Nordcurrent

Nordcurrent is a video game development and publishing company headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. It has three development studios in Vilnius, Odesa, Dnipro (Ukraine). Nordcurrent develops and publishes casual and freemium games for smartphones, tablets and PC/Mac.

Nordcurrent
FormerlyIvolgamus
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2002
HeadquartersVilnius, Lithuania
Key people
Victoria Trofimova (CEO)
Products101-in-1 Games, Happy Chef, Cooking Fever
Number of employees
+200
SubsidiariesNordcurrent Odesa
Websitewww.nordcurrent.com

History

Nordcurrent has been operating since 2002 when Ivolgamus, a company developing games for consoles, was established in Vilnius by two brothers Sergej and Michail Trofimov and Michail's wife Victoria.[1]

The company worked for a while as a developer in the console business, mostly known for cooperation with Activision.[2] In 2007 they grew rapidly and achieved success with the Shrek and Barbie games, which were developed for Activision. In 2008 Nordcurrent started publishing independently to take advantage of the opportunities available on the global market.[3] Since 2010, Nordcurrent has specialised in the development of freemium and casual games.

The first big hit created by the company was 101-in-1 Games for the iOS platform and it has reached top 5 games in 75 countries. The game reached 20 million downloads by 2014.

In August 2014, the iOS game Cooking Fever was released.[4] In February 2015, it was released for Android. In the first year Cooking Fever was downloaded by more than 50 million players.[5] Also in November 2015 Nordcurrent opened a new development studio in Warsaw, Poland.[6]

One of company’s most popular game Sniper Arena was released in 2016 and has 50 million downloads worldwide.[7]

In 2018, Nordcurrent acquired Odesa (Ukraine) game studio Blam! Games Studio which then was renamed to Nordcurrent Odesa.[8] Also in October 2018, Nordcurrent released Murder in the Alps, which already has over 10 million downloads.[9]

By the last three years Nordcurrent has released several new games – Airplane Chefs (2021), Pocket Styler (2021), Ocean’s Heart (2021) and Happy Clinic (2022).[10]

Nordcurrent company continues to expand with the acquisition of RinGames, based in Dnipro, Ukraine. The acquired company has 28 employees and 10 years of experience in the computer games industry. RinGames was previously known as the strongest game graphics team in Ukraine.[11]

The company is a member of the Lithuanian Game Developers Association - an organisation of professional and amateur game developers in all fields.[12]

Since 2002 Nordcurrent has developed more than 50 games that have attracted more than half a billion players worldwide.

Awards

In 2015, Cooking Fever was awarded as the game of the year by LT Game Awards.[13]

In 2017, Nordcurrent co-founders Victoria, Michail and Sergej Trofimov were awarded for their services to the Lithuanian games industry by the LT Game Awards.[14]

In 2018, Norcurrent released Murder in the Alps, which was awarded in the LT Game Awards as best game in several nominations: best sound design, best game for smart devices and the best game of the year.[15]

In 2021, company’s game Airplane Chefs in LT Game Awards was nominated for best sound design and best game for smart devices categories.

Games published
Year Title Platform(s) Description
2008 101-in-1 Explosive Megamix Nintendo DS, Wii
2008 Shrek’s Carnival Craze Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii Shrek's twisted fairy-tale humour mingles with the fun of the Renaissance Midway in 28 hilarious carnival mini-games. Players can choose their favourite Shrek characters and compete for the title of Carnival King or Queen.
2009 101-in-1 Party Megamix Wii
2010 101-in-1 Games iOS, Android 101-in-1 Games is an app to play more than 140 different games using a single interface: some of them are unlocked from the beginning, while others have to be unlocked with coins.
2010 101-in-1 Megamix PlayStation Portable
2010 5 Arcade Gems Wii 5 Arcade Gems is a collection of five wacky arcade games. It is for up to 4 players and it is perfect for all ages groups players. Each game is different in visuals, theme and gameplay mechanics. Players will find something for their taste, be it a medieval knight’s game, RC Buggy racing or ultra-modern space shooter.
2010 Arcade Essentials PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Wii Arcade Essentials is a collection of five classic arcade games. All games are presented in a modern redesign, with improved gameplay, stylish graphics and sound effects.
2010 Urbanix iOS, PlayStation Portable, Wii Urbanix is a game inspired by classic computer games. The player is playing as Urbanix, a tiny little tractor that has to build a town on an empty field, avoid enemies and catch and chase house crashers. The game can be played on Earth, in the North Pole, or on the moon - all locations have different gameplay mechanics, therefore the strategy of the game has to be adapted.
2014 Cooking Fever Android, iOS, Windows 10 Cooking Fever is a cooking game where you manage different types of cuisine restaurants. Players have to serve their customers as quickly as possible and make sure they go home happy and satisfied. The restaurant can be decorated to attract more clients and there are more than 100 levels to complete.
2016 Sniper Arena Android, iOS Sniper Arena is an action PvP shooting game. A multiplayer first-person shooter is faced off against other snipers in closed settings. Each player controls a sniper positioned in a random spot in the level. The objective is to shoot as many enemies as possible.
2018 Murder in the Alps Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS Murder in the Alps is a unique adventure story game. It's a fully interactive crime novel with amazing Hidden Object gameplay features. The game takes back to the 1930s, solving countless mysteries and experiencing an adventure in the authentic atmosphere of the time.
2019 Time Guardians Android, iOS, Time Guardians takes each player inside an enchanting, mysterious world, filled with hidden object scenes for you to explore. Players have to overcome the obstacles, and solve the sophisticated puzzles and minigames, to discover the secret.
2021 Airplane Chefs Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows Airplane Chefs is a time-management game in which players have to cook meals and desserts on a commercial flight. Each player goes on a delicious journey around the globe on which they can learn about famous foods from the world’s greatest cities.
2021 Pocket Styler Android, iOS Pocket Styler is a casual fashion and dressing up game. In this game players can show off their taste for fashion by dressing up each of the girls according to the events they plan to attend. There are also many clothing features to unlock and more opportunities in each level.
2021 Ocean’s Heart Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Ocean's Heart is an epic top-down action RPG in which the player explores a beautiful archipelago as a young woman named Tilia. Taking on contracts to fight monsters, descend deep into ancient dungeons, defeat menacing foes, and unravel the mystery of Ocean's Heart.
2022 Happy Clinic Android, iOS Happy clinic is a free time management hospital game where the greatest wealth is health. Dozens of intense challenges await in quirky hospitals across the world, where the equipment is as unique as the climate.

References
  1. Neverauskas, Vaidas. "Didžiausi šalies žaidimų kūrėjai Lietuvoje nebeišsitenka – plėsis Lenkijoje". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  2. "Lithuania's Nordcurrent rides Cooking Fever beyond 100 million downloads". VentureBeat. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  3. Neverauskas, Vaidas. "Didžiausi šalies žaidimų kūrėjai Lietuvoje nebeišsitenka – plėsis Lenkijoje". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  4. "data.ai".
  5. "Cooking Fever simmers past 50 million downloads". VentureBeat. 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  6. Remis, Tommy (2021-12-22). "Nordcurrent acquires RinGames, participates in the development of Cooking Fever and Sniper Arena". RVgamepc. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  7. "Sniper Arena: PvP Army Shooter – "Google Play" programos". play.google.com (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  8. "Lithuanian game publisher acquires Ukrainian Blam! Games Studios". inventure.com.ua. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  9. "Murder in Alps: Hidden Mystery – "Google Play" programos". play.google.com (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  10. "Home". Nordcurrent. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  11. ""Nordcurrent" toliau plečiasi: įsigijo Ukrainos žaidimų kūrimo…". Telefonai.eu (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  12. "Nariai – LŽKA – Lietuvos žaidimų kūrėjų asociacija" (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  13. "Istorija". LT Game Awards (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  14. ""GameOn" metu apdovanoti geriausi Lietuvos žaidimai". DIENA.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  15. "Parodoje "GameOn" apdovanoti geriausi šiemet lietuviški žaidimai". 15min.lt/verslas (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2022-12-01.
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