Deck13

Deck13 Interactive GmbH is a German video game developer and publisher based in Frankfurt. The company was founded in July 2001 by the team behind Artex Software, a studio that primarily developed video games for RISC OS, such as Ankh: The Tales of Mystery. Originally bearing the name TriggerLab, the company was renamed to Deck13 after the release of its first game, Stealth Combat, in 2002. Deck13 is best known for developing the action role-playing games Lords of the Fallen and The Surge. Deck13 also operates a Hamburg-based subsidiary studio, Deck13 Hamburg.

Deck13 Interactive GmbH
Deck13
FormerlyTriggerLab GmbH (2001–2002)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorArtex Software
Founded2001 (2001)
Founders
  • Jan Klose
  • Florian Stadlbauer
Headquarters
Frankfurt
,
Germany
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Products
Number of employees
70[1] (2020)
ParentFocus Home Interactive (2020–present)
SubsidiariesDeck13 Hamburg
Websitedeck13.com

History

Deck13 is the successor to Artex Software, a development team that created the game Ankh for RISC OS.[2] The company was founded as TriggerLab in 2001 by Jan Klose and Florian Stadlbauer.[3] TriggerLab developed Stealth Combat, which was first released in Germany on 25 February 2002; shortly thereafter, on 2 April 2002, the company was renamed as Deck13 Interactive.[4] The name "Deck13" was derived from "DM-Deck16", a game map from Unreal Tournament (1999).

In 2005, the humorous adventure game Ankh was released, which was a remake of the 1997 game Ankh: The Tales of Mystery by Artex Software. As the product sold very well and won several awards (especially in Germany), the sequel Ankh: Heart of Osiris was produced and released almost exactly one year later, reusing elements of the previous title. In August 2007, the adventure game Jack Keane was released which was similar to the Ankh series in terms of graphics and gameplay but which was set in England and colonial India. The third part of the Ankh series, The Battle of the Gods, was released in Germany on 19 November 2007. One of their latest games, the role-playing game called Venetica was released in September 2009 and was the first RPG to be published by the company. Afterwards, Deck13 Interactive was working on Blood Knights, a comic hack-and-slash for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which was released in 2013.[5]

In 2015, Deck13 released Lords of the Fallen in co-operation CI Games. While a sequel was announced by the publisher, Deck13 was not named as the developer.[6] Instead, the studio was announced to be working with Focus Home Interactive on the then-upcoming The Surge.[7] In September 2016, managing director Florian Stadlbauer announced that he had left the company and had since replaced by Mathias Reichert.[8] As of July 2018, the company employs 70 people.[9]

In June 2020, Focus Home Interactive acquired the company for €7.1 million.[10]

Games developed
Year Title Publisher(s)
2002 Stealth Combat Modern Games, Cryo Interactive
2004 Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon 2005: Island Hopping Activision Value
2005 Ankh BHV Software, Viva Media
Luka und das geheimnisvolle Silberpferd Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention der Länder und des Bundes
2006 Ankh: Heart of Osiris Xider
2007 Jack Keane 10tacle Studios, Strategy First
Ankh: Battle of the Gods Daedalic Entertainment, Xider
2008 Luka und der verborgene Schatz Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention der Länder und des Bundes
2009 Venetica DTP Entertainment
2010 Black Sails: The Ghost Ship Astragon
Jade Rousseau: The Secret Revelations – Episode 1: The Fall of Sant' Antonio Phenomedia
Reading the Dead Astrasgon
2011 Haunted DTP Entertainment, Viva Media
2012 Jack Keane 2: The Fire Within Astrasgon
2013 Blood Knights Kalypso Media
2014 Moorhuhn: Tiger and Chicken Koch Media
Lords of the Fallen CI Games
2015 Imagoras Städel Museum
2017 The Surge Focus Home Interactive
2019 The Surge 2 Focus Home Interactive

Cancelled
  • The Mystery of the Seven Symbols
  • Jade Rousseau: Die Geheimen Evangelien – Episode 2: Die Bruderschaft
  • Jade Rousseau: Die Geheimen Evangelien – Episode 3: Das geheime Dossier
  • Jade Rousseau: Die Geheimen Evangelien – Episode 4: Der Weg in die Finsternis
  • Jade Rousseau: Die Geheimen Evangelien – Episode 5: Die Geister der Vergangenheit
  • Jade Rousseau: Die Geheimen Evangelien – Episode 6: Der Zorn Gottes

Games published
Year Title Developer(s)
2015 The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle – Episode 1: A Dreadly Business Rumpus Animation
Super Sky Arena (early access) Hammer Labs
Super Snow Fight Patrick God
2016 Obliteracers Varkian Empire
Hover Cubes: Arena (early access) Gametology
Flat Heroes Parallel Circles
The Shape of Heart (early access) Dragon Whisper Games
2017 Shift Happens Klonk Games
The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle – Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement Rumpus Animation
2018 Wartile Playwood Project
To Hell with Hell Lazurite Games
vridniX Uncanaut
CrossCode Radical Fish Games
2019 The Shattering -
2020 Resolutiion Monolith of Minds

See also

References
  1. Fröhlich, Petra (10 January 2020). "Die größten Spiele-Entwickler in Deutschland 2020" [The largest game developers in Germany 2020]. GamesWirtschaft (in German).
  2. Böke, Ingmar (12 March 2018). "Adventures in Germany and Beyond round table (Part 1) – Page 2". Adventure Gamers.
  3. ""Das nächste große Ding" im Visier" [Aiming for "the next big thing"]. Frankfurter Neue Presse (in German). 20 August 2016.
  4. "News". TriggerLab (in German). 2002. Archived from the original on 8 October 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  5. Sauer, Tom (1 November 2013). "Blood Knights: Launch-Trailer mit Alysa zum heutigen Xbox 360-Release" [Blood Knights: Launch trailer with Alyse for today's Xbox 360 release]. PC Games (in German). Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. Purchese, Robert (29 May 2015). "Lords of the Fallen 2 to launch in 2017". Eurogamer. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  7. "Latest Deck13 game officially announced as The Surge". Focus Home Interactive. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  8. "Deck 13-Crew segelt künftig ohne Florian Stadlbauer" [Deck 13 crew to sail without Florian Stadlbauer going forward]. GamesWirtschaft (in German). 1 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  9. "Deutschlands größte Spielehersteller 2018". GamesWirtschaft (in German). 2 July 2018.
  10. "Focus Home Interactive acquires Deck13 Interactive". Gematsu. 25 June 2020.
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