
- News: 'Pac-Man 256' by Hipster Whale is 'Pac-Man' Meets 'Crossy Road'. Dotson. Carter. 22 May 2015. TouchArcade. 15 September 2016. 13 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160913155655/http://toucharcade.com/2015/05/22/pac-man-256-crossy-road/. live.
- News: Pac-Man 256 Is Endless Pac-Man With A Fun, Glitchy Twist. Hamilton. Kirk. 21 August 2015. Kotaku. 15 September 2016. Univision Communications. 15 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151115213122/http://kotaku.com/endless-pac-man-is-really-fun-even-though-you-can-neve-1725723440. live.
- News: Pac-Man 256 is munching endless pellets on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. Wilson. Jason. 22 June 2016. VentureBeat. 15 September 2016. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108100631/http://venturebeat.com/2016/06/22/pac-man-256-is-munching-endless-pellets-on-ps4-xbox-one-and-steam-right-now/. live.
- Web site: Disney and Hipster Whale Announce New Game. 17 March 2016. Creative Victoria. 15 September 2016. 16 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916132257/http://creative.vic.gov.au/news/2016/disney-and-hipster-whale-announce-new-game. dead.
- News: Crossy Road studio Hipster Whale expands into publishing. Brightman. James. 20 July 2016. Gamesindustry.biz. 15 September 2016. Eurogamer. 7 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211207144431/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-07-20-crossy-road-studio-hipster-whale-expands-into-publishing. live.
- News: Disney Crossy Road Guide – Monster Inc. Update, Unlock All Characters, Weekend Challenge and More. 8 September 2016. MobiPicker. 15 September 2016. 21 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221221215132/https://www.mobipicker.com/disney-crossy-road-guide-monster-inc/. live.
