Wanderword
| Private | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Peter Zetterberg Thomas Lindgren |
| Headquarters | Boden, Sweden |
| Products | 63rd & Wallace Bluurb Cursed Painting |
| Owner | Privately held company |
| Website | https://www.wanderword.net/ |
Wanderword is a Swedish video game company, which develops and publishes interactive audio entertainment for the global mobile and smart speaker market.[1] It was founded in 2018 by gaming industry veterans Peter Zetterberg and Thomas Lindgren.[2] Combining its patent based platform and editor and its interactive audio entertainment studio, Wanderword develops content based on its own IPs and a number of licensed IP from world leading publishing houses/IP owners within interactive audio games and interactive audiobooks.[3]
The company has its development studio in Boden, Sweden and creative and business development offices in Stockholm and Seattle.[4]
History and Business Idea
Wanderword was founded by Microsoft Xbox veteran Peter Zetterberg and Fatshark chairman Thomas Lindgren, backed by Jacob Dalborg, the former Bonnier Books CEO and Peter Levin, another Swedish game industry veteran.[5] The business idea, interactive audio entertainment, was sprung out of a hobby project Peter Zetteberg has worked on since 2012.[6] Audio Entertainment (music, podcasts, audiobooks, and radio streaming) has been one of the fastest growing entertainment categories for some time now.[7] Moreover, Google and Amazon (company)|Amazon have been investing heavily in smart speaker technology.[8] Wanderword's mission is to pair the available technology with the interactivity that characterizes other media like games, and create engaging content for the users.[9][10]
Technology
To help writers, editors and audio designers focus on creative writing, Wanderword has developed a visual editor for authoring and content deployment for Amazon Alexa, Google Home and phones. The editor is powered by the Wanderword Markup Language (“WWMLA”). WWMLA is a scripting language integrating features from various programming languages. The Wanderword SDK comprising the script language WWMLA and the visual editor, allows for the creation of interactive audio experiences.[11]
Released Games
The content of Wanderword is called Poptales.[12] The company was introduced to the audience in 2018, with the episodic release of 63rd & Wallace for the Amazon Alexa.[13] Described as an interactive horror story with real-life inspirations, the game received great acclaim from customers.[14]
Wanderword released Bluurb in 2019, an interactive word-game for Android (operating system)|Android. A Bluurb is a story created by users, by talking to the app and coming up with words when prompted. After they have completed their Bluurb, the app reads it back to them, orchestrated with sound effects and music.[15]
In 2020, the studio launched Cursed Painting, an interactive role-playing game for the Amazon Alexa.[16] Cursed Painting combines elements from tabletop gaming, audiobooks, and open world exploration.[17] So far, three expansion packs have been released for the game, Cursed Painting: The Price of Knowledge, Cursed Painting: Echoes of the Past, and Cursed Painting: A Peasant Scorned.[18]
Games
| Title | Year | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 63rd & Wallace | 2018 | Amazon Alexa |
| Bluurb | 2019 | Android |
| Cursed Painting | 2020 | Amazon Alexa |
| Cursed Painting: The Price of Knowledge | 2020 | Amazon Alexa |
| Cursed Painting: Echoes of the Past | 2020 | Amazon Alexa |
| Cursed Painting: A Peasant Scorned | 2020 | Amazon Alexa |
References
- ↑ "Nordic Game Ventures". nordicgameventures.com.
- ↑ "Game pioneers establish studios in Boden - News - Boden Business Park". bodenbusinesspark.com.
- ↑ Emborg, Elin (February 6, 2020). "Bodenföretaget får ny vd och operativ chef – Norrbottens Affärer". norrbottensaffarer.se.
- ↑ "Wanderword". Mynewsdesk.
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-12-21-microsoft-fatshark-veterans-form-new-studio-for-immersive-audio-book-games
- ↑ "Han låg bakom Minecraft-affären – satsar på egna drömprojektet". Breakit.
- ↑ "The rise of audiobooks and the podcast industry | Deloitte Insights". www2.deloitte.com.
- ↑ "Smart speaker sales reached new record of 146.9M in 2019, up 70% from 2018".
- ↑ "Styr storyn med din röst". www.boden.se.
- ↑ "Två amerikanska studios öppnar kontor i Boden". December 19, 2018.
- ↑ "Tech". Wanderword.
- ↑ "Home". Wanderword.
- ↑ LLC, Days Fly. "Days Fly's Technology to Power Wanderword for Alexa". www.prnewswire.com.
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B07MGK7FBD
- ↑ "Bluurb - Create a story like no other!". Bluurb.
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B0833DJ4TD
- ↑ "THE CURSED PAINTING – OUT NOW". www.gamasutra.com.
- ↑ "The Cursed Painting - Wanderword : Updates". cursedpainting.com.
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