 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Key people | Lukáš Kolek |
| Number of employees | 9 |
| Website | charlesgames |
Charles Games is a Czech independent video game developing company founded in 2020 under Charles University. It aims to develop and sell computer games as well as serve as an incubator for computer game development students.
History
Charles University started developing video games in 2010s. Employees and students from Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Mathematics and Physics made education game Československo 38–89: Atentát in 2015. In 2017 they developed largely expanded version Attentat 1942. Success of Attentat 1942 led to decision to establish new development studio.
Charles Games was founded in 2020. Otomar Sláma became first director. He stated that the profit from the sales of games will be invested back into the project, at least in the first years. He also expects Charles Games to increase the sales potential of games developed at Charles University. 6 people were employed at Charles Games at the time. First project released under Charles Games was Svoboda 1945: Liberation. It was followed by Train To Sachsenhausen which was developed in cooperation with in cooperation with the Living Memory organization. Charles Games next game was Beecarbonize which tackled topic of climate change. It received nomination for Apple Design Awards in category Social Impact. In May 2024 the studio released Playing Kafka.
Released titles
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS | Android | Win | OS X | Switch | |||
| 2021 | Svoboda 1945: Liberation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Sequel to Attentat 1942. |
| 2021 | DigiStories: Nela | No | No | Yes | No | No | Game about cyberbullying for the NGO People in Need. Used in schools. |
| 2022 | Train To Sachsenhausen | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Game depicting the dramatic events associated with the closing of Czech universities on 17 November 1939. |
| 2023 | DigiStories: Alex | No | No | Yes | No | No | Game about digital addiction for the NGO People in Need. Used in schools. |
| 2023 | Beecarbonize | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Card simulation game with ecological topic. Created again in collaboration with People in Need |
| 2024 | Playing Kafka | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Adventure game aiming to introduce work of Franz Kafka to young generation. Created in collaboration with Goethe-Institut. |
| 2024 | Velvet 89 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Hidden object game about Velvet Revolution. |
| TBA | We Grew Up in War | No | No | Yes | No | No | Adventure game about children living in armed conflicts. |
| TBA | Silicomrades | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
References
- "Vzniká unikátní univerzitní Spin-off Charles Games, s.r.o. založený za účelem vývoje a prodeje počítačových her a podpory nadějných studentů". Univerzita Karlova (in Czech). Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- "Univerzita Karlova". databaze-her.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Velinger, Jan. "New from Charles Games: A climate crisis survival game". ukforum.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Ptáček, Michal (29 January 2020). "Univerzita Karlova zakládá vlastní herní studio. Charles Games budou vyvíjet a prodávat vlastní počítačové hry". CzechCrunch (in Czech). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Motlová, Adéla. "Karlova univerzita bude vyvíjet a prodávat vlastní videohry". playzone.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Zach, Ondřej (23 March 2022). "Vyšla edukativní česká hra Train to Sachsenhausen, je zdarma". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Petřík, Jarda (19 June 2023). "Publikum jde vychovat. Charles Games sklízí úspěch s Beecarbonize a pokračují s hrami s přesahem". Radio Wave (in Czech). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- "České studio Charles Games vydalo novou hru Playing Kafka". zing.cz (in Czech). 22 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- Bigas, Jiří. "Charles Games nás seznámí se sametovou revolucí". Vortex (in Czech). Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- Majtán, Martin (4 October 2024). "Studio Charles Games oznamuje novou videohru We Grew Up in War o dětství za války na Ukrajině, Sýrii a Bosně". IGN Česko a Slovensko (in Czech). Retrieved 28 October 2024.