Phoenix Labs (game studio)

Phoenix Labs is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was founded in April 2014 by former Riot Games developers Jesse Houston, Sean Bender, and Robin Mayne.[1][2] The studio's first project, Dauntless, launched in open beta on Microsoft Windows in May 2018[3] and has been released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 21st 2019 and released on Nintendo Switch on December 10th 2019 - with a vision for cross-platform play.

History

Founders Jesse Houston, Sean Bender, and Robin Mayne built Phoenix Labs in an effort to create a studio that focuses on online co-operative gaming experiences.[1] Early on, the founders were joined by former Bioware, Riot Games, Capcom, and Blizzard Entertainment developers.[4] They turned to former co-workers to fill roles at Phoenix Labs and the first 23 of the studio's employees had all shipped games with Houston previously.[5] Their combined understanding of how multiplayer games can bring people together led to the development of Dauntless and its free-to-play business model.[6]

In order to continue development, Phoenix Labs raised Series B funding to support that vision in February 2018[7] and released Dauntless in open beta on May 24, 2018.[8] Despite that investment, the company has maintained independent control of the studio.[9] The company has continued to develop Dauntless by encouraging back and forth conversations between developers and players.[10] Game designers, directors, and executives all connect with players regularly through forums and relevant social media.[6][10] Since the game's beta release, the studio has continued to make changes based on player feedback and discussion.[6] For example, Dauntless originally featured paid-for loot boxes in the form of Chroma Cores, which granted players random cosmetic items when opened. Conversations with the community, however, led to Phoenix Labs removing Chroma Cores and allowing players to select and buy the cosmetic items they want.[6]

In July 2018, Phoenix Labs announced that Dauntless had reached 2 million registered accounts.[11] Later that year, in October, the studio raised another round of funding led by Sapphire Ventures.[5] The funding round was intended to help expand the live service operations of Dauntless.[12] In December 2018, that live service evolved as Phoenix Labs launched the first season of Hunt Pass, a series of challenges that promise limited-time rewards while the season lasts.[13] Since then, Phoenix Labs has produced a steady stream of content updates.[14]

The studio had originally promised a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch for Dauntless in April 2019.[15] This was delayed, however, and given a wider release window of summer 2019.[16][17]

On January 29, 2020, Garena announced the acquisition of Phoenix Labs for an estimated US$150 million in order to build up its game development capabilities. The acquisition will also lead to more features in games, as well as greater opportunities for expansion in new markets.[18]

On December 2, 2020 Phoenix Labs announced it was opening two new offices in Los Angeles, California and Montreal, Quebec. [19]

Partnership with Epic Games

In January 2019, Phoenix Labs announced partnership with Epic Games which will see Dauntless become available on PC exclusively through the Epic Games store and require all players to sign in using an Epic Games account.[20]

While the move to make Dauntless an Epic Games store exclusive was criticized by some, Mayne cited cross-platform play as the partnership's main benefit.[21]

Games developed
Year Title Genre(s) Platform(s)
2019 Dauntless Action-RPG PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Coming in Mobile 2020

References
  1. Rose, Mike. "Phoenix Labs is a new studio from former League of Legends vets". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  2. "Phoenix Labs' lessons learned from League of Legends". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  3. Cox, Matt (2018-05-25). "Dauntless invites everyone to slay some poor animals in its open beta". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  4. "Former BioWare, Riot, Capcom, Blizzard Devs Announce 'Dauntless'". Game Rant. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  5. "Phoenix Labs on walking the line between Dauntless and reckless". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  6. "Dauntless: Making a different kind of monster hunting game". VentureBeat. 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  7. Palumbo, Alessio (2018-02-15). "Dauntless Developer Raises Series B Financing Round To Build Upon The Game's Foundation". Wccftech. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  8. Cox, Matt (2018-05-25). "Dauntless invites everyone to slay some poor animals in its open beta". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  9. "If loot boxes are free-to-play's present, what will be the future?". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  10. "Phoenix Labs' Jesse Houston: 'Community involvement' is the beating heart of Dauntless". GameDaily.biz. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  11. "Phoenix Labs' Dauntless hits 2 million players and readies big expansion". VentureBeat. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  12. Daniel, Matt. "Dauntless dev Phoenix Labs leads financing round to secure 'a couple years of runway' | Massively Overpowered". Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  13. Davenport, James (2018-12-07). "Dauntless heading to Epic Games store, aiming for crossplay across all platforms". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  14. Ramée, Jordan (2019-04-26). "Monster Hunter-Like Dauntless Gets New Hunt Pass And Content Update". GameSpot. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  15. Phillips, Tom (2018-12-07). "Monster Hunter-like Dauntless headed to consoles and mobile next year". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  16. "Dauntless PS4 Release Date Delayed to Summer 2019". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  17. "Dauntless console and Epic Games Store release delayed". EGMNOW.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  18. "Garena buys gaming developer Phoenix Labs, sources say for over $203.7m". The Straits Times. 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  19. "New Games and Beyond: A Multi-Studio Future for Phoenix Labs". Phoenix Labs. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  20. Brown, Fraser (2019-01-31). "Dauntless is joining the Epic Games Store". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  21. "Dauntless exclusivity on Epic Games Store is for cross-play". www.tweaktown.com. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
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